Just to add a word about the Peregrine/Yellowlegs encounter, which was
(for me) bittersweet but fascinating to watch. While I had the bins
focused on the Greater Yellowlegs foraging a few feet away along the
shore, the bird suddenly crouched down as one PEFA zipped right over,
making a sharp banking turn for another dive. The GRYE actually folded
up those long legs, put its head down and somehow went out of sight
completely below the surface of the very shallow water. The PEFA
literally "hovered like a Kestrel" over it, awaiting the inevitable
resurfacing. The GRYE came up and made for the air zigging/zagging away
from shore with the PEFA in hot pursuit. From out of nowhere came the
second, smaller PEFA which cut off the GRYE and made it turn back toward
shore. Instead of heading for the ditch along SR 105, the GRYE flew up
the bank and into the canopy - with a PEFA right on its tail. It was
quite a survival drama. And because I have taken a zillion Yellowlegs
images and we were only stopping for a second on the highway shoulder to
pick up the GRYE as a day bird, I left the camera in the Jeep...

Tom Mansfield, Seattle

-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of
mattxyz at earthlink.net
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2008 9:10 PM
To: Tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] Saturday [5/17] birding in Grays Harbor &
PacificCounties

Hi again -
Yesterday [Saturday, 5/17], Tom Mansfield & I headed out to Grays Harbor
& Pacific County for a day of birding in the sun. Just a few
highlights:

Bottle Beach - on the incoming tide, we had good numbers of RED KNOTS,
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, DUNLIN, and WESTERN
SANDPIPERS, as well as a single RUDDY TURNSTONE & SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPER.

Midway Beach - 6-8 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, and a few WILSON'S PHALAROPES
in the pond at the end of the road.

Tokeland Marina offered up PURPLE MARTINS, MARBLED GODWITS, WHIMBREL &
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS.

Along SR105 towards Raymond, we watched 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS dive on a
GREATER YELLOWLEGS -- the Yellowlegs eventually tried to escape by
flying into the trees, but we think we saw it dangling from one of the
Peregrine's talons as it emerged from the branchs.

From Raymond, for a change, we took Smith Creek Road home, heading east
through Brooklyn & ending up eventually in Oakville -- this is a really
promising looking route, probably well worth an early morning drive.

Our best birds [all on the Pacific Co portion] were : SOOTY GROUSE &
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

In Oakville [Grays Harbor Co], we stopped briefly at the spot where the
Acorn Woodpecker was observed last year -- no luck with woodpeckers, but
we did have good looks at a singing CHIPPING SPARROW [which was also
present last year at the same spot].

Another good day of birding in WA,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA
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