Subject: [Tweeters] WOS field trip to Tokeland and more
Date: Sep 16 22:03:51 2006
From: Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweets and other birders,

Today we led a nice WOS(Washington Ornithological Society)field trip to Bottle Beach and the Tokeland area with an overall great birding day! 12 of us enjoyed a good assortment of coastal species,as well as several highlights for the day with a total of 100 species. The weather was great with good birding conditions,although during the afternoon misty or hazy conditions prevailed during our visit to Midway Beach Rd. We had a good participation by everyone in the group with everyone being well equipped with spotting scopes,etc and very eager and energetic to most of the birds. The day went on a slow note as far as overall bird diversity,as well as shorebird abundance but towards the end of the day we really did well with many surprises,which made the a great ending to the long day!

Our main highlights of the day were as followed:

1 lingering juvenile WHITE-TAILED KITE observed well by everyone in our group during an evening visit to Foster Rd. (accessed along the Brady Loop Rd. complex)at 5:30pm. The bird remained perched atop a low bush east of Foster Rd.,as it sat and moved around several times from it's perch allowing great angle views of the bird with good lighting too. We strongly believe this is the same bird than previously reported by us on the 31st of August,(as well as Hugh Jennings on the 26th of August)since the bird is a juvenile bird and in the same vicinity. It was a real treat for everyone!

7 SANDHILL CRANES along the southwestern portion of the Brady Loop Rd. complex. with 4 birds first detected flying along the western portion of the complex,then relocated with 3 additional birds in a large low grassy field surrounded by vast corn fields. The flock consisted of 2 adult birds and 5 juvenile birds,as the foraged nearly altogether in the field. It was nice surprise,although not entirely unexpected for this location!

2 juvenile PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS observed during incoming tide amongst a large flock of Black-bellied Plovers at Bottle Beach. The birds were both very crisp and bright and having good lighting contributed to great scoping looks at them from all in our group.

8 juvenile/immature SNOWY PLOVERS north of the end of Midway Beach Rd.,where they remained close to debris fields along the upper beach. This was one of our main target birds for the day,so it was great to see them!

12 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS foraging along the exposed mudflats just south of Graveyard Spit at Tokeland(with many Marbled Godwits foraging nearby for good comparisons,specifically with their bills tucked away).

3 LAPLAND LONGSPURS at Midway Beach Rd.



***An itinerary of the day's main species follows below by selected locations and times***:


Johns River WRA,Grays Harbor Co. 8:45am

4 Yellow Warblers

Bottle Beach,GH 9am-10:30am

40 Common Loons
2 Horned Grebes
85+ Am.Wigeon
5 White-winged Scoters
3 Surf Scoters
7 Turkey Vultures
108 Black-bellied Plovers
2 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS
16 Semipalmated Plovers
15 Greater Yellowlegs
32 Western Sandpipers
1 Short-billed Dowitcher
1 Caspian Tern
1 Violet-green Swallow
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Townsend's Warbler
4 "Sooty"Fox Sparrows
38+ Purple Finches

S.R.105 at Bay City(mouth of the Elk River),GH 10:35am

10 Great Egrets(with these birds later noted feeding out along the Elk River with several Great Blue Herons)
1 Northern Harrier
1 Peregrine Falcon

Westport,GH(including the Westport Marina and Westhaven State Park) 10:45am-1:15pm

13 Common Loons
3 Western Grebes
1 Northern Harrier
2 Peregrine Falcons
6 Semipalmated Plovers
154 Marbled Godwits
2 Whimbrels
7 Western Sandpipers
1 Short-billed Dowitcher
1 Long-billed Dowitcher
3 Caspian Terns
2 COMMON TERNS
1 WESTERN SCRUB JAY(observed by only a few of our group members at the entrance to Westhaven State Park,but noteworthy only for this coastal location)

Tokeland,Pacific Co. 2pm-2:50pm

14 Willets
2 Whimbrels
12 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS
500+ Marbled Godwits
3 Black Turnstones
1 Sanderling
1 Bonaparte's Gull
2 Mew Gulls

Midway Beach Rd.,PA 3pm-4:30pm

3 Red-throated Loons
1 Northern Harrier
1 Merlin
8 SNOWY PLOVERS
85 Sanderlings
1 "Streaked"Horned Lark
2 Golden-crowned Kinglets(with one or both birds giving a light chattering that was new to many of us,which at first had us very puzzled until we later detected the birds)
1 Am.Pipit
3 LAPLAND LONGSPURS


Ocosta Third Street,GH 4:50pm-5pm

3 Wood Ducks
1 Ring-necked Duck

Brady Loop Rd complex to Foster Rd.,GH 5:30pm-6:15pm

5 Turkey Vultures
1 Osprey(eating a large fish atop a telephone pole,then upon driving closer flew off with it's prey as it dangled in it's talons)
1 WHITE-TAILED KITE
1 Am.Kestrel
4 SANDHILL CRANES
2 Violet-green Swallows

Schouweiler Rd. wetland,GH 6:30pm-7pm

2 Pied-billed Grebes
2 Am.Bitterns
1 TRUMPETER SWAN(this is the same individual that oversummered at this location and previously reported by Tim O'Brien and other birders)
20 Wood Ducks
1 Cinnamon Teal
1 Osprey
3 Virginia Rails(including 2 bird observed by most of our group and 1 additional bird heard only)
2 Wilson's Snipe


A really great day overall,despite no exceptionally rare species.......but it is not something you always expect!



Good birding,

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