Tweets,
I started out today with Dick Johnson, Richard Isherwood and Cate
Hopkinson hoping something new would have come in to the Sequim area with
the weather fronts.
At Helen's Pond (3 Crabs) we spent some time and saw at least 4
Long-billed Dowitchers and with them a Ruff that was larger than the
Dowitchers. Nice looks at them after we had a brief glimpse of the Ruff but
it flew away. Having seen very little up to that point we decided to eat
lunch at Helen's Pond hoping it would come back. And it did! A juvenile bird
which can be hard to see with the high grass that is growing up now that
there are no horses at the former Horse Pond. We also had good looks at one
Pectoral Sandpiper which was joined by a second which had been hidden in the
grass when the first flew off. All three of these species were first of the
fall for me.
Dick and Richard had to go back to Port Townsend. Cate and I went on to
Marlyn Nelson CP, Washington Harbor and to Blyn. Going in on the westside of
Jimmy Come Lately Creek and down to the shore we saw four immature
Franklin's Gulls at high tide. We also saw our only Bonapaparte's Gulls (3)
and Caspian Terns (2 adults and an immature) for the day. You park and walk
west on the Discovery Trail and then downthrough the revegetated area on a
two lane path to the scrape and the shore of Dungeness Bay. You no longer
have to pass a no trepassing sign. I think the Jametown Elwha Tribe owns the
land but there are state signs there. Rising tide close to high is best. We
saw only one Franklin's at first and then all of the gulls and terns flew
and settled nearby on the water and then we could see all of them. Obviously
some were hidden by the bank.
Bob Norton
norton36 at olypen.com
Joyce (near Port Angeles), WA