Hello Tweeters,
I spend all day birdying from Bottle Beach to Tokeland.The Tide was at an
extreme 5.4 ft at 9.00 AM.and the birds was spread out over the whole beach
feeding moving vigorously all over the beach.one good think that most of
the species stayed together like the Dowitchers and the Black-bellied
Plovers.The Western Sandpipers dominated the Beach,with few Least and
Semipalmated Plovers.Among the many Western I found 1 Juvenile
Sanderling,what I found stunning with the blackish above and the pale edges
near the tips of feathers.There is a great photo of Dennis Paulson's "
Shorebirds of North America"
Here are the best guesses of the amount of the many Shorebirds
Most of the Dowithers where Short-billed 250 birds Long-billed
30 birds.Black-bellied Plovers 175.Semipalmated Plovers 35
Least Sandpipers 15 birds,Western Sandpiper 750 birds.
This is a first for me to photographing the Juvenile Sandpiper.
A tip from birders from Oregon about A Bar-tailed Godwit in Tokeland.So I
dashed to Tokeland and found no birds on the Jetty.There probable was going
to some beach for feeding since the tide was so low.Figured out the high
tide was in the evening
AT 7.57 PM,at 8.2 feed.That would be around 5.00PM in the evening.I was
determine to stick around for this bird,since we had NO Bar-tailed Godwit in
2008,
I birdied from Tokeland to the Raymond Airport.On milepost 14 I found a
large group of 120 Canada geese on the beach with 6 Greater Yellowlegs.On
the Runway at the Airport I found 6 Killdeere, and a COOPERS HAWK was
perched in a tree.I also saw 4 Turkey Vultures circling above high in the
Sky.Decided to drive to Midway Beach,on the way I saw 2 Bald Eagles.
Midway Beach at 2,30 PM
Walking to the beach I found in 1 bush,presuming there where a family 6
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT'S (I even took pictures of this birds) And closer to the
ponds there where 1 STREAKED HORNED LARK ,it was a bright male,and it was a
quick look SO RARE to see one of this birds,And there where many Savannah
Sparrows most all in bright plumage.
The Pond on the right side had new water and there where few PEEPS 5 Least &
1 Western,but there was a real small bird sleeping (Black &White
Shorebird,I was so close on this bird,and finally he lifted his bill.A
stunning RED -NECKED PHALAROPE ,it was a Juvenile Bird.He was so tame that I
could taken pictures for ever.On the way to the beach I saw an Adult SNOWY
PLOVER with 2 tiny babies w.4 bands on there legs
I walked all the way out to the Ocean where thousand's and thousand's of
Gulls where feeding on the edges,So far you eye can see from one end to the
other.
On the way back I found again the Red-necked Phalarope sleeping,And than
there was to my surprise A SNOWY PLOVER on the POND coming so close to
me.This was "THE BEST BIRD OF THE DAY."I saying this because me and Patrick
had never problem finding this birds,but in recent years it seems that there
was harder to find and more elusive.
Going back to Tokeland,close to 5.00PM .I looked at the 7 Willet's what I
was finding earlier,who kind of be was hidden on the old barn on the
beach.All the few birds what was there Long-billed Dowitchers 2,Western
Sandpiper1,Least Sandpiper 5
Marbled Godwit 1,there all was feeding on the beach close to the barn
Sharp at 4.50 PM the big group of Marbled Godwit's flying over my head
thurs the Jetty.I looked for a white rump on one of this birds there where
non.All landed on the to the Jetty with 16 Whimbrel among them.I walked down
the boardwalk,where I looked each birds carefully over.It was easy to look
each bird over since there was not staying close to each other.NO Bar-tailed
Godwit was among the around 500 birds.
It was another great day on the most beautiful beaches of the Northwest.

Cheers Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma