Subject: [Tweeters] Grays Harbor County: Snow Geese and Glaucous Gulls among
Date: Dec 31 19:16:52 2008
From: bill shelmerdine - georn1 at hotmail.com



Greetings Tweeters,
Decided to finish out the year birding Grays Harbor County today. The weather was actually pretty accommodating until about 3:30. Perhaps the most noteworthy species were Glaucous Gull (3, 1st cycle birds) and a small group of Snow Geese. I don?t know if either/both were seen on the Grays Harbor Count, but it sounds like there may be a recent push of both these species into Western WA. Two Glaucous Gulls were on the outer beach at the Damon Road beach access right in Ocean Shores. The third bird was further east along Wentzel Slough Road near Keys Road. This one should make the count week for the Satsop CBC as I think it is a species we missed on Monday. The gull flock in that location numbered about 200 in the afternoon when I was there, with a nice variety of species and age groups. In the mix were at least 1 and possibly 2 Glaucous x Glaucous-winged hybrids. The Snow Geese (5) were on the Golf Course at Ocean Shores along with both Cacklers and Canada Geese. The area around Pt Brown Jetty was pretty quiet when I was there, but there were at least 2 Rock Sandpipers with the Surfbirds and Black Turnstones.
Cheers, good birding, and best for the New Year.
Bill Shelmerdine
Olympia
mailto: georn1 at hotmail.com
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