Tweets,
On 7/30, Matt Bartels posted re. shorebirds present at Riffe Lake in Lewis Co., both the west end near Swofford Pond and the east end from Glenoma Rd. I attempted to post (while walking away from the west site on lumpy ground, no less) using my cell phone, since the birds he mentioned were still present at 10 a.m. yesterday (Sun. 7/31) with the exception of the Semi-palm Sandpiper, which we could not locate. But apparently, my relatively new I-phone isn?t set up for this, as now that I am home, I see that there is no posting.

So, thinking that this is a Lewis Co gold-mine of shorebirds, the LB Dows are still there, Western and Least SPs, 3 or more Baird?s SPs, Killdeer and Spotted Sands, plus Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, one each, standing side-by-side, and one SP Plover. Unbelievably, (to us, anyway) a Peregrine Falcon made a strike at the alarmed birds, moving through so fast, that we couldn?t tell if it got anything! These birds were all in the mud/damp ground surrounding ponds to the left of the trail between Swofford Pond and the west end of Riffe Lake. Thanks you Dave Hayden for the directions in his fantastic guide to Hwy 12, posted on Washington Birder!

We did the long walk on Glenoma Rd to try for the curlew Matt posted, but there was no luck for us there. We did pick up American Pipits, though.

Around 2:30, we started the killer hike at maybe 5,000 ? elevation up the FR 1284 White Pass burn on the Sand Lake Trail. I guess recent birders must have been up there in the early a.m., but it was apocalyptically quiet up there in the p.m., except for a lone YR Warbler as we entered the burn. At the top in the level section, we played songs of likely suspects, but not a one showed up. Just as we were ready to leave, though, an immature Northern Shrike flew in, perching on various tree tops before taking off. On the way up and down the trail there was a family of Gray Jays, more YRWAs, juncos, a pair of Brown Creepers, BC Chickadees. It was a hard slog for one new bird, but at least that shrike was a Code 4!

That said, the shorebirding was great! And Barbara Webster, help me w. my I-Phone!!
Penny Koyama, Bothell