Hi Tweets - Yesterday, Jean Olson and I led 10 enthusiastic birders on an SAS field trip to the northeast Olympic Peninsula. We were in and out of cool rain showers early in the day but by noon, the sun broke out for a pleasant afternoon. We started on Ediz Hook in Port Angeles with close looks at Harlequin Ducks, Black-bellied Plover, Sanderlings, all three spp. of scoters, and several gull species including Herring and Heerman's. Next stop was Kitchen Dick ponds, west of Sequim which had a multitude of duck species including a surprising two Canvasback. From the high-bank overlook just inside Dungeness St. Park, we had distant looks at Red-throated and Pacific Loons, and Marbled Murrelets. At the County Park on Dungeness Bay we first saw the mid bay flock of thousands of Am. Wigeons (and a number of hunters in boats keeping them agitated). We also had distant looks at a large concentration of plovers on an isolated mid bay sandbar, a Black Oystercatcher, and a pair of male Long-tailed Ducks; the latter two were lifers for some in the group. At Three Crabs, construction work on the new dike was in full swing so there was little bird activity in the salt meadows. Along the shore was another group of 1000s of wigeon, with a couple of Eurasians visible in the crowd. A large number of Killdeer were active on the beach and in new gravel areas south of the road. Dunlin were the only other shorebird seen. We finished up the day at the county boat launch at the end of Port Williams Rd. and at Diamond Point. Both locations afforded close views in excellent afternoon sunlight of marine species such as Common, Red-throated, and Pacific loons, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Horned, Red-necked, and Western grebes, and Harlequins. For the day we had about 67 species. Excellent group and great day, despite the morning rains! - Jon Houghton, Edmonds