Good evening, Birders,

After several days at Grays Harbor, arriving home yesterday, it still didn't appear that there was any hummingbird feeding going on - guess it's the same at 30' as it is at 30, ooo. (Maybe a few pretzels if you're lucky) But just now at 5:45, I finally saw Mother Eartha collecting some protein not far from the nest and sure enough, I could see her poking her bill into the nest. No visible thorny bills sticking up above the edge yet. Any day now...

While it was hell being away, not knowing what was up with the latest nesting activities here in Wedgwood, seeing shorebirds are always a good distraction. And Oyhut, Bill's Spit and Bottle Beach all provided lots of great bird sightings - all under amazing weather too! Even had a double rainbow at Oyhut, after the only sprinkling, at the tail-end of the storms preceding us.

At Nisqually: much damage and the boardwalk was closed after the storm on Thurs.
did see one of the owlets and many new ducklings and goslings

Bill's Spit: (5/6 and 5/7)
Bald Eagle
Godwits - 75-100
Dunlin (witnessed a wild chase of peeps by a peregrine with a near mid-air catch)
Western sandpipers
Whimbrel - 4-8 at different spots along the shore
Caspian Terns
Dowitchers
(Ran into a mother and daughter Faith and her mom Amy, who were just leaving. We had met them two years earlier at the Interpretive Center! They were birding for Faith's bird-day! - pure synchronicity!)

Bottle Beach
Monday (5/8/17) (at high tide)
100-200 Red Knot
BB Plovers
Semi-palmated Plovers
Dunlin (some coming within 10 feet of us)
3+ Ruddy Turnstone
1 Red Breasted Merganser

Met Loren and Leslie
along with Dan Cartland and Tom Rowley (Coastal Raptors)

Oyhut
1 Greater Yellowlegs
small group Western sandpiper
towhee
WC sparrow
1 Rufous hummingbird
several loons
3 Ruddy turnstones on the rocks
Surfscoters

Ponds at GH NWR
Scaup
Northern Pintail pair
Bufflehead
1 Osprey
Shovelers

Westport
1 Brown Pelican
3-5 Common Loon (excellent looks from boardwalk)
3+ Pigeon Guillemot
Many harbor seals "spy-hopping"
No spotting of the Fork-tailed Storm Petrel
cormorant
Western Grebe

North Jetty
possible Wandering Tattler
possible Surfbird
*Absolute id: 1 Brian Bell ;-)

Other misc:
2 Redtail hawks
1 Osprey
Turkey Vultures
Marsh wren (heard not seen)

Unable to spot the Snowy Plovers at Grayland (woman had lost dog and they were searching w/ security's help in the roped off area)
two bald and juvie eagles and one dead juvie eagle

Didn't spot anything at Tokeland or John's River.

I'm sure there's a few not mentioned, but glad to be back with the Mother Eartha again.

Stay tuned...

Caryn / Wedgwood
(not edited at press time)











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