Dear Tweeters,

Well over a hundred birders tried for the Wood Sandpiper at Reifel Sanctuary up in BC today (10-17-2010). Much merry comraderie ensued, but the bird was not seen, at least as of five-PM-ish, when I left. The gates were closing.

There were two Sharp-tailed Sandpipers giving very nice views, and the usual hordes of waterfowl put on a show. There were well over 1000 Long-billed Dowitchers. Sixteen or so Sandhill Cranes entertained visitors at close range. It does not seem possible to have a "bad day" at Reifel, and the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was a pretty nice consolation bird.

Yours truly,


Gary Bletsch ? Near Lyman, Washington (Skagit County), USA ? garybletsch at yahoo.com ? ?