Just finished two days of leading a couple of Colorado visitors from Canon Beach to Tokeland. Shorebirds were the primary target. Yesterday's highlights
were: Haystack Rock - about 8-9 pairs of TUFTED PUFFINS were stationed at burrow entrances on the northeast side of the rock, while about 8 HARLEQUIN DUCKS
were tamely feeding right between the rock and the beach. Ecola State Park at Indian Beach produced about 500 BROWN PELICANS and assorted cormorants on the rocks at the north end, but no Black Oystercatchers. The Cove at Seaside - lots of bait action, 100s of BROWN PELICANS, HEERMAN'S and CALIFORNIA GULLS. There were also 3 BLACK TURNSTONES and 1 SURFBIRD on the
rocks by the parking area. South Jetty Columbia River - Some days it is loaded with Brown Pelicans, gull spp. and cormorants, other days less so.?
There were some of these along the jetty, but the Shorebird Ponds were desolate and void of water and birds when we were there 1.5 hrs after high tide. After 15 years I still don't quite understand those dynamics. Cook Slough on Wireless Road on the incoming tide: 25-30 WESTERNS and LEAST, plus at least 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. One GREATER YELLOWLEGS. Hammond Boat Basin - 80+ MARBLED GODWITS were on the west jetty finger, roosting with the pelicans and HEERMAN's GULLS. Today at:
Bay Center channel, Willapa Bay, Washington -- 300-400 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 50-60 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS. Minus one peep that got taken and eaten by a Peale's race PEREGRINE FALCON while we watched. :) Tokeland Boat Marina - 25+ MARBLED GODWITS on the breakwater jetty just north of the marina, plus 4 WILLET, plus 4 RED KNOT juveniles. One possible BAIRD'S SANDPIPER that was only seen once and called out as such by an over-Bairdsey
guide, but not seen again. 7 WHIMBREL also on rocks.

Lee Cain
Astoria