Hi again Tweets...After my morning raptor survey in Ocean Shores and a long
walk afterwards on the beach playing with the dog, I spent nearly three
hours working on Grays Harbor Audubon property in Ocosta...on Hwy
105...about 1/4 mile east of Bottle Beach SP.

During the entire time we were out there we were entertained by a
recently-fledged Red-tailed Hawk begging for food from at least one parent
bird...think of that poll this past week of the most obnoxious noise,
whining, then put it into red-tail terms and you will have an idea of the
sound. First we could hear it but not see the youngster until it finally
flew, calling the whole time it flew in circles around the field, or
sometimes flying after the adult. I had no idea they were so vocal!

Also seen during that time were three adult Turkey Vultures, flying together
(I really wanted one of them to be a fledgling too but all had red heads),
an adult Bald Eagle, and in a spruce at the edge of the open fields were at
least seven Great Blue Herons. We also saw many Tree Swallows, American
Goldfinches, starlings, and shorebirds flashing in the distance. Heard but
not seen was a Marsh Wren; seen but not I.D'd was some kind of flycatcher;
it flew before we could get a good look at it, but it had the distinctive
crest of a flycatcher.

Finally, I forgot to mention in my post this morning about the birds seen on
the raptor survey, a good number of Semipalmated Plovers.

The weather is just superb!

Dianna Moore
Ocean Shores, Wa.
dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com