Sherry and I ventured out to the coast today, despite the predicted rainy weather. We had rain for the first couple of hours before it quit and staved off for the rest of the day.
We spent most of the morning at the Grays Harbor NWR where we had;
150+ RED KNOTS
lots of DUNLIN,
lots of WESTERN SANDPIPERS
7 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
3 WHIMBREL
1 RUDDY TURNSTONE
lots of SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS
30+ BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS
9 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
3 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES
CASPIAN TERNS
60 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE
Along the board walk we had;
YELLOW WARLBERS
WILSON?S WARBLERS
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS

At the Hoquiam sewer treatment ponds, there were 50 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES and 3 BONAPARTE?S GULLS

In the afternoon we went over to the Westport Marina. Yesterdays storm must have pushed in 30+ FORK-TAILED STORM PETRELS. We saw them in the bay, inside the marina, and just outside the marina entrance, giving us really close looks. Bruce and Ed?s Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival field trip show up, so we got them on those birds. A lifer for most of them. Other birds we saw were;
all 3 loons, COMMON, 2 PACIFIC, 1 RED-THROATED
all 3 cormorants
PIGEON GUILLEMOT
7 COMMON TERNS. Possible more further out.
1 BALD EAGLE
1 PEREGRINE FALCON with dinner in its talons.
2 HARLEQUIN DUCK
1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER

Dave Hayden
Centralia, WA
dtvhm AT nwrain.com