Subject: [Tweeters] Elegant Terns in Pacific County
Date: Jul 31 00:12:43 2008
From: Ted Kenefick - tgkenefick at MSN.COM


Hello All,

Just returned from a full-day birding excursion to the south coast to search
for Elegant Terns. The search turned out to be quite successful as I
located 5 ELEGANT TERNS in a large flock of CASPIAN TERNS, CALIFORNIA GULLS
and HEERMANN'S GULLS on the beach north of Long Beach. Specifically, the
Elegants were 7.1 miles north of the Bolstad Street beach entrance in Long
Beach. The GPS coordinates are 46 degrees 27.231' N 124 degrees 03.593'W.

I had driven north on the beach all the way to the point where driving is
prohibited and then turned around and returned south once again checking all
of the flocks. I initially found the Elegant Terns at 11:15 am and was able
to watch them at leisure for well over an hour and took many photographs
which I will post to a website soon.

Other highlights of the day included a PEREGRINE FALCON devouring prey near
the north end of the beach while another looked on, a group of 46 RED KNOTS
(amongst numerous other shorebirds) at Graveyard Spit in Tokeland and a
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER at Midway Beach north of Tokeland.

Sorry for the brevity of the report but it has been a extremely rewarding
but very long day and I am off to bed.

Cheers and Good Birding,
Ted Kenefick
Seattle
tgkenefick at msn.com