Subject: [Tweeters] Bottle Beach, Westport and Tokeland
Date: Apr 8 13:50:28 2009
From: Joseph V Higbee - jvhigbee at hotmail.com


Spent part of two days, Monday & Tuesday, checking out the above. Was taken by surprise by the tide. Even though I arrived at Bottle beach almost two hours before high tide on Monday I was too late. On Tuesday I was there three hours before and it was about right but still none too early. Not much there yet, a few BB Plovers and a large flock of Dunlin. I stood still about 50 ft from waterline and they surrounded me, coming within about ten feet. Had to pick more distant ones for pictures in order to keep them in the frame.

I found it interesting to note the various stages of plumage on them and also on the rockpipers at Westport on Monday. None quite fully changed yet but some close and others hardly started. At Westport the Rock Sandpipers and Surfbirds and Black Turnstones were sitting on the piling next to the bridge to the outer pilings. I passed within 6 feet and they hardly seemed to notice. Otherwise it was quiet there also.

Midway Beach is closed. Tokeland was really nice for taking a nap. In between I noticed a couple Horned Grebe, one in almost full breeding plumage and one just starting. Everything stayed pretty far out, but it was nice napping.

Stayed at the Twin Harbors state park and there we saw Rufous Hummers in abundance, Townsend's and Orange-crowned Warblers, a Merlin, and kinglets, chickadees fox and song sparrows, Varied Thrush, Robins and crows.

http://www.pbase.com/jvhigbee/gallery/c_current


Joseph Higbee
Spanaway, Wa
mailto: jvhigbee at hotmail.com