Hi Tweets

A somewhat delayed report on the WOS trip to Grays Harbor County on Wednesday 27 April 2011. We started out under broken skies from Seattle early. On the way down toward Grays Harbor County we ran thru a number of small, scattered showers, and it looked good for the day.

We made our first stop at the Hoquiam Sewer Ponds under cloudy skies with some light winds. We saw GREAT BLUE HERON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREATER SCAUP, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, OSPREY (on the nest), RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, BONAPARTE'S GULL (breeding plumage), VAUX'S SWIFT, TREE SWALLOW, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (singing), BARN SWALLOW, AMERICAN ROBIN (singing), YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Myrtle and Audubon), SAVANNAH SPARROW (singing) and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (singing). Looked like the day was starting out o.k.

On the road to Ocean Shores we picked up TURKEY VULTURE, BALD EAGLE, RED-TAILED HAWK, AMERICAN CROW, and COMMON RAVEN.

We immediately made for Bill's Spit when we got to Ocean Shores in order to catch the high tide. It was quite a bit grayer and much windier at the spit. There were several hundred MARBLED GODWITs, DUNLINs, quite a number of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERs and at least one SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, a few BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS (most in nice breeding plumage) and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and SANDERLINGs, some WESTERN SANDPIPERs, a single WHIMBREL, a GREAT BLUE HERON, about 30 plus BRANT, a few MEW GULLs, perhaps 40 CASPIAN TERNs, a HOUSE FINCH and a couple of singing WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. While we were there the sky became much grayer and darker, the wind picked up and the rain started.

We next went over to Damon Point, and by the time we got there a few minutes later the storm had arrived - we now had sustained 25-30 mile winds with higher gusts. Walking out to the entrance channel there were large waves and no birds. In the somewhat protected (not very) side of the spit there were 5 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERs and cluster of gulls up on the shore including MEW and GLAUCOUS-WINGED with a single WESTERN.

We drove over to the Point Brown Jetty hoping for some rocky shorebirds and the wind was even stronger and the sand was blowing. In spite of this we quickly managed to see some BLACK TURNSTONES and more gulls. We took one of the access points to the beach and conditions were not favorable, but we could see more DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPERs and SANDERLINGs.

At this point we admitted that we were wimps and decided to turn more inland in hopes of running away from the strongest winds and most of the rain. As we passed thru Aberdeen we saw ROCK PIGEON and EUROPEAN STARLING, and outside of town had some COMMON MERGANSERs.

By the time we got to Brady Loop Road conditions had died down somewhat and we stopped for a quick lunch - the rain and wind arrived during lunch. We still managed to see DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPER, RUFUOUS HUMMINGBIRD, CLIFF SWALLOW, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (singing), SAVANNAH SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW.

In spite of the weather we wound up finding 58 species of birds, we felt that was pretty good given the just plain nasty observing conditions.

Good Birding!

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
mail to bell asoc at iso media dot com