Subject: [Tweeters] Westport area birding
Date: Aug 31 12:06:26 2009
From: Marv Breece - mbreece at earthlink.net


Yesterday (08.30.09) I led a Seattle Audubon field trip to the coast. We arrived at Bottle Beach well before 11AM high tide. Although we saw a few species of shorebird, the highlight for some of us was a movement of literally hundreds of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, moving toward the coast. Variety of shorebirds was limited. What we did see were:
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER - mostly juveniles
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - 1 juvenile
WESTERN SANDPIPER
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER -in a variety of plumages
GREATER YELLOWLEGS - 1 or 2 heard

Along the Bottle Beach trail we noted the following:
HUTTON'S VIREO
WILSON'S WARBLER
YELLOW WARBLER
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT

At Tokeland we saw no godwits, whimbrels or curlews. We checked out the marina as well as the Graveyard Spit pull-out on 7th. A more complete search may have turned up something. Our visit was not long after high tide.

Likewise our stops at Midway Beach and Grayland State Park were uneventful except for a huge number of gulls.

At the Westport marina we had the following;
BLACK TURNSTONE - 3 near the tower
SURFBIRD - 1 near tower
WANDERING TATTLER - an ever so brief look at 1 near the tower
GLAUCOUS GULL - 1 2nd yr bird perched on a dock below the enormous American flag.

A photo of the Glaucous Gull may be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/marvbreece/image/116733730

The weather was beautiful and we had a nice group of birders. We made the most of the birds that allowed us a view.


Marv Breece
Seattle, WA
mbreece at earthlink.net