Russell Cooper, my dad Roger, and I birded the Ocean Shores area today to finish off our westside birding. We found most of our targets, and the weather cooperated throughout the day after an initial hail storm and pouring rain as we began just before 8 o'clock. We had only light wind afterwards, and even had sun for most of the day!

We began at the Brown Point Jetty, where we had 15 Black Turnstones, 6 Rock Sandpipers, and a Surfbird on the rocks. There were 5 Black Scoters just off the jetty in the harbor, and a flyby Pacific Loon and Red-throated Loon, though no real "seabirds".

A juvenile Peregrine Falcon made a few appearances in the Oyhut Game Range, perching on the tower for great scope views. Numerous Dunlin and Least Sandpipers moved around, and lesser numbers of Sanderling, a couple Black-bellied Plovers, and several more Surfbirds were in the area. A gorgeous 1W GLAUCOUS GULL made a big loop over the Ocean Shores STP, likely the same bird Charlie reported from the CBC. We pulled out a few passerines including Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, and Marsh Wren in the thickets. In the bay there was a Common Loon, a male Harlequin Duck, and a couple Greater Scaup, and of course numerous Surf Scoters.

We worked the area around the Silver King Hotel for more than an hour for Palm Warbler, but didn't have any luck in that regard. We did get Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Western Meadowlark, Spotted Towhee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and lots of Golden-crowned Sparrows. A Northern Shrike made a brief appearance.

Damon Point looks completely different from last time we were here, but when the tide came down a little ways we were able to get out and look over the Western and Mew Gulls, though we couldn't pull out the Slaty-backed that was here last weekend. A female Black Scoter was with White-winged and Surf Scoters very close to shore, and a few Semipalmated Plovers rounded out our 9 shorebird day.

There were 37 "Dusky" Canada Geese, 18 Greater White-fronted Geese, and about 70 Cackling Geese on part of the Ocean Shores Golf Course. Later, we checked some neighborhoods not far from Damon Point on Hassalo Avenue and found a couple nice flocks with Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Steller's Jay, Varied Thrush, and Dark-eyed Junco. A couple Common Ravens flew over, and a male Anna's Hummingbird made an appearance.

Around dark we began our 400 mile trip back home, ending a fantastic trip.

Michael and Roger Woodruff
Spokane, WA

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