Eight birders went on this Eastside Audubon Grays Harbor Loop field trip on Saturday. We ended up with 55 species. We left about 7:15 a.m. and headed for Willipa Landing in Raymond where it already was starting to warm up. We saw OSPREY, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BELTED KINGFISHER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, VAUX'S SWIFT, BEWICK'S WREN. As we drove hwy 105 west from Raymond, there were two TURKEY VULTURES feeding on the ground and one flying overhead. A stop at the Cedar River resulted in MALLARDS, both GREATER & LESSER YELLOWLEGS, CEDAR WAXWING. We also enjoyed watching three RIVER OTTER, 2 adults and one young, playing in the river.

At Tokeland, we stopped for lunch at the beach looking out over Graveyard Spit. Hundreds of gulls, GLAUCOUS-WINGED, CALIFORNIA, MEW and HEERMANN'S were far out on the spit with a large number of BROWN PELICANS and CASPIAN TERNS. The Tokeland Marina had the usual 3-400 MARBLED GODWIT and one with a whiter breast that was by itself and had its head tucked under its wing whole apparently sleeping. Try as we could we were unable to convince ourselves it was a Hudsonian. Also, on the jetty were one WHIMBREL and three LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. Along the shoreline was a lone LEAST SANDPIPER. We had close up looks at a PURPLE MARTIN feeding young in a nest box. A BREWER'S BLACKBIRD & RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD were also in the area. It was hot, calm and 82 degrees when we left Tokeland. At our next stop at Midway Beach the temperature had dropped to 62 and it was windy with low clouds and fog. We immediately got our jackets on before looking at the birds feeding in and near the small ponds. A !
lone female BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD was in the road when we arrived. There were a number of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES in the water with BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and WESTERN SANDPIPERS feeding in the sandy areas.

We had hoped to get to Bottle Beach at least on hour ahead of the high tide at 2:15, but we didn't make it until almost two. There is construction work going on in the area and the bridge is out which created a challenge in getting down the dirt bank and onto planks laid across the wet area. Our first AMERICAN ROBIN and a juvenile WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW were in the bushes. There was a narrow strip of beach left and no shore birds present except for one Marbled Godwit standing on a grass island in the water. There were a number of gulls and Brown Pelicans far out in the water. Three RED CROSSBILLS flew over giving the kip-kip-kip call and landing in the top of a fir tree. A BARN OWL was seen flying low into a large fir tree. As we tried to get closer to find the owl it flew out. Then a COOPER'S HAWK was seen perched in another fir tree which explained why the crossbills had left the area. Then the Cooper's suddenly took off and chased the Barn Owl out of the area. So, despite !
the high tide and lack of shorebirds we were rewarded with some exciting bird activity.

It was 68 degees by the time we got to John's River access where were a number of Greater Yellowlegs in the grass across the river. On the trail we viewed AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, SONG SPARROW. the ditch to the west had both WESTERN & LEAST SANDPIPERS. A NORTHERN HARRIER was coursing back and forth over the grass prairie, One CASPIAN TERN and an immature BALD EAGLE also visited us while we were at the river. On the way back we slowly drove the Brady Loop road and Wenzel Slough road and saw more Red-Tailed Hawks, AMERICAN CROW, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW and another Osprey at the nest south of Vance Creek Park. We stopped at the Rusty Tractor Restaurant in Elma for a good dinner and arrived back at the P&R in Bellevue a little after 8 p.m.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at earthlink dot net