Subject: [Tweeters] OCEAN BIRDING 8- 29 TO 8-30
Date: Aug 31 15:57:49 2009
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweeters,
Anne Kahle and I spend 2 days in Grays Harbor and Pacific County
birdying.The weather cleared up and we start birdying Bottle Beach where the
tide supposed to be high at 9.2O AM,but it was a 5.7 feet tide ,who will not
come all the way in.All the many Shorebirds we saw flying in from both
sides, and than spreading out all over the beaches.Counting by the flocks in
flight
this are the birds we had.750 Short-billed Dowitchers,6 Long-billed D.250
Black-bellied Plovers,1000 Western Sandpipers,All this Shorebirds feeding
all the time,
We had the 25 Semipalmated Plovers close by feeding in front with 9 Least
Sandpipers mixed in.there where few birds otherwise not even to mention
Off to Tokeland where we hoped to seeing the Godwit's on the Jetty,there was
no activity in the Marina ,since there was a fishen Derby going on.But we
had 9 Willet's and 6 Marbled Godwit's
on the other shoe where all the many 250 Heermann Gulls roosting,many DC 500
Cormoran'ts who ever we looked there where on the water and flying.We also
had 1 Black-bellied
Plover on the outer beach all alone,where we had on the spit10 Pelican.
>From Tokeland we drove to Raymond(I believe that is105)
On the first stop (bridge) we had Anne spotted the Grebe what was a
RED-NECKED GREBE,we had first great looks on this Grebe,where later all the
other ducks flying way in the back,2 Pied-billed Grebe & 5 Green-winged
Teals, 4 Hooded Merganser.Still on HW 105 we had 3 Turkey Vulture and 2
Red-tailed Hawks.
On the way to Raymond we had a large flock of 500Canada Geese,and lot's of
Ducks manly consisted of Green-winged Teals
30 Shovelers,Gadwalls and 2 Ducks looked like A.WIGEON
since there where partly in eclipse(first for the season)
On the Raymond Sewage Pond we had among all Barn Swallow
1 ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW,the rest was Mallard Ducks and a pair of GADWALLS
what breeding there.
We checked the Airport,but there was nothing 1 Kestrel on the
Wire and more Turkey Vultures.
On Midway Beach it was also slow,only birds here where
4 Western Sandpipers and 1 WILSON PHALAROPE.
Looking on the outer beach where on my Tahoma Audubon Fieldtrip the
thousends of Gulls and Pelican,it was deserted.
Saturday evening we checked the Sewage ponds,and still finding the 1 Spotted
Sandpiper at the far side where the office is.Lot's
of Green-winged Teals 15 Shovelers30 and 15 Brown Pelican.
Saturday at 6.00 PM in Ocean Sores checking the outer beaches,but all what
we had was lot's of Gulls for about 5 miles.
We did not had any Sanderlings what Anne wanted for this County,we got
skunked and real tired!!!!!!!!
Sunday Morning at the Tonquin exit,going out to the Beach,it was high tide
and so muddy to walk,we had 2 Lesser Yellowlegs,4 Greater Yellowlegs,6
Long -billed Dowichers,3 Marsh-Hawks,1 Pectoral,5 Red-necked Phalaropes,Lots
of Western Sanpipers(mabe 200) to the right we scoped about 12
Shovelers Ducks,the only BALD EAGLE straight out sitting on Driftwood..In
the wooded area we had 1 Swainson's Thrush,2
Song-Sparrow, few Savannah Sparrow,& 1 Cedar Waxwing.
Going to the Game Range from the Sewage Ponds
Many flocks of Western Sandpipers.On a small puddle we had a group of 15
Semipalmated an 2 Least Sandpipers.We crossing the water,going on the
sandbar an Spit looking manly for Buff-breasted Sandpipers,there again where
many Canada geese in the grass.We walked all over and could not find the
Buff-breasted .I got real tired carrying the Scope and my camera,so I let
Anne going back again, to find this birds. I walked back alone
crossing the Canal,where I had a glimpse of the Red-throaded Loon and 2
White-winged Scoter with 3 young chicks.Thank you Jeff for mention the Loon
to me.
Ann and others had 4 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and more Pectoral,Ann added 4
new species to her Grays Harbor list
After that we decided to hit for home .Stopped one more time on Bowerman and
had the same species,only added 40 more Western Sandpipers to the list
Ocean Shores is hard to bird since you walking quite distance and most in
sand,my Son PATRICK mostly carried the scope and the camera .AND YOU NEED A
SCOPE TO BIRD in all places.Even now it is hard for me to walk all over the
dunes,I love OCEAN SHORES of the variety of birds you can see and the many
places to going.I also saying If you find a rare bird,you deserve all the
credit.

Cheers Ruth Sullivan











Anne going alone,since this birds got spook flying fort and back