Subject: [Tweeters] Westport & Ocean Shores 10/14/06
Date: Oct 15 06:38:00 2006
From: Marv Breece - mbreece at earthlink.net


Yesterday I birded Westport and Ocean Shores locations (Grays Harbor County) with Janeanne Houston.

First stop was the Westport marina at the 8:25AM high tide. The BAR-TAILED GODWIT was perched in plain view on the breakwater with MARBLED GODWITS. This is Float 21 where the bird has been reported from earlier.

Next was Bottle Beach on the outgoing tide. I didn't count the birds, so my numbers are rough estimates. A juvenile RUFF was foraging the beach and the waterline, mostly in the company of Black-bellied Plovers.

BOTTLE BEACH
Black-bellied Plover - 300
Long-billed Dowitcher - 75
Greater Yellowlegs - 100
Ruddy Turnstone - 2
Sanderling - 150
Western Sandpiper - 2000
Dunlin - 200
Ruff - 1 juv

Then we took off for Ocean Shores. At Damon Point, we could find no golden-plovers. Near the pond, a MERLIN was hunting from a low perch; a piece of driftwook about one foot off the ground. BROWN PELICANS were everywhere, making repeated low dives. There were over 100 WESTERN GREBES and a few COMMON and RED-THROATED LOONS. In the slough viewed from the Tonquin Ave entrance to the Game Range, there were 4 RIVER OTTERS.

We dipped on WHITE-TAILED KITE at Brady Loop. Couldn't find one along Wentzel Slough Road either.

It was a good day.

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA
mbreece at earthlink.net