Hi Tweeters:



A friend and I drove down to McKinleyville, CA on Friday to get the Brown Shrike.? ?As many as 30 birders were staked out?all day ?Saturday, a ?cold, cloudy and windy day, but the bird missed the party and we all went home disappointed.? We tried again on?a beautiful Sunday morning and were rewarded with great views of the Brown Shrike plucking and eating a Yellow-rumped Warbler while perched in the pampas grass between the two ponds.?? ? Check the California list serv for detailed directions to this site .??

Cautionary note:? this is NOT an accessible site.? You start out by climbing through a barbed wire fence and hiking down a switchback trail to the sandy beach.?On the way down I encountered many locals on bicycles or walking big dogs, off leash. The unimproved trail at the base of the bluff heads south for about a mile through sand and mud ?to the first good?viewing spot at the south end of the north pond, ?although it felt longer to me.? There are no benches or facilities once you get down to the beach level.? In order to reach the second pond to the south you have to traverse a very narrow sandy trail?with a drop off on one side and n o " passing lane". ? ? ?On Saturday , at the end of a long and exhausting day, ?I encountered a group with a big dog at the high point of that trail and was fearful for our safety as we squeezed by one another.



I'm especially grateful for the helpful posts on the Cal listserv and the?support of?my birding friends (old and new) who encouraged me when I was ready to give up. I would not have succeeded with out their help.



Ann Marie Wood

Mountlake Terrace, WA