Hi Tweets



Yesterday, Eastside Audubon made a trip out to Grays Harbor. The day started
out partially cloudy and a bit chilly (51F), we encountered fog in the
Chehalis River Valley, but it cleared as we approached the coast. It finally
got all the way up to 54F with some light breezes.



Along I-5 we picked up ROCK PIGEON, AMERICAN CROW (a bunch of places),
EUROPEAN STARLING, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. As we came into Olympia an
OSPREY was sighted.



Along SR-8 we added COMMON RAVEN and more ROCK PIGEONs (on the bridge across
the Satsop River). In Monte Sano there were EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVEs. We
turned south at Aberdeen and along SR-105 we had AMERICAN CROW, ROCK PIGEON,
and EUROPEAN STARLING.



We got to Bottle Beach State Park a couple of hours before high tide and
there were good numbers of birds present. On the walk to the beach we had
SONG SPARROW, EUROPEAN STARLING, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER, and several FOX SPARROWs. At the beach there were two medium size
groups of peeps that turned out to be WESTERN SANDPIPERs - we looked them
over carefully and that was all we could see. Further up the beach there was
a large group of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERs (with one still in pretty good
breeding plumage) and some MARBLED GODWITs. Mixed in with the Black-bellieds
and Marbleds was a single BAR-TAILED GODWIT (much lighter and nice white
supercilium, and slightly smaller than the Black-bellied and we didn't have
to sort it out from 500 shoulder to shoulder Marbleds). This was the Bird of
the Day! Other shorebirds in the group included SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER (one),
WESTERN SANDPIPER, RUDDY TURNSTONE (a very nice bird), GREATER YELLOWLEGS,
RING-BILLED GULLs (many), CALIFORNIA GULL, WESTERN GULL, NORTHER PINTAIL,
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (the ducks didn't stay long), a GREAT BLUE HERON flew
over. On the way back out we picked up AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, BLACK-CAPPED
CHICKADEE, and STELLER'S JAY.



We circled back thru Aberdeen and Hoquiam, and as we headed west of SR-109
we saw EUROPEAN STARLING, AMERICAN CROW, and STELLER'S JAY. At a lunch stop
at Ocean City State Park we had at least one STELLER'S JAY squawking at us,
as well as a Douglas Squirrel.



At the Ocean Shore North Jetty we saw EUROPEAN STARLING, AMERICAN CROW, some
SANDERLINGs running along the swash line avoiding the water, many SOOTY
SHEARWATERs offshore, BROWN PELICANs, a couple of PIGEON GUILLEMOTs, a few
SURF SCOTERs, and on the rocks of the jetty BLACK TURNSTONE (at least 4) and
a single SURFBIRD, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, PELAGIC CORMORANT, two BRAND'TS
CORMORANTs, WESTERN GULL, a COMMON MURRE, and three juvenile BROWN-HEADED
COWBIRDs.



On Sportsman Street several EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVEs, EUROPEAN STARLINGs and
two AMERICAN ROBINs (our first for the day).



At the end of the old road looking over Damon Point and the channel we saw
COMMON LOON, HEERMANN'S GULL, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTs, BROWN PELICANs,
RED-THROATED LOON, and BLACK TURNSTONE (fly-by).



We stopped at the access trail for Bill's Spit (closed because of erosion at
the stairs down to the beach). We picked up CASPIAN TERN, lots of
RING-BILLED, CALIFORNIA, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs, a WESTERN GULL, some
SANDERLINGs and HOUSE SPARROWs at a feeder.



While returning back to "downtown" Ocean Shores we had TURKEY VULTURE over
Chance a la Mer Drive.



We made our final stop at the Hoquiam Sewer Ponds and picked up MALLARD,
NORTHERN PINTAIL, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, WESTERN
SANDPIPER, KILLDEER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, GREAT BLUE HERON, and some CANADA
GEESE flew over.



At Elma, on the way home we saw a RED-TAILED HAWK.



A good day, with 55 species accounted for. The special birds for the day
were the RUDDY TURNSTONE and in particular the BAR-TAILED GODWIT at Bottle
Beach!



Good Birding!



Brian H. Bell

Woodinville WA

Mail to bell as oc a t iso me dia dot com