Subject: [Tweeters] Midway Beach to Bottle Beach
Date: May 24 17:40:59 2009
From: wheelermombi at comcast.net - wheelermombi at comcast.net




Hi Tweeters,



I promised my wife that I would finally mow today, so I had to sneak out extra-early to bird along the coast this morning.? It was worth it.



I started at Midway Beach and worked my way to Westport, and then on to Bottle Beach to catch the incoming tide.? Here are the highlights:



Midway Beach: The RED PHALAROPE was still there in the pond that is still covering the road as one arrives at the beach, along with 10 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES.? This was the first time that I had seen a Red Phalarope other than when having a near death experience on a pelagic trip.? Very beautiful bird.



Grayland Beach SP: Scoping the distant horizon, I was able to make out an enormous number of birds flying north just over the water that I assume were SOOTY SHEARWATER.? They were so distant that they were difficult to even see with just the binoculars.? Going south along the beach, I saw a distant mixed flock of gulls, terns, and pelicans.? I walked toward them for quite some time and just as I was getting into descent scoping range, a truck drove along the strand passed me, parked near the birds, and the driver got out and walked right up to the flock, causing them to fly farther south.? I kept on walking.? The next time that I was nearly within scoping distance, another truck drove up and spooked them.? This time, some of the birds flew north and I was able to get a good look at a small number of COMMON TERNS as they flew just over the water.



I stopped by a couple of the beaches on the way to Westport, and each time, the distant north-flying birds were closer to shore, flying just over the water.? At the State Park with the lighthouse, they were easily visible with binoculars and quite clear with the scope.? I've only seen SOOTY SHEARWATERS from pelagic trips, and its been a few years, but based on their appearance and flight pattern as well as other posts on Tweeters, I believe that is what they were.? There were thousands of them.? I counted 100 or so streaming passed in just 20 seconds.? And they kept on coming and coming.? It was one of the most impressive bird sights (I shutter to use this word) that I have ever seen.



Westport itself was kind of quiet, at least bird-wise.? At the?observation platform at the at the end of the docks by the fishing pier I was serenaded with music of a religious nature and a man arguing with his girlfriend on his cell phone.? I only stayed long enough to watch the Pigeon Guillemots.



Bottle Beach:? I arrived there an hour or so before high tide.? There was an enormous flock of BROWN PELICANS fishing off shore.? I hate estimating large numbers of birds, but there had to have been at least 3,000 of them, either actively fishing or sitting on a sand spit until the tide covered it up.? Shorebird activity was down relative to recent posts, but there were still a good number of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER as well as 48 RED KNOT.? Other species included DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER.? I did not see any Ruddy Turnstone or Semi-palmated Plover.



Now I have to mow.



Lonnie Somer

Olympia, WA

wheelermombi at comcast.net