Hello, Tweets,

The Clallam County Birdathon occurred on May 14th (as part of IMBD and Global Birding Day), providing a wonderful snapshot of birds on the north Olympic Peninsula on one day in mid-May.

Our total looks to be 193 species, well above the average for the last 22 years of this count (mean = 180 species). This is still below our record species count of 202 set in 2012. Since IMBD was fairly late this year, the count included high numbers of nearly all late spring migrants, with the exception of no Willow Flycatchers, usually very late to arrive.

I?ll have more info about relative abundance after entering all the data, but several interesting species turned up as usual. Many of these have already been listed on Tweeters and/or eBird:
1. Yellow-billed Loon - continuing bird in Port Angeles harbor
2. Scott Horton went halibut fishing out of La Push and found a nice assortment of offshore birds, including Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters, Black-footed Albatross, fulmar, Parasitic Jaeger, Sabine?s Gull, Red and Red-necked Phalarope, Cassin?s Auklet, and Ancient Murrelet.
3. Alex Pattia discovered a Sage Thrasher cavorting with the robins on the beach in front of Lake Crescent Lodge
4. Michael Barry walked the Obstruction Point Rd and found Amer. 3-Toed Woodpecker, Mtn Bluebird, Golden Eagle, Pine Grosbeak, and a wayward Sandhill Crane.
5. One lone Heermann?s Gull roosted on the logs in Port Angeles harbor.
6. Our previous Pectoral Sandpiper record was 5 recorded in 1998; this year at least 34 showed up
7. Denny Van Horn saw the high count of 158 species. Seriously hard-core, Denny?s route started owling at Lake Ozette at midnight and finished owling at Hobuck Lake the following midnight. Wow!

Many many thanks to everyone who participated in the count! I?ll have final numbers in a few weeks after all the data shows up.
Bob Boekelheide
Dungeness