Hello Tweets,

Today we enjoyed a nice day at Ocean Shores with a variety of species encountered from several locations. Our main highlight of the day was 9 adult PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS observed between 1:15pm to 1:45pm at the Tonquin Ave. access of the Oyhut Wildlife Area. The bird were all observed in a loose flock on the opposite side of a large,deep canal surrounded by dense Salicornia fields. The bird were very alert and most often just revealed their heads from the Salicornia until the finally flew off a short ways further onto the Oyhut WA. This location is somewhat familiar to some Washington birders for producing both species of golden plovers,as well as Sharp-tailed Sandpipers during the fall migration. The 9 birds that we observed today are probably some of the same birds noted by Tim O'Brien yesterday at this same location,as reported by him onto Tweeters. It was a welcome sight to see these birds and hopefully they will increase in numbers through the next few weeks.

Other good highlights noted during our visit to Ocean Shores consisted of 28 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS observed during incoming tide at Bill's Spit. These were the only large shorebirds observed at this location during our visit between 12:15pm-12:45pm and are always a highlight for us. 2 distant flying adult Parasitic Jaegers and 3 Horned Grebes were also noted from Bill's Spit,as we scoped the calm waters of North Bay. A walk behind the Ocean Shores STP at the Oyhut WA produced a single Baird's Sandpiper and 5 Am.Pipits,which the latter species was our personal first of the season. 4 bright juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers were noted foraging along the vegetated shoreline at the north pond at the Ocean Shores STP,as our only highlight for that location.

Our day actually began great with a morning visit to the Hoquiam STP,where we also included a walk through the lush riparian area immediately north of the main sewage pond for passerines. Most notable species encountered from both locations included the following:

1 EARED GREBE
57 Brown Pelicans
40 Northern Shovelers
8 Northern Pintails
7 Greater Scaup
2 Mew Gulls(observed amongst good numbers of California and Ring-billed Gulls)
45+ Vaux's Swifts
1 Anna's Hummingbird
1 Willow Flycatcher
2 PURPLE MARTINS
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallows(observed amongst a huge concentration estimated at 650+ birds)
1 Swainson's Thrush
8 Warbling Vireos
6 Orange-crowned Warblers
15 Yellow Warblers
10 Black-throated Gray Warblers
5 Wilson's Warblers
2 Western Tanagers
1 Black-headed Grosbeak
10 Purple Finches


After birding the Hoquiam STP thoroughly we headed over Ocean Shores,where conditions remained very calm and quite slow at times,despite locating a few of our main highlights of the day. Shorebird numbers were very low with almost no "peeps",but we did not venture out onto Damon Point. During our visit to Ocean Shores we noted our first small movements of Steller's Jays with 2 small groups encountered including 4 birds just north of the Ocean Shores STP and 22 birds near Bill's Spit. We expect numbers will greatly increase at this locations and others in upcoming weeks,as flocks continue to gather. Additional noteworthy species encountered at Ocean Shores include the following:

Red-throated Loon
15 off the Ocean Shores Jetty
7 at the Oyhut WA

Pacific Loon
20 off the Ocean Shores Jetty

RED-NECKED GREBE
1 at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Western Grebe
1 at the Ocean Shores

Sooty Shearwater
3-4,000+ birds off the Ocean Shores Jetty(with most birds noted very close to shore in large feeding or loafing flocks)

Blue-winged Teal
2 birds at Cabana Pond(observed with 4 Northern Pintails and 3 Northern Shovelers)

Ring-necked Duck
1 oversummering bird continuing at the Cabana Pond

Greater Scaup
1 female at the Ocean Shores STP

Common Merganser
3 birds at Bill's Spit

Northern Harrier
1 bird at the Oyhut WA

Semipalmated Plover
12 birds at the Oyhut WA

Wandering Tattler
5 birds at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Spotted Sandpiper
1 bird at the Ocean Shores STP

Marbled Godwit
2 birds at the base of Damon Point

Surfbird
1 bird(with 12 Black Turnstones)at the Ocean Shores Jetty

Sanderling
3 birds(with 75 Western Sandpipers)at the Ocean Shores Jetty



Additional species noted to and from destinations included the following:

2 Turkey Vultures observed along S.R.109 at Gray Gables with 7 additional birds noted along Hwy.12 between Montesano and Brady.

1 Western Scrub Jay along Hwy.12 at Satsop



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com