Subject: [Tweeters] Grays Harbor 9-9-12 (Ruff)
Date: Sep 9 19:46:42 2012
From: B&PBell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Tweets

David Cartier and I birded around Grays Harbor today. We started out at Bottle Beach at 0730 with lots of birds - nothing unusual. We had a steady mist and light breeze that continued thruout the day. Lots of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERs, SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERs, MARBLED GODWITs (no unusual ones), GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGs, SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERs, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERs, RED KNOT, DUNLIN, as well as NORTHERN PINTAIL, RING-BILLED, CALIFORNIA, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs. (And Randy Hill).

Next, we went around to the Hoquiam Sewer Ponds. We scanned the ponds, picking up more gulls (nothing different), MALLARDs, GREATER SCAUP, WESTERN and PECTORAL SANDPIPERs. Then, on a small spit on the north side of the east pond we found the RUFF (about 9:15). It posed nicely for a minute when all the shorebirds flushed with a PEREGRINE FALCON working the area over. After much back and forth (with nice views of the white tail pattern on the Ruff) it finally landed a ways further east.

On the Ocean Shores and the Oyhut Game Range. By now the mist was really heavy and the breeze was picking up. Lots of birds on the "pond" near the Vortac tower - BLACK-BELLIED, SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS, WESTERN, LEAST, PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGs, WILSON'S SNIPE. Randy reported that he had an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER. When we all first got there Andy Stepniewski and Denny Grandstrand reported that they had seen the SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER out on the Game Range, but we could never reliably locate it. Some CANADA GEESE flew in, and some HOODED MERGANSERs were on the pond, as were a couple of GREAT BLUE HERONs. With the mist turning to rain, and the wind picking up we decided to be "wimps" and call it a day.

All in all, for a not very nice day, it was pretty good. The Ruff was a life bird for David.

Good Birding!

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
Birding & Natural History Guide
mail to bell asoc at iso media dot com