Hola Tweeters,

I just finished my semi-annual, 11-day birding tour through the western
part of your beautiful state, and thought I would share with you what
we found. My thanks to the many birders we encountered on our way who
were friendly and helpful with suggestions on where we might find a few
target species that gave us some problems. Also to all of you who
report your sightings on Tweeters. Who ordered this gorgeous weather?

We saw a total of 182 species, making this the most successful of my
Washington trips to date. Everyone in the group saw more "lifers" than
they expected (average of 30 each), and were impressed with the beauty
of the area, and very surprised with the weather. Among the more
unusual (for Washington or season) birds we saw were (in taxonomic
order) Greater White-fronted Goose (6 at Fir Island, 2 at Oyhut Game
Range on the 7th), Snow Goose (1 at Fir Island), Buller's Shearwater
(on the pelagic trip), Short-tailed Shearwater (2 on the pelagic trip),
Green Heron (Ocosta 3rd St. Pond), Sora (at Kah Tai lagoon), Sandhill
Crane (2 flying over the road near Elwah River), Pacific Golden-Plover
(2 at Oyhut Game Range on the 7th), Ruddy Turnstone (4 at Damon Point),
Red Knot (2 at Bottle Beach on the 10th), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (13
at Oyhut Game Range on the 7th, 4-5? at the same place on the 11th),
Ruff (at Oyhut Game Range), Glaucous Gull (1 adult at Point Wilson),
Clark's Nutcracker (1 at DNR lands near Sequim), Horned Lark (6 at Fir
Island), Purple Martin (1 at Dugualla Bay), Tennessee Warbler (1 at
Tokeland), Nashville Warbler (1 at Kah Tai Lagoon), Golden-crowned
Sparrow (1 immature at Nisqually), Black-headed Grosbeak (1 at Bay View
SP), and Yellow-headed Blackbird (1 at Fir Island). We had 30 species
of shorebirds, all 4 jaegers/skuas, and 12 species of gulls. On the
other hand, we missed Eurasian Wigeon and Bar-tailed Godwit for the
first time on this tour, and didn't see any owls or hummingbirds. The
Ruff, however, was a good trade for the godwit . . .

The complete list of the birds we found with locations noted follows.
Please feel free to contact me if you have questions. Here's a brief
synopsis of our itinerary:

Sept. 2 - Left SeaTac airport in the early afternoon and drove to
Anacortes; birded Skagit Flats and Fir Island in the afternoon,
primarily at Skagit Wildlife Area.

Sept. 3 - In the morning we birded Washington Park, and in the
afternoon March's Point, Samish Flats and Bay View SP.

Sept. 4 - We left Anacortes and went south through Whidbey Island to
Keystone, took the ferry to Port Townsend, and finished the day birding
near Port Townsend before heading to Sequim after dark. On this route,
we birded Mt. Erie, Deception Pass SP, Dugualla Bay, West Beach Rd.,
Ft. Ebey, Penn Cove, Crockett Lake, Keystone Ferry, Port Townsend,
Point Wlson, and Kah Tai Lagoon.

Sept. 5 - All day today we birded the Sequim area, in the morning at
Railroad Bridge Park and the DNR lands (SW of town); Dungeness Spit,
3-crabs Restaurant, and John Wayne Marina (Sequim Bay) in the
afternoon.

Sept. 6 - Today we travelled from Sequim to Ocean Shores, starting with
a side trip to Deer Park (Olympic NP), then making stops en route at
Ediz Hook (Pt. Angeles), Elwah River mouth, and La Push.

Sept. 7 - We spent all day at Ocean Shores, visiting Point Brown, Oyhut
Game Range, Ocean Shores STP, and Bill's Spit in the morning. In the
afternoon we went to Ocean City SP, and then walked to the end of Damon
Point.

Sept. 8 - In the morning we went to Lake Quinault, followed by a stop
at Bowerman Basin; in the afternoon we went to Bottle Beach.

Sept. 9 - Most of the day was spent on the Gray's Canyon pelagic trip
with Westport Seabirds; after the trip we went to Midway Beach.

Sept. 10 - We started this morning at John's River WA, then went to the
Ocosta Third Street pond, and afterward went to Tokeland, where we
finished the morning before heading to Raymond for lunch, making a few
stops along Willapa Bay and at the Raymond airport before returning to
Tokeland briefly for high tide. Afterwards we went to Bottle Beach for
the last of high tide, and finished the day birding the Westport
jetties and beaches.

Sept. 11 - In the morning we went to Ocean Shores (Oyhut Game Range) to
look for the Ruff, and later visited Nisqually NWR on our way to
Tacoma.

Sept. 12 - We made a breif morning visit to Point Defiance Park in
Tacoma before heading to the airport.

Mark Stackhouse
Westwings, Inc.
www.westwings.com
mark at westwings.com
801-487-9453 (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)
011-52-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico)

Species list:

Greater White-fronted Goose - 6 at Fir Island, 2 at Oyhut Game Range
Snow Goose - 1 at Fir Island
Canada Goose - widespread
Wood Duck - 1 at John's River WA
Gadwall - Whidbey Island, Bowerman Basin, Willapa Bay
American Wigeon - Whidbey Island, Bowerman Basin, Willapa Bay
Mallard - widespread
Cinnamon Teal - Kah Tai Lagoon, Bowerman Basin
Northern Shoveler - widespread
Northern Pintail - widespread
Green-winged Teal - widespread
Greater Scaup - March's Point, Ocean Shores marina, Bowerman Basin
Lesser Scaup - Bos Lake, Bowerman Basin
Harlequin Duck - Fidalgo, Whidbey Islands, Ediz Hook
Surf Scoter - widespread
White-winged Scoter - widespread
Black Scoter - Fidalgo, Whidbey Islands, Sequim Bay
Bufflehead - Bowerman Basin
Hooded Merganser - Kah Tai Lagoon, Dungeness, Elwah River mouth,
Bowerman Basin
Common Merganser - Dungeness Spit
Red-breasted Merganser - Damon Point
Ruddy Duck - Dungeness
Sooty Grouse - Deer Park
California Quail - Anacortes, Sequim
Red-throated Loon - Whidbey Island, Dungeness Spit
Pacific Loon - Whidbey Island, Dungeness Spit, Ocean Shores
Common Loon - widespread
Pied-billed Grebe - Kah Tai Lagoon, Ocean City SP, Nisqually NWR
Horned Grebe - Fidalgo, Whidbey Islands, Westport
Red-necked Grebe - Fidalgo, Whidbey Islands, Dungeness Spit, Sequim
Bay, Ediz Hook
Black-footed Albatross - Pelagic trip from Westport
Northern Fulmar - Pelagic trip from Westport
Pink-footed Shearwater - Pelagic trip from Westport
Buller?s Shearwater - Pelagic trip from Westport
Sooty Shearwater - Point Brown, Pelagic trip from Westport, Westport
jetty
Short-tailed Shearwater - Pelagic trip from Westport
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel - Pelagic trip from Westport
Brown Pelican - widespread
Brandt?s Cormorant - widespread
Double-crested Cormorant - widespread
Pelagic Cormorant - Fidalgo Island, Dungeness, Westport
Great Blue Heron - widespread
Green Heron - Ocosta 3rd St. pond
Turkey Vulture - widespread
Osprey - Lake Quinault
Bald Eagle - Fir Island, Nisqually NWR
Northern Harrier - widespread
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Sequim DNR lands
Cooper?s Hawk - SeaTac Airport parking lot, Whidbey Island, Bowerman
Basin
Red-tailed Hawk - widespread
American Kestrel - Fir Island, Whidbey Island
Peregrine Falcon - Crockett Lake, Elwah River mouth (two birds), Bottle
Beach (both visits)
Virginia Rail - Kah Tai Lagoon, Bowerman Basin
Sora - Kah Tai Lagoon
Sandhill Crane - Elwah River
Black-bellied Plover - Ediz Hook, Damon Point, Bottle Beach
American Golden-Plover - Oyhut Game Range (both visits)
Pacific Golden-Plover - Oyhut Game Range (first visit)
Semipalmated Plover - Crockett Lake, Bowerman Basin, Tokeland
Killdeer - widespread
Black Oystercatcher - Fidalgo Island, Ediz Hook
Greater Yellowlegs - Fir Island, Whidbey Island, Tokeland, Oyhut Game
Range
Lesser Yellowlegs - Fir Island, Crockett Lake, Ocean Shores STP, Bottle
Beach, Tokeland
Willet - Tokeland
Wandering Tattler - Point Brown, Westport jetty
Spotted Sandpiper - Ocean Shores, Lake Quinault, Raymond STP
Whimbrel - Tokeland
Long-billed Curlew - Bill's Spit
Marbled Godwit - Bill's Spit, Tokeland
Ruddy Turnstone - Damon Point
Black Turnstone - Whidbey Island, Point Wilson, Ediz Hook, Point Brown,
Westport jetty
Surfbird - Point Brown, Westport jetty
Red Knot - Bottle Beach
Sanderling - widespread
Semipalmated Sandpiper - March's Point, Crockett Lake, Dungeness Spit
Western Sandpiper - widespread
Least Sandpiper - widespread
Baird?s Sandpiper - Crockett Lake, Bowerman Basin, Midway Beach
Pectoral Sandpiper - Westport (Halfmoon Bay Beach)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Oyhut Game Range (both visits)
Ruff - Oyhut Game Range
Short-billed Dowitcher - Crockett Lake, Ediz Hook, Tokeland, Oyhut Game
Range
Long-billed Dowitcher - Dungeness, Oyhut Game Range
Wilson's Snipe - Kah Tai Lagoon
Red-necked Phalarope - Crockett Lake, Ocean Shores STP, Bowerman Basin,
pelagic trip
South Polar Skua - Pelagic trip from Westport
Pomarine Jaeger - Pelagic trip from Westport
Parasitic Jaeger - Pelagic trip from Westport
Long-tailed Jaeger - Pelagic trip from Westport
Bonaparte?s Gull - Whidbey Island, pelagic trip from Westport
Heermann?s Gull - widespread
Mew Gull - La Push, Bottle Beach, pelagic trip from Westport
Ring-billed Gull - widespread
California Gull - pelagic trip from Westport
Herring Gull - La Push, Bowerman Basin, pelagic trip from Westport
Thayer?s Gull - La Push
Western Gull - widespread, Ocean Shores/Westport area
Glaucous-winged Gull - widespread
Glaucous Gull - Point Wilson
Sabine?s Gull - Pelagic trip from Westport
Black-legged Kittiwake - Westport
Caspian Tern - widespread
Common Murre - widespread
Pigeon Guillemot - Fidalgo Island, Whidbey Island, Keystone Ferry,
Sequim Bay, Ediz Hook
Marbled Murrelet - Fidalgo Island, Whidbey Island, Keystone Ferry,
Dungeness Spit
Cassin?s Auklet - Pelagic trip from Westport
Rhinoceros Auklet - Fidalgo, Whidbey Islands, Keystone Ferry, Point
Wilson, Ediz Hook, pelagic trip from Westport
Tufted Puffin - Sequim Bay, La Push
Rock Pigeon - widespread
Band-tailed Pigeon - Sequim DNR lands, Ocean City SP, Lake Quinault,
Ocosta 3rd Street
Mourning Dove - widespread
Vaux?s Swift - Tokeland (6)
Belted Kingfisher - widespread
Red-breasted Sapsucker - Sequim DNR lands (3)
Downy Woodpecker - widespread
Hairy Woodpecker - Bay View SP, Deer Park road, Nisqually NWR
Northern Flicker - widespread
Pileated Woodpecker - Mt. Erie, Sequim DNR lands
Olive-sided Flycatcher - Point Defiance Park
Western Wood-Pewee - Sequim Railroad Bridge Park
Willow Flycatcher - Skagit Wildlife Area
Hammond?s Flycatcher - Sequim DNR lands, Nisqually NWR
Pacific-slope Flycatcher - Sequim DNR lands
Hutton?s Vireo - Elwah River mouth, John's River WA
Warbling Vireo - Lake Quinault, Tokeland, Nisqually NWR
Gray Jay - Lake Quinault
Steller?s Jay - widespread
Clark?s Nutcracker - Sequim DNR lands
American Crow - widespread
Northwestern Crow - La Push
Common Raven - widespread
Horned Lark - Fir Island (6)
Purple Martin - Dugualla Bay (1)
Tree Swallow - Fir Island, Bowerman Basin, Point Defiance
Violet-green Swallow - Sequim, Bowerman Basin, Tokeland, Nisqually NWR
Barn Swallow - widespread
Black-capped Chickadee - widespread
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - widespread
Bushtit - Ft. Ebey, Railroad Bridge Park, Elwah River mouth, Nisqually
NWR
Red-breasted Nuthatch - widespread
Brown Creeper - widespread
Bewick?s Wren - widespread
Winter Wren - widespread
Marsh Wren - widespread
American Dipper - Lake Quinault
Golden-crowned Kinglet - widespread
Swainson?s Thrush - Point Defiance
American Robin - widespread
European Starling - widespread
American Pipit - Point Brown, Bowerman Basin, Bottle Beach, Oyhut Game
Range
Cedar Waxwing - widespread
Tennessee Warbler - Tokeland, in a bush NE of the trailer park
Orange-crowned Warbler - widespread
Nashville Warbler - Kah Tai Lagoon
Yellow Warbler - Elwah River mouth, Bowerman Basin, Tokeland, Nisqually
NWR
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Deer Park, Ocean Shores
Black-throated Gray Warbler - Kah Tai Lagoon
Townsend?s Warbler - Sequim Railroad Bridge Park
Common Yellowthroat - widespread
Wilson?s Warbler - Elwah River mouth, Ocean Shores, Tokeland, Nisqually
NWR
Western Tanager - Bay View SP, Railroad Bridge Park, Ocean City SP
Spotted Towhee - widespread
Savannah Sparrow - widespread
Fox Sparrow - Fir Island, Washington Park (Fidalgo Island)
Song Sparrow - widespread
Lincoln?s Sparrow - Nisqually NWR
White-crowned Sparrow - widespread
Golden-crowned Sparrow - Nisqually NWR
Dark-eyed Junco - Mt. Erie, Dungeness Spit, La Push
Lapland Longspur - Oyhut Game Range
Black-headed Grosbeak - Bay View SP
Red-winged Blackbird - Kah Tai Lagoon, Sequim, Willapa Bay
Yellow-headed Blackbird - Fir Island
Brewer?s Blackbird - widespread
Brown-headed Cowbird - Fir Island, Samish Flats
Purple Finch - Bay View SP
House Finch - widespread
Red Crossbill - widespread
Pine Siskin - Washington Park, Mt Erie, Sequim, Lake Quinault
American Goldfinch - widespread
House Sparrow - widespread