Hi all,

Here is a late report of some of my sightings last Wed-Fri at the Olympic
Peninsula.

On Wed evening I visited Ediz Hook at Port Angeles and saw at least 27
HARLEQUIN DUCKS, my target there. Also seen were a BLACK TURNSTONE, a BLACK
OYSTERCATCHER, 2 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. I then went on to near the park
entrance at Heart O' The Hills for a VARIED THRUSH. Driving west towards
LaPush, a BARRED OWL flew onto to the wires next to the road while it was
still light at 20:45, providing great views.

On Thu morning I started at LaPush seeing several 10s of TUFTED PUFFINS
(though views without a scope, as suggested by Opperman, were certainly not
possible). Other birds here included 12 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, a BLACK
OYSTERCATCHER, a SEMIPALM SANDPIPER, 2 WESTERN GREBES, all 3 SCOTER
species, etc. In the nearby forests a VARIED THRUSH was singing. COMMON
CROSSBILLS were flying around and singing here as well as at many other
places on the peninsula.

Later that morning I stared at the ocean for a while near Kallaloch,
getting the hoped for PACIFIC LOONS (ca 15); COMMON and RED-THROATED LOONS
were present too, and a few 1000s of COMMON MURRES and RHINO AUKLETS were
flying by. En route further south a SOOTY GROUSE flew over the road.

In the afternoon at Tokeland, no Long-billed Curlews were to be found, but
among others 1 PURPLE MARTIN and 4 WHIMBRELS. HEERMANN'S GULLS were present
in good numbers here as well on many other sites (over 1500 in total).

Midway Beach produced a pair of SNOWY PLOVERS (by the seaside, not on the
reserve side), 2 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 100s of SANDERLINGS, WESTERN SANDPIPERS,
and SEMIPALM PLOVERS. A lone and scruffy-looking BRANT looked much more
like a Dark-bellied (bernicla) than Black (nigricans), in having a brownish
belly without a contrasting white flank, and a very limited white collar,
but this may have had to do with it being very worn. Several 100,000s of
SOOTY SHEARWATERS were moving south close along the beach, an incredible,
relentless stream of birds moving through with 100 individuals per second
or so.

Fri morning, I couldn't find my target Surfbird at Westport, only a lone
WANDERING TATTLER. Later on Fri morning I did find at least 1 SURFBIRD
along with 8 BLACK TURNSTONES, 4 RUDDY TURNSTONES, and 1 WANDERING TATTLER
at the tip of the Ocean Shores jetty. At this point, 10,000s of SOOTY
SHEARWATERS were moving north again, accompanied by 1000s of COMMON MURRES.

Looking for some flocks of waders to scan through, I tried Bill?s Spit at
the recommended time 1-2h before high tide, but rather few waders were
present, among them a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and a WHIMBREL. Turned out later
that I should have tried the Oyhut area instead ;)

Best, Jelmer Poelstra
jelmerpoelstra at gmail dot com


--
Jelmer Poelstra
Department of Evolutionary Biology
EBC, Uppsala University,
Norbyv?gen 18D, SE-75236, Uppsala
Email: jelmer.poelstra at ebc.uu.se / jelmerpoelstra at gmail.com
Phone: 0046-702457805 (cell) / 0046-184712893 (lab) / 0031-646741925 (cell)
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