Today, Phil Kelly led a Black Hills Audubon field trip from John's River
down to Tokeland. We tallied 70 species in which 21 were shorebirds. We
started at John's River, where we had 3 Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted
Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, 1 Turkey Vulture, and 25+ Greater
White-fronted Geese fly over. Next stop was at Bottle Beach. We had 2
Green Herons at the pond on Ocosta Third St. At the beach we had 1
juvenile Red Knot, Black-bellied Plovers, Western Sandpipers,
Semipalmated Plovers, Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, Northern
Shovelers, and 1 Common Loon. At Westport, we added 1 Wandering Tattler,
2 Black Turnstones, 1 Red-necked Phalarope, Marbled Godwits, Common
Murres. and Western Grebes. Midway Beach was next on the agenda. We
spent some time searching the beach to the south and came up with a
remarkable 17 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Least and Western
Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Plovers. Over at
Tokeland, we made a stop at Graveyard Spit and found 3 Long-billed
Curlews and Marbled Godwits. At the marina we had Purple Martins, more
Marbled Godwits, Willets, 1 Whimbrel, and Long-billed Dowitchers. Phil
ended the trip here, but our group decided to go back to Midway Beach
and search the northern beach area. So, Lonnie Sommer, Jim Pruske,
Sherry and I headed back over and found 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, and 20
Snowy Plovers.

Dave Hayden
dtvhm AT nwrain.com
Centralia, WA