Tweeters,
I went to the coast yesterday in search of a Red Knot. I was a little early
to Bottle Beach and the birds were way out, but I tentatively identified a
RED KNOT and decided to head to Tokeland until the tide came in. Tokeland
we really hopping. At Graveyard spit there was a single very large sleeping
shorebird which I assume was the previously reported LONG-BILLED CURLEW.
The bird was surrounded by mixed plumage BONAPARTE'S GULLS and other gulls.
A flock of MARBLED GODWITS flew in and they were noticeably smaller than the
Curlew. They were later joined by SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and DUNLIN. At
the Marina on the westside, my first birds were a large group of RUDDY
TURNSTONES mixed with a few BLACK TURNSTONES. There were more on the
breakwater, probably at least 30 total Ruddy's. Other birds on the
breakwater included lots more Godwits, WILLETS, WHIMBRELS, and more dunlin
and dowitchers.

I got to Bottle Beach again shortly before high tide and the birds were
bunched up right near the shelter. The group included SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SEMI-PALMATED
PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and a single RED KNOT. And just for fun, a single
female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was flying around and through the shelter.

It was a very lucky day for pictures. Somehow I got a photo of a MARBLED
GODWIT posing in a bed of daisies. Then I got a side by side picture of the
two types of turnstones. And despite how well hidden the RED KNOT was among
the dowitchers, I still managed a couple of decent pictures. Also, one of
my Bottle Beach pictures has a mystery bird mixed in with the dowitchers.
An all gray shorebird of similar in size to a dowitcher. Pictures are on my
Picasa site.

https://picasaweb.google.com/randybjo/PicturesForSharing#

Randy Bjorklund
Federal Way, WA