Hello Tweets,

Today we led a Tahoma Audubon Society field trip to Tokeland with 7 participants and a total of 93 species. We experience a wide variety of weather from morning dense drizzle in the Elma-Brady area turning to partly sunny skies by early afternoon with stiff northerly winds at times. Overall we encountered relatively slow conditions all day,especially for songbirds as well as an overall lack of good movements of birds. Despite these conditions we all enjoyed the day along with getting a few highlights too. Probably our best highlight of the morning began with the 2 lingering BARNACLE GEESE that were noted at 10:30am in open fields along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd. north of Willis Street. As we drove along Brady Loop Rd. past Hiram Hall Rd. we immediately and easily located a large,but scattered flock of Canada and Cackling Geese in open,grassy and partially stubble fields west of the road. Within this flock we easily located the 8 Snow Geese that continue to linger at this location. We soon safely pulled off along the road and inspected the geese flock more thoroughly and almost instantly located the 2 Barnacle Geese foraging the edge of the field immediately bordering a fence line. The 2 birds offered great scope views,as they continued to walk around feeding together until they decided to lift up and fly a very short distance to the north to join a more intense flock of Cackling Geese within the same field. The views we obtained were far better than views we got on the 28th of March near the basic location,which may have been contributed to better lighting and the birds being somewhat closer overall. Anyhow, we were all treated to exceptional views of the 2 Barnacle Geese this morning under the drizzly skies. After viewing the birds we continued on along Brady Loop Rd . and ran into Connie Sidles and her husband,whom we told about our sighting and are glad they were able to see the 2 Barnacle Geese too! They are truly striking birds and hope more birders are able to see them before they may decide to migrate onward.

After birding the Elma-Brady area we worked our way westward towards Tokeland by making stops at the Johns River WRA and Grayland,as conditions remained slow in places. Due to missing the morning incoming high tide we managed to make the walk to the mudflats on our way home during the afternoon outgoing tide at 3pm. Conditions during that time were equally slow with no shorebird movements to mention other than a single Black-bellied Plover and a Sanderling mixed in amongst a flock of 45+ Dunlin. Nearby, roosting in the wind next to old pilings were 8 Least Sandpipers. At Tokeland we arrived at the Tokeland Marina with no large shorebirds then all of a sudden 14 Willets appeared inside the marina followed by a constant line of Marbled Godwits that flew in from the direction of Graveyard Spit. It was a spectacular sight for everyone in our group,as birds just kept flying in and in unison they all landed on the old wooded dock inside the marina. We estimated 800+ birds after they all finally settled down and began to rest along with several of the Willets that joined them. Of special interest within this flock were 2 alternate plumaged SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS that settled amongst the larger Marbled Godwits and were our firsts of the season,but weren't exceptionally early. Nonetheless, it was nice to see both of them and we expect more Short-billed Dowitchers to continue migrating northward in weeks to come.

On our way home and before birding a Bottle Beach we made a visit along Ocosta Third Street,where a single male REDHEAD was encountered only briefly in the wetland area south of Atlantic Ave. before it and several other ducks were flushed up by a passing immature Bald Eagle. It was a nice sighting since we did not see the pair of Redheads that remained at Vance Creek Co. Park for nearly one month. Perhaps they are still around and will show up again,but today's morning visit to that location was interrupted by model boat racers on the eastern most pond. We did however locate our only Osprey of the day along the south side of Wenzel Slough Rd. atop a large snag,where pairs of Osprey have nested before. The large snag has no nest on it,but perhaps a pair of Osprey will build a new nest this year.

A list of other highlights noted during the day include the following:

Am.Bittern
1 calling bird at the Chehalis Wildlife Area(accessed off of Schouweiler Rd. near Elma)

Trumpeter Swan
3 lingering birds observed in open corn stubble fields along the western portion of Wenzel Slough Rd. in the morning,as well as Hwy.12 at Satsop on our way home

Greater White-fronted Geese
2 birds observed along the western portion of Wenzel Slough Rd.

Wood Duck
1 male at Vance Creek Co. Park
3 birds along Ocosta Third Street

Eurasian Wigeon
1 male along Foster Rd.(Brady Loop Rd. complex)

Surf Scoter(unusual location)
1 lingering bird previously reported by Tim O'Brien at the Chehalis Wildlife Area(accessed off of Schouweiler Rd. near Elma)

Turkey Vulture
1 bird along S.R.105 at Aberdeen
4 birds along Hwy.12 just east of the Wynoochee River
1 bird along Hwy.8 west of Summit Lake,Thurston Co.

Am.Kestrel
1 bird along Hwy.12 near Brady

Peregrine Falcon
1 bird flying over Tokeland

Ring-necked Pheasant
1 male along Brady Loop Rd.

Virginia Rail
2 calling birds along Ocosta Third Street

Black-bellied Plover
1 bird at Bottle Beach
10+ birds along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd.

Greater Yellowlegs
25+ birds along Brady Loop Rd.
8 birds along S.R.105 west of Aberdeen

Long-billed Dowitcher
7 birds along Wenzel Slough Rd.

Wilson's Snipe
5 birds at the Chehalis Wildlife Area(accessed off of Schouweiler Rd. near Elma)

BONAPARTE'S GULL
1 bird at Vance Creek Co. Park
3 birds in a scattered gull flock along the western portion of Wenzel Slough Rd.

GLAUCOUS GULL
1 first winter plumaged birds observed in a gull flock along the western portion of Wenzel Slough Rd.(also noted within this same gull flock were 2 Herring Gulls and 1 California Gull.)
2 first winter plumaged birds along the eastern portion of Brady Loop Rd. 3 Herring Gulls and 3 California Gulls were noted in amongst this same gull flock.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
2 birds along Ocosta Third Street
2 bird at the Chehalis Wildlife Area(accessed off of Schouweiler Rd. near Elma)

Common Yellowthroat
1 calling bird at the Chehalis Wildlife Area(accessed off of Schouweiler Rd. near Elma)

Savannah Sparrow
1 bird along Brady Loop Rd.

Purple Finch
1 bird at the Johns River WRA
1 bird at Bottle Beach



Good birding,

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