Hello Tweets,

This afternoon we birded the Hoquiam STP and surroundings in Grays Harbor Co. from 3:30pm-6pm. This locations continues to produce good migrant as migration continues!Our main efforts were made searching for migrant passerines in the riparian area immediately west of Paulson Rd. and north of the Hoquiam STP. Conditions were quite productive with an overall good assortment of passerines,although many of the birds moved around and efforts of "pishing",etc after awhile proved unsuccessful. Our main highlight during the very hot afternoon was a female ORCHARD ORIOLE observed briefly,but well along the vegetation that borders the Grays Harbor NWR immediately west of Paulson Rd. The bird was very elusive and only allowed a short observation,but the bird was described as small yellow oriole with darkish wings with 2 bold white wing bars with a fairly dull pointed bill. The yellow areas on the bird extended from the head and neck down onto the breast and undertail coverts and tail.

The riparian area was covered well north of the Hoquiam STP,but many of the passerines were in mixed flocks and readily moved from one patch of trees to the other across a large weedy field. The most numerous passerine species were Yellow Warblers with smaller numbers of a few other warbler species. The LEAST FLYCATCHER that was originally found by Charlie Wright on the 7th of September was observed this afternoon for a short period,where a few poor quality photos were obtained. This bird was quite active and remained unvocal in a dense alder/willow "island" of trees before suddenly slipping away and to an unknown location. It was a great bird to see and an excellent bird for Grays Harbor Co.!

A general list of additional highlights observed this afternoon at the Hoquiam STP included the following:

85+ Brown Pelicans
3 REDHEADS
2 Lesser Scaup
1 Surf Scoter
1 Bufflehead
10 Red-necked Phalaropes
1 Heermann's Gull
1 Caspian Tern
1 Barn Owl
1 Western Wood Pewee
1 Willow Flycatcher
1 Pacific-slope"Western"Flycatcher
30+ Barn Swallows
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
2 Bewick's Wrens
4 Winter Wrens
4 Swainson's Thrushes
75+ Cedar Waxwings
9 Warbling Vireos
8 Orange-crowned Warblers
48+ Yellow Warblers
6 Yellow-rumped Warblers
27+ Black-throated Gray Warblers
1 Townsend's Warbler
1 MacGillivray's Warbler
13 Wilson's Warblers
6 Common Yellowthroats
1 Spotted Towhee
40+ Savannah Sparrows
3 "Sooty"Fox Sparrows
7 Lincoln's Sparrows
8 Golden-crowned Sparrows
18 White-crowned Sparrows


On route to the Hoquiam STP we observed several Turkey Vultures including the following sightings:

2 birds along Hwy. 8 at Rock Candy Mtn. Rd.,Thurston Co.
12 birds along Hwy.12 at Elma
14 birds along Hwy. 12 at Brady
4 birds along Hwy.12 west of Montesano



Good birding,

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