Tweeters:


Jamie Acker and I (George Gerdts) traveled to the coast for some September shorebirding. We birded the Game Range at Ocean Shores where we had a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (juv) among 25 juv. Pectoral Sandpipers at the west end of the "lake" at the Game Range. They were being harassed by a Peregrine, but the Sharp-tailed spent most of the time in a grassy area on the north side of the lake. I have some OK "ID" digi-photos if anyone is interested Contact me at geopandion at gmail.com and I will send them out.


Other stops included The Hoquiam Sewage Ponds, Bottle Beach State Park, and Float 21 near the Coast Guard Station at the Westport Marina


The Ruff (juv female by size), first found by Andy Stepniewski last weekend, was present at about 1:30- 2:00 PM on Saturday afternoon. The tide was rising at the time. Jamie and I had stopped there at 09:30 in the morning before going to Ocean Shores and the bird was not present. It was in the left most pond as one drives into the Sewage Works.


Other shorebirds seen:

Black-bellied Plover 250 Bottle Beach (mostly adults, a few juvs)
Semi-palmated Plover 10 Bottle Beach (4 ad. 6 juvs)
Killdeer 6 Bottle Beach
Greater Yellowlegs 10 Game Range
Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Game Range
Whimbrel 6 Bottle Beach (juvs)
Marbled Godwit 2 at Bottle Beach, ~1800 at roost at Coast Guard Station in Westport Harbor
Ruddy Turnstone 1 Bottle Beach (juv)
Red Knot 40 Bottle Beach
Sanderling 10 Bottle Beach ( a few juvs)
Western Sandpiper 100s Bottle Beach, Game Range, a few at Hoquiam Sewage Ponds
Least Sandpiper 80 Bottle Beach, Game Range, HSP
Baird's Sandpiper 2 Bottle Beach, 1 Game Range (juvs)
Pectoral Sandpiper 17 at HSP, 25 Game Range (all juvs)
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 1 Game Range (juv) (photos)
Ruff 1 HSP (juv, female by size) (photos)
Short-billed Dowitcher 150 Bottle Beach (all juvs)
Long-billed Dowithcer 12 Game Range (all juvs)
Wilson's Snipe 2 Game Range



George Gerdts
Bainbridge Island, WA
geopandion at gmail.com
206-842-8138