Hi Tweets!
Had a great day at Ocean Shores today with the RAS
field trip!
Started interesting .. Up to about 1.5 inches of snow
at Mud Bay! Entertaining road conditions between
Olympia and Hoqium!

Hoquium sewage ponds, in the sun. LOTS of swallows:
Barn, VG, Tree, Cliif, and N. Rough-winged. We have
seen a Bank Swallow, but could not be sure. Large
flock of GWF Geese, with 2 Snow Geese. Several
Hundred GWF Geese flew overhead. Cin. Teal, OC
Warblers, Townsend's Warbler, Merlin.
Diann, 1 Turkey Vulture !

The Weather was SUPERB by the time we got to Bill's
Spit, just as the tide was coming in. MArbled Godwit,
LB and SB Dowitcher, about 2000 Dunlin, Lots of
Western Sandpipers, Whimbrel, BB Plover, SemiPalmated
Plover, G. Yellowlegs. Another flock of several
hundred GWF Geese flew over. MARVELOUS looks at the
shorebirds!

Point Browns Jetty - Another Merlin, About 300 Brant
flying past, ANOTHER large flock of GWF geese,
Sanderling, Black Turnstones, and a Surfbird.
Oyhut Game range - BB PLOver, Dunlin, casp Tern, Black
Scoters.
A GREAT mixed flock of Rock-type pipers : Black
Turnstones(~6), Surfbirds (~25), AND ROCK SANDPIPERS
(8) !!!

Then the Highlight - We watched a Merlin grab a
Dunlin, and then get chased by a Gull! He outflew the
gull in straight, but ascending flight while carrying
it! THEN it got exciting!
ANOTHER Merlin approached the first, they vocalized at
each other, bumped, then the first Merlin dropped the
Dunlin and the second grabbed it mid-air!
They then flew off towards the Sewage treatment plant!
It certainly seemed to be courtship behaviour!

The day ended at Damon Spit in a hail storm.
14 Shorebird species for the day.
89 Species Total!

A great trip overall, especially given the start!

Good Birding!

Guy

Guy McWethy
Renton, WA
mailto: lguy_mcw at yahoo.com


____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ