Hi Tweeters,

Returned from a few glorious days at Long Beach - perfect weather and enough peeps to keep walking up and down the beach!

We did check out Leadbetter, but the only luck we had was at the North Jetty Brewery. Their Leadbetter Red is a GREAT beer! We did not drink three!! But we did have a sampler and it was our favorite; even better than Georgetown's Manny's!! And I'm not a beer drinker!! Sadly, it's only migrated as far north as Tacoma.

But I digress...

Meanwhile, back at the beach...mostly western sand"peepers" and sanderlings. Love how they stitch along edge of an incoming wave and then run, run, run until it flows out again and they follow. Sometimes it looks like a very long chorus line. I love to watch them fly in smaller groups and then meet up to work another portion. Probably 300 in the largest group.

As we walked back to the condo, we'd find them roosting in the tire tracks or in some of the shore plantings (what is that plant with the yellow flowers?) My husband, the excellent bird spotter noticed a three birds we hadn't seen (or noticed) before at Long Beach - and decided - finally they were plovers. I'm assuming BBPL going out of breeding plumage working their way south from Ocean Shores. Any chance of them being either Am. Golden or Pac. plovers? I did get a fairly good photo that I need to load. I think I could see the fading "black belly" but hoping they might have been another sp. They too were trying to find a roosting spot - as we headed back to ours.

My favorite little "spot" yesterday came just as we were getting ready to leave; after hearing a "chep, chep, chep" just off our deck, I saw the movement and got my binocs in on the little bird. Expecting a goldfinch, it was a Common Yellowthroat!! Only having seen them at Ridgefield and near Bob Sundstrom's place (still yet to see them at the Fill), I was surprised to see one at the beach! It was flitting around in a small evergreen and after I got a quick look to id it with it's little black mask, I saw it once more before it disappeared down into the base of the tree in the grasses. It never said another word!

I was also heartened to see a sign (print way to small) at the path to the beach mentioning to be cautious near the shorebirds; not driving too close to them and to keep dogs leashed. Although I saw a fair amount of "non-birder" behavior and a sign not-read, hopefully it made folks aware and hopefully enjoyed them. I showed one family we met some photos and the little girl looked at them and said I should work for National Geographic (she had a subscription - last name not Bailey ;-))**)! That was the nicest, sweetest compliment I'd had in a long time! If only!! I asked if I could adopt her!!

No raptors other than a few turkey vultures, pelicans, geese and a white crowned/song sparrows, towhees...it'salways fun time at the beach.

**Oh, and if you go into Oysterville, stop at Bailey's Bakery in Nahcotta. Great scones, etc...

Glad to be home to our birds - the juncos, nuthatches, chickadees (CB and BC) and towhees fared well. Hate to think of who was here while I was gone.

Caryn / Wedgwood




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