Today, I spent a good portion of the day birding in and around Ocean Shores. I tallied around 60 species for the trip. Here's the highlights:

Two vocalizing Horned Grebes at Ocean City State Park - I was baffled by the sound coming from the fog as it was getting daylight, but luckily I got to see the two suspects on the northern pond just past the entrance to the park.

From the jetty - thousands of Sooty Shearwaters in the channel and out beyond the tip of the jetty, most of them were in the water - it was an amazing sight! Also, on the jetty I saw a Ruddy Turnstone and a Wandering Tattler.

A lone Greater White-fronted Goose at the Ocean Shores STP. Seems a bit early for this goose. Also, a single female Greater Scaup here.

From the overlook of the game range opposite the big concrete water tower - 5 Pectoral Sandpiper and 3 Red-necked Phalarope (life bird!)

At the game range accessed from Tonquin Avenue - as I approached the deep canal, I flushed one Red-necked Phalarope out of the canal. Also, there were six Golden-Plovers about 50 yards away in the Salicornia on the opposite side of the canal. I won't try to put them to species since I am not confident on them yet.

At Bill's Spit, I scoped 16 Marbled Godwits for quite some time and did notice one which seemed on the pale side. However, as the tide was moving them closer, I turned my attention to something else and then when I looked back they were all gone. Not sure what made them move.

No raptors at all!

Good birding!

Tim O'Brien
Elma, WA
mailto: kertim7179 at yahoo.com



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