Having missed the morning tide that this bird seems to prefer, we killed time at Reifel hoping to catch the plover later in the day. Despite the number of birders (and the quality of optics) on the dike between 104th and 112th St. in Delta last evening, nobody spotted the Lesser Sand Plover. Extreme tide action didn't help...tide's either way the heck out there or quickly swallowing all the shore. Several thousand peeps, Black-bellied Plovers, some Semipalmated Plovers, a few Greater Yellowlegs and a lone Whimbrel were the shorebirds in evidence.

Reifel, though crowded with humans, offered great views of Long-Billed Dowitchers in lovely plumage, both Yellowlegs foraging side-by-side for a great lesson in differentiating the two, Goldeneyes so unexpected that they weren't immediately ID'd and a lone Wilson's Phalarope in transitional plumage that was a bit confounding at first. The meowing crow near the lookout tower may have been the highlight of the trip.

Brad and Natalie Whitman
Bellingham WA