Hi All: I spend Friday (25 Sept) walking beaches and birding at Kalaloch. Only three new freshly dead scoters, beached Thursday night, and a few
alive and resting on the beach. The dead from last week are still present (see http://slatermuseum.blogspot.com/. The
living were more interesting. From Kalaloch down to South Beach there
was a continuous string of living scoters on the water out beyond the surf
line and many flying around in small groups, large groups, and lines.
I counted 1,500 from just one overlook taking in about 1 mile at Kalaloch. Extrapolating I estimated there are over 5,000 white-winged and surf scoter along this stretch from Kalaloch to South Beach (about 3.5 mi). Some were actively
feeding, or attempting to, in the breakers as the tide came in. Waves
were small, no wind and sunny most of the day. From Kalaloch north there were small groups with only a few on the water at Beach 5 & 6 and Ruby Beach. There are good views that are easily accessible from the overlooks at Kalaloch, Beach 2 and South Beach.

Also 100+
brown pelicans in singles, lines and group. Many diving offshore.

Also
1 Black Oystercatcher
2 sanderlings
1 semipalmated sandpiper
1 semipalmated plover (with the sanderlings)

Gary Shugart,
Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma and Vashon Island