I spent a few days birding along the northern and western coasts of
the Olympic Peninsula, starting at Diamond Point and working my way
west then south to the Aberdeen / Hoquiam areas and back. The first
day (7/26/10) at Diamond Point I was looking primarily for Tufted
Puffin but unfortunately came up short, although RHINOCEROS AUKLET
were quite abundant. I then stopped by John Wayne Marina, 3 Crabs
Restaurant, and Dungeness NWR before heading up the Hurricane Ridge
Road. The volunteers at the Dungeness NWR were great to chat with and
provided some valuable information for future stops. Later in the
afternoon I birded Ediz Hook, Salt Creek County Park, and the Elwa
River Delta. A few of the birds noted on this day included:

Rhinoceros Auklet - abundant at several locations including - Diamond
Point, Dungeness NWR, John Wayne Marina, and Ediz Hook
Pigeon Guillemot - at almost all locations along the waterfront
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 3 Crabs Restaurant, and Cline Spit, Dungeness
Marbled Murrelet - Salt Creek County Park and Dungeness NWR
Harlequin Duck - Ediz Hood and Salt Creek County Park
Semipalmated Plover - 3 Crabs Restaurant
Black Turnstone - Ediz Hook
Sooty Grouse - 3 birds at the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center
Olive-sided Flycatcher - John Wayne Marina and Hurricane Ridge Road
Turkey Vulture - Salt Creek County Park (one bird on 7/29/10)

The next morning (7/27/10) I drove along Lake Crescent then up the
Sol Duck River Valley; the birding being pretty quiet along this
portion of my route. I then made a straight shot over to La Push and
this area did not disappoint at all, picking up my first TUFTED
PUFFINS of the trip (Opperman page 49 - Kohchaa Island) along with
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER. The puffins all seemed to be flying onto the
western side of the island but occasionally would land in the water
along the north and east side of the island for decent looks. It was
very difficult to get any kind of estimate of the number of puffins in
the area although I was able to observe 6 or 7 different birds - I'm
sure there were many more. As it was now early afternoon I made my
way up the Hoh River Valley and then a little later took in the Ruby
Beach area where 7 SEA OTTERS were observed - way cool. A few of the
observations for the day included:

Red-throated Loon - La Push
Common Murre - La Push
Tufted Puffin - 6 or 7 birds at La Push
Black Oystercatcher - La Push
Gray Jay - Hoh River Valley
Northwestern Crow - La Push, Hoh River Valley and Ruby Beach
Wilson's Warbler - La Push
Warbling Vireo - Lake Crescent and Sol Duc River Valley
Vaux's Swift - La Push and Hoh River Valley

Sea Otter - One at Ruby Beach looking toward Destruction Island and 6
more at Beach 4 - a short ways south of Ruby Beach (also looking
toward Destruction Island) along Hwy 101. These guys were great to
watch and a scope was definitely needed - but definitely worth the
stop many times over.

Today (7/28/10) I traveled to a few different locations in the
Ocean Shores, Westport and Tokeland areas but the birding seemed slow
and I had a longing to get away from the crowds and return to the
upper coastal regions of the Olympic Peninsula. Still a few neat
birds were seen and I enjoyed the peaceful time at Bottle Beach at
about an hour before high tide. Some of the birds seen this day
included:

Spotted Sandpiper - Damon Point
Semipalmated Sandpiper - Bottle Beach
Semipalmated Plover - Bottle Beach
Short-billed Dowitcher - Bottle Beach
Brant - Oyhut Wildlife Area
Eurasian Collared-Dove - Damon Point
Green Heron - Damon Point
Swainson's Thrush - heard calling at Oyhut Wildlife Area
Osprey - Hoquiam Sewage Ponds
Turkey Vulture - 1 bird seen just north of Hoquiam
Hermit Thrush - Bottle Beach - don't know what this bird was doing
there but no question as to the identity
Willet, Marbled Godwit, and Whimbrel - Tokeland

My final day (7/29/10) of birding along the Olympic Peninsula was
in the Callam Bay / Sekiu area and Neah Bay. Neah Bay was super with
many TUFTED PUFFINS along with BLACK OYSTERCATCHER and MARBLED
MURRELETS. There was also a group of STELLER / NORTHERN SEA LIONS on
a small rock outcropping near Tatoosh Island - way cool again.
Looking for any shearwaters was to little avail as there was a haze
over the water in the distance but viewing closer in was just fine. A
few of the sightings included:

Sooty Grouse - a hen and chick near the parking area at the trail to
the Tatoosh Island viewing overlook
Common Murre - Outstanding looks at this colony of nesting birds on
Tatoosh Island
Marbled Murrelet - several pairs in the water near the Tatoosh Island
overlook at Cape Flattery
Black Oystercatcher - Many individuals in the area around the overlook
Tufted Puffin - Quite a few birds and very easy to see but a scope is
probably necessary
Turkey Vulture - 1 bird in the Clallam Bay area
Swainson's Thrush - calling along the trail from the parking area to
the Cape Flattery / Tatoosh Island overlook

Cheers and Good Birding;

Michael Fleming
Ballard, Washington
michaelfleming01 AT gmail.com