Hello Tweets,

Today I chased both the short-billed dowitcher and Baird's sandpiper seen at Discovery Park and Carkeek Park, respectively.

The short-billed dowitcher was found almost immediately at the reported spot, just south of the base of the rocky seawall. The dowitcher was joined by four spotted and seven least sandpipers, as well as a killdeer. I watched the dowitcher feed up and down the end of the beach for a while, flush to rest on the rocks for a few minutes, and eventually fly to a point on the beach no more than 20 yards away for great photos of it walking and resting!

Instead of rushing off to the next stop, I enjoyed an extended visit at Discovery and got several park birds. When I reached Carkeek Park, I searched among the rocks and algae at the low-tide creek mouth, finding only a western sandpiper and three leasts. This is a bird that, if still present, is best chased at a higher tide and before the human activity and temperature heat up!

Good birding, Joshua Glant
Mercer Island, WA