Hi Ann,

Midway Beach is a fairly recent discovery for birders. The coast is
the first chapter of A Birder's Guide to Washington and was also the
first one to be written (by Bob Morse, for the outer coast) and
edited. By the time we were in the final stretch to go to press the
site was becoming a destination, but this part of the book was in
final layout and we were unable to add anything. And the map --
already made -- did not show Midway Beach. So I will post these short
directions to the list as well as sending them to you.

Midway Beach Road is one of several beach access roads from SR-105
between Westport and Tokeland, in Grayland. The intersection is well
marked on a yellow sign along the highway on your right when coming
from Westport. (I assume there is a sign when you are coming north
from Tokeland, but I rarely travel in that direction). Drive west on
this road, which is now closed by a gate before it reaches the beach.
Park out of the way by that gate and walk in. The road soon passes
between two long, shallow ponds (good for migrant shorebirds), and
then continues to the beach. In the nesting season a large area of
dunes on both side of the road, surrounding those ponds but before you
reach the beach, is posted off-limits to protect a small Snowy Plover
nesting population. You can walk around the periphery of the off-
limits zone and often spot some Snowy Plovers, as well as explore a
marshy place nestled in the dunes.

Bob Morse did include Midway Beach in his book on birding coastal
Washington, but that book is now out of print.

Hal Opperman
Medina, Washington
hal at catharus.net