Tweets, I birded Ocean Shores Monday from 3pm to dark. Best bird: immature
Say's Phoebe observed well while trekking behind the STP toward the channel
that transects the salicornia marsh. No godwit (of any sort), Stilt Sndpr or
golden-plover unless they were lurking somewhere undetected in the fog. Most
Baird's Sndprs I've seen personally, perhaps 20, including 5 brave souls
foraging the tide line among a host of beach lovers. Only one Pectoral seen
(thanks to Jeff Thompson) and none heard in flight - and there were airborne
peeps galore. Areas covered: Pt Brown jetty (all 4 expected "rockpipers,"
Red-th Loon, too foggy to see shearwaters), sewage treatment ponds (nothing
much) and Oyehut Game Range beyond (phoebe), Bill's Spit near high tide
(just gulls, including a single Ring-billed), marina (empty), Oyehut Game
Range and pond (great spot!) accessed from new Eagle Scout access across
from water tank, Damon Point (few loons and scoters), back to Bill's Spit in
near darkness. Judging from how long it posed, the phoebe was not finding
many insects; I did not see it on the return leg. At the Oyehut pond in
front of the Tonquin radar tower it was fascinating to see a Peregrine
perched barely two feet off the ground and within spitting distance of a
flock of geese totally indifferent to its presence. In the fog at 7pm the
light was insufficient to tell whether this was the dark falcon reported
earlier - everything was looking mighty dark! Good birding!
-- Paul Hicks / Tenino / phicks AT accessgrace.org