Adam Sedgley, Nick Bonomo and I spent a very enjoyable day out at the coast
today. We started with great views of 2 Mountain Quail at Mary Hrudkaj's
house in Belfair. Belfair State Park had a nice variety of birds including
a Pacific Loon and a 2 Eared Grebes in breeding plumage, 200 Greater
White-fronted Geese flying over with a few minima Cackling Geese mixed in, a
well-marked Green-winged X Eurasian Teal, a couple Canvasback, a few
Semipalmated Plovers, and a Whimbrel.

At the Hoquiam STP there was a Snow Goose, a male Purple Martin, and nice
views of an adult Thayer's Gull. Hundreds of Greater White-fronted Geese
dotted the marsh at Bowerman Basin while the shorebird spectacle there
included several Red Knots.

At Tokeland there was a Willet, a Wandering Tattler, and several thousand
Greater White-fronted Geese in three large flocks. The largest of these
flocks contained well over a thousand birds, while the other two had at
least 500 geese each.

Along Foster Road near Elma we encountered another large flock of Greater
White-fronted Geese. In one picture of less than half of the flock in
flight I estimated 1230 birds when counting by 10 - supporting the earlier
estimate of 2500-3000 geese in the flock. The two Barnacle Geese were also
in this flock.

As a final surprise of the day, a male California Quail ran across Wenzel
Slough Road just west of Vance Creek Park.

Ryan Merrill
Kirkland, WA