Hi Tweets,

Christine Vadai, Andrew Thurber and myself set out yesterday for a Big Day to represent the Class of 2006 during Seattle Audubon Birdathon Master Birder Challenge. We met in Seattle at 3:30am and were at Capital Forest by 4:45am. We then made our way to the Hoquiam Sewage Treatment Plant, Ocean Shores Jetty and Sewage Treatment Plant and Bill's Spit before ending the day at Nisqually. We totaled 110 species for the day, which didn't break any records, but we soon lost interest in the frantic pace of a Big Day once we realized just how much cool stuff we were witnessing.

Capital Forest (4:45am)
An impressive dawn chorus including YELLOW-RUMPED, WILSON'S, TOWNSENDS and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, WARBLING VIREOS, BLACK-HEADED and EVENING GROSBEAKS, WILLOW and PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, HUTTON'S VIREOS, PURPLE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS amongst all the mountain forest regulars. Scope views of an impressive male RED CROSSBILL and constant display flights of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were highlights. We spent all of our time on a fire road off of the B-Line (C8000?) which is now closed to through traffic.

Hoquiam Sewage Treatment Plant (9:20am)
Scads of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were on the pond with RUDDY DUCKS, BLUE-WINGED and CINNAMON TEALS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, LESSER SCAUP, SPOTTED SANDIPERS and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. Highlight was a fly-by WHIMBREL.

Ocean Shores Jetty (10:40am)
Two RING-BILLED GULLS worked the shoreline with sizable flocks of SANDERLINGS. Steady streams of SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, PACIFIC and COMMON LOONS (all in breeding plumage) were flying north off the tip of the Jetty. A flock of shorebirds flew, including at least one BLACK TURNSTONE, by while we were standing on the jetty. I chased them down and while I was scoping the flock further down the Jetty, Christine came up and pointed out the WANDERING TATTLER that was resting on the top of a rock about 20 feet in front of me. We enjoyed full scope views of this bird for at least 5 minutes before he flew.

Ocean Shores Sewage Treatment Plant (11:55am)
Fantastic scope views of three WILSON'S PHALAROPE, including one breathtaking female. Andrew pointed out two female SPOTTED SANDPIPERS that were engaging in terrritorial behavior, which none of us had witnessed before.

Bill's Spit (12:55pm)
This was probably the best experience of the entire trip. Showing up at high tide, we scoped a flock of WESTERN, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS with one second-year MEW GULL, CASPIANS TERNS, and a small flock of BONAPARTE'S GULLS, all in winter plumage. Black-bellied DUNLIN moved about amongst the flock. As the tide began to fall, flocks of bird began to return. First, a flock of BRANT flew in to rest at the end of the spit. Then WESTERN SANDPIPERS returned with one possible Semipalmated. I was absolutely floored once a blur of red passed through my scope view, only to be a flock of 45-50 RED KNOTS, followed by a couple SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. None of us had ever seen so many Red Knots together so we all counted several times. As we admired the knots, a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER in full breeding plumage, flew in with more dowitchers. We moved to scope the mudflats on the north end of the spit and found more more plovers and a single RUDDY TURNSTONE.

We also had another shorebird that mystified all of us. A little larger than a Dunlin, perhaps the size of a Pectoral, with a buffy wash over the birds head and breast which met its very clean white belly at a straight line. Bill was black and about the same length of its head. Head was buffy with a very faint crescent towards the front. Legs were yellowish. We all thought Ruff, but it was just too small and it wasn't as detailed as a juvenile Pectoral nor did it have any red. Unfortunately, heat distortion made digiscoping not an option.

A stop at Luhr Beach near Nisqually afforded us a small flock of GREATER SCAUP, PURPLE MARTIN, and two MARBLED MURRELETS.

The day ended with a calling AMERICAN BITTERN at Nisqually.

Thanks!

Adam