Subject: [Tweeters] Ocean Shores to Okanogan Bird Report with some PHOTOS
Date: Sep 9 23:05:03 2009
From: Khanh Tran - fsprucegrouse at yahoo.com


Hi all,

Here is my "High Tide to High Ridge" trip report from 9/4 to 9/7. I was definitely a fun trip with many good highlights including: 27 species of shorebirds (Buff Breasted being my favorite), 600 lovely SANDHILL CRANES, a spectacular, male SPRUCE GROUSE, and GREAT GRAY OWL. I also discovered one SHARP TAILED SANDPIPER after processing my photos.

Not too shabby of a trip so I have nothing to grouse about:)

***TOKELAND MARINA*** (9/4/2009)

BAR TAILED GODWIT (Worn plumage bird)
500 plus Marbled Godwits
8 Willets
25 Sanderlings
5 Whimbrels
1 Long billed Curlew

***MIDWAY BEACH*** (9/4 and 9/7)

3 BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPERS (only one seen on 9/7)
1 SNOWY PLOVER
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER (up to 50 birds on 9/7)
Red necked Phalarope (up to 20 on 9/7)
Long billed Dotwitcher on 9/7
25 Least Sandpipers
10 Western Sandpipers
Peregrine Falcon on 9/7
2 LAPLAND LONGSPUR 9/4

***BOTTLE BEACH***(9/4 and 9/7)

3 RED KNOTS (9/4)
3 Black Turnstones
30 Black bellied Plovers
5 Semipalmated Plovers
10 Short billed Dowitchers (9/7)
2 Long billed Dowitchers (9/7)

***OCEAN SHORES***

1 KING EIDER 9/4 and 9/7
1 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER 9/4 (flushed bird, seen and heard calling)

1 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER 9/7 (Heard calling and seen with Carleen and Neil Zimmerman. Very rich golden tones overall and simple two note call different from American on 9/4. Second syllable being more emphasized)

2 BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPER--Damon Point on 9/7
1 SHARP TAILED SANDPIPER- Tonquin Avenue on 9/4
8 Pectoral Sandpipers
15 Least Sandpipers
5 Western Sandpipers
3 Wanderling Tattlers--RV area
5 Dowitchers species (distance)
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
60 Red Necked Phalarope
1 Marbled Godwit-RV area
1 COMMON TERN --Damon Pt
1 POMARINE JAEGER (light morph Subadult--)Damon Point
1 Merlin
1 Peregrine Falcon

***SALMON MEADOWS***(9/5 and 9/6)

8 Dusky Grouse
2 Ruffed Grouse
1 SPRUCE GROUSE (spectacular male partially displaying)
1 NORTHERN GOSHAWK (adult)
1 Great Horned Owl
1 NORTHERN PYGMY OWL
5 Black Swifts-- near Happy Hill Rd
10 BOREAL CHICKADEES
3 American 3-Toe Woodpecker
1 BLACK BACKED WOODPECKER
1 Williamson's Sapsucker
2 PINE GROSBEAKS

***HART'S PASS***

1 WHITE TAILED PTARMIGAN (male on 9/5 and female on 8/26 with Guy McWethy)
4 Dusky Grouse
1 Sooty Grouse (probable)--near Slate Creek area
1 NORTHERN PYGMY OWL
4 Cooper's Hawk
2 Sharp shinned Hawk
2 American Three Toe Woodpecker
25 Cassin's Finch
3 PINE GROSBEAK--flyby

***CAMERON LAKE AREA***

60 Baird's Sandpiper--(Cook Lake)
10 Red Necked Phalarope--(Cook Lake)
3 Wilson's Phalarope-(Cook Lake)
600 Sandhill Crane--(Dudley Lake)
2 Golden Eagles
1 PRAIRIE FALCON
1 LOGGERHEADED SHRIKE
3 WHITE HEADED WOODPECKER
3 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS (fairly late-seen 9/6 and 8/27 with Guy McWethy)

***OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS***

10 Greater Yellowlegs-- (Molson and Field Lake)
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
4 SOLITARY SANDPIPER--(3 at Molson and 1 Lake Beth)
10 Long billed Dotwichers--(Molson Lake)
5 STILT SANDPIPER--(Molson Lake)
12 Baird's Sandpiper--(Molson Lake)
8 Red necked Phalarope--(Molson Lake)
1 GRAY GRAY OWL at dusk
12 Black Swifts--near Tonasket
1 Pileated Woodpecker

Some PHOTOS can now be seen on my website under Recent Trip photos:

www.ktbirding.com

Good birding,

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)