Could it be the largest concentration of Red Knots this side of Delaware Bay
and?Chesapeak Bay?? I've seen them in great number in the east but never like
this in the west.? Counting the Red Knots at Gray's Harbor as a continuation of
the Shorebird Festival, I had 679, yesterday and 906 today, May 12.? Most of the
birds were visible and easily countable from the Sandpiper Trail boardwalk at
the Grays Harbor Wildlife Refuge.? I used our counters from the boardwalk
tallying 557 from the boardwalk yesterday and 736 today.??The larger numbers
were birds I could see on Mini Moon island but they required a bit more
guesswork in that they concentrated together and it was hard to discern between
them.? On the boardwalk most of the birds seperated out easily as they feed at
high tide.? They concentrated in strings alone the water line as it
increased?with the tide.

Other peeps were fewer than at the Festival with 3,200 Western Sandpipers
yesterday and 1800 today.? There were about 1650 Dunlin yesterday and about 1000
today.? Among these larger numbers were other?shorebirds, Shortbilled Dowitchers
(32 yesterday), Whimbrel (1?today), Ruddy Turnstone (1 yesterday), Black-bellied
Plover (21 yesterday and 7 today).? Semi-palmated Plovers (317 yesterday and 413
today).

There were lots of other birds about,?five species of warblers, Vaux's Swifts,
numerous Virginia Rails including two walking on the boardwalk.? There is still
at least one Red-necked Phalarope on the sewer pond at Hoquiem along with 46
Lesser Scaup. Out?at Ocean Shores I had 400+ Common Terns sitting on the sand
among 200 or more Bonaparte's Gulls at the Jetty in the late afternoon of the
11th.

At Nisqually?NWR the excitement today was a report of and photo taken by Dennis
Ellison of a Western Kingbird at the end of the new boardwalk.? I walked out but
didn't find it.? There was a pair of Wilson's Phalaropes on the pond just south
of the new boardwalk.

Good birding.

Dave Richardson??