Hello Tweeters,
I spend two full days birding in Grays Harbor.Since I was leading a
Fieldtrip on Friday for the Shorebird Festival,including Tim O'Brian and Jim
Pruske,I went a day early to checking the Shorebirds out on Bottle Beach on
Thursday morning.
It certainly was worth the trip,there was so many Shorebirds it was
impossible to count or even guessing.Dominant was the Western
Sandpipers,there had to be this arriving with next the Dunlins,
Dowitchers,both species not to many Black-bellied Sandpipers,few
Semi-palmated Plovers feeding on the upper beaches,and ONE Least Sandpipers
with two Ruddy Turnstone.
>From there I went to Ocean Shores to find the Female Ruff what was reported
by Tim O'Brian earlier in the week.When I arrived there I met one birder who
told me that he had no Ruff.I did not had to going to far the Ruff was close
to the building feeding on the grass.This was not this a Ruff', it was a
special Ruff what Washington birders seldom see,almost in full breeding
plumage.I was elated to see such a bird here in Washington.This was one of
the "BEST FIND IN YEARS," and I congratulate Tim for birding so much lately
to being rewarded to find this bird.I found myself feeling the same way
getting this rush of blood to my head from the joy seeing this Ruff in
spring migration.I been seeing many Ruffs taken many photos to,but this bird
I have to get photos off.This bird was so cooperate and stayed mostly
around the middle pond,so I have many photos which I will put on my website
on a later date.This for one few hours I was in heaven and don't feel so
down and always having Patrick on my mind,how much I envy birders who having
partners to go birding with ( like Mike &Merry Lynn Denny) and others,life
is never the same,but life is going on and if there is this one special bird
what comes away from far away ,it makes life worth living for.Thank you
Tim,you made my day happy.


Cheers Ruth Sullivan
I will report our trip tomorrow