Today I had an unusual comp day, so I made the best of it and went to the ocean. For the entire day, it threatened to pour down buckets of rain, but I lucked out and stayed mostly in the eye. It was windy and I did get about a five minute sprinkle, but overall it was a nice day. I went to Tokeland twice, once in the morning and then again in the afternoon, but spent most of the day walking the beach from Warren-Cannery Rd. to Grayland State Park. All which is in Pacific County, and a long way to walk too. I started by checking a large flock of Canada and Cackler Geese in the fields south of Tokeland for any different geese, but found none. On the road into Tokeland I had a
Sharp-shinned Hawk. At the Tokeland marina, there were 10 Willets, 6 Long-billed Dowitchers, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Pacific Loon, 2 Common Loons, 1 Heerman's Gull, and no godwits. On the second trip, the Marbled Godwits had returned to their dock, only about 350 birds in all. At Graveyard spit, there 4 Black-bellied Plovers, 2 Sanderlings, and 30 Dunlin.

I started my beach walk from Warren-Cannery Rd. and walked north. Just south of the Midway Beach access, I found 10 SNOWY PLOVERS, 5 SNOW BUNTINGS, and 5 HORNED LARKS. Other birds seen were Black-legged Kittiwakes, California Gull, Sanderlings, and a small flock of Green-winged Teal in the flooded area in the dunes. I walked back and then drove to the Midway Beach Access. I checked the flooded area. I had Least Sandpipers, and Dunlin. Next I went to Grayland State Park and walked south to the Midway Beach access. Once again, lots of Sanderlings, Dunlin, and Least Sandpipers. There was a Peregrine Falcon hunting shorebirds, a Bald Eagle flew over, and there were 2 more Horned Larks. I had to take rest so I sat on a log for 20 minutes and scoped the surf out for most of that time. I had more Black-legged Kittiwakes, 2 Surf Scoters, and 1 dark shearwater species.


Dave Hayden
Centralia, WA
dtvhm AT nwrain.com