I took an interest when Dianna mentioned agates. I was walking the beach on
Damon Point Thursday of last week and came upon a rather large agate, about
the size of a golf ball. I picked it up, kept it (oops, it's a State Park,
isn't it?). Its surface is too fissured and stained to be very pretty. I
guess I need to invest in a tumbler or whatever. Rock hounding is one hobby
I was only peripherally involved in, growing up. So, I don't really know
what to do with it. Maybe I should take it back. I thoroughly enjoyed that
day at Damon Point. I counted seven Snowy Owls at one time. I wandered
around out at the end of the point, hoping the McKay's Bunting would make an
appearance, but it didn't. I also hoped for Horned Larks or Snowy Plovers
but no luck with them either. I finished the day at the base of the Brown's
Point jetty, enjoying a mixed group of Surfbirds, Rock Sandpipers, and black
Turnstones, intermittently sleeping and probing around on the wave-swept
rocks, sometimes appearing to be gleaning from the biofilm on the rocks,
eating, perhaps. wait for it (my new word of the week), mucopolysaccharides.
At least, I couldn't see anything very substantial where they were working
their beaks to vigorously.



I need to go back. Maybe I'll find the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Emperor Goose,
King Eider, or a Black-legged Kittiwake. Regardless, there's always
something good at Ocean Shores. I enjoyed close up views of the fairly
common Sanderlings, Dunlin, and one Least Sandpiper that let me walk very
close.



Kelly McAllister

Olympia, Washington







From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of
Pterodroma at aol.com
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 12:35 PM
To: dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com
Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] huh, agates? pant, pant! (was: Ocean Shores owls)



Dianna -- Are there REALLY agates over there, Damon Point, Ocean Shores?
I've never had the greatest of luck anywhere along the Washington coast
whereas much of the Oregon coast (some spots in particular!) and northern
and central California are absolute gold mines! I do, or have done, a fair
amount of beach collecting, tumbling (surf has already done the hard part),
and polishing (finishing off what nature started before she screws it up by
breaking something important) in my spare time for table displays and
sharing with others, ...a LOT of sharing with others, one can only house so
many "rocks". I just can't quite figure out why the Washington coast yields
such crap of no use or value, eye being in the mind of the beholder, mind
you. I've got the little guide book, "Washington Gem Trails", but that's
not been much use either so far. Same guides, Oregon & California are
great. So, shooo those owls away, I'll be over in a sec :-))



Richard Rowlett

Bellevue (Eastgate), WA