Subject: [Tweeters] Coastal birding 10/2 - 10/3 (Grays Harbor,
Date: Oct 3 15:05:51 2009
From: Tim O'Brien - kertim7179 at yahoo.com


Greetings all,

I have been back in Elma for a couple days and spent most of yesterday birding the coast with Jeff Jendro. We didn't turn up anything super rare, but had a good time anyways and had great weather. Best bird on Friday was the continuing Bar-tailed Godwit at Tokeland. Here's the highlights:

Ocean Shores STP: An amazing flock of 50 Pectoral Sandpipers

Ocean Shores Game Range: 3 Lapland Longspurs, American Pipit, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 25 Long-billed Dowitchers, 20 Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Sanderling, a few Dunlin, 150 Western Sandpipers, and one Peregrine Falcon that scattered the shorebirds that ended our chances of scoping the shorebirds on the Tonquin Rd. side.

The little bay behind the Ocean Shores STP hosted White-winged, Surf, and Black Scoters. One Red-throated Loon made an appearance with several Common Loons in various plumages about too. A beautiful male Harlequin Duck was present here. We also spotted one Common Murre and one Pigeon Guillemot, both in winter plumage. We put much effort into searching for the Eider and came up empty.

Point Brown jetty: Was dead, but had a good sized flock of gulls on the beach to sort out which was fun.

Brown Pelicans and Heermann's Gulls were common in all the above spots.

Tokeland Marina: 600 Marbled Godwits (including one pale plumaged that provided nice comparisons with the BAGO), 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel, 12 Willet.

Midway Beach: 5 Black-bellied Plover, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Horned Lark, American Pipit (didn't spot any Snowy Plovers)

Hoquiam STP: Lots of ducks with Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, 1 Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, both Scaup, 2 Hooded Merganser, and a small group of Greater White-fronted Geese. We picked out a few Mew Gulls in the STP plant.

Today, in Elma along 12th Ave, I spotted a single Eurasian Collared-Dove on a utility wire. First time, I have seen one in town.

I then headed into the Elma-Satsop foothills and found one Sooty Grouse. Other notables included 2 Red-breasted Sapsucker, a Pileated Woodpecker, and a Northern Pygmy-Owl. Also, found one Lincoln's Sparrow and a couple Common Yellowthroat around a wetland. A late Western Tanager was also vocalizing in one of the clearcuts.

At the Chehalis Wildlife area accessed from Schouweiler Road, there was a flock of 52 Greater White-fronted Geese with 3 Cackling Geese mixed in. There were hard to see as they were a pond with dead lily-pads so they were almost invisible until I saw one move. 4 Wood Ducks here and two Turkey Vultures flying overhead.

Lastly, at Vance Creek county park, there were a good amount of Yellow-rumped Warblers flycatching from the huge fire trees there. Also, I spotted one Black-throated Gray Warbler and two Western Scrub-Jays here as well.

A great couple of days that netted nearly 90 species for me. Back to the east-side tomorrow!

Tim O'Brien
Cheney, WA
mailto: kertim7179 at yahoo dot com

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