After missing it on Sunday (looking in the main arm of the lake), I decided to follow Blair Bernson's directions to the back channel and was rewarded.

I arrived before 6 am in incredibly dense fog and found the 50 mph signpost he referenced but could not locate any path. So I walked around the far eastern reach of the lake and upon heading back west intercepted the well-worn (at that point) trail over the Saliconia flats and arrived at a back channel of the lake which appears to be minimally influenced by tide

I was able to get within 30' of the HUGO, and got excellent photos of it, as well as one LBDO, one PESA, as well as LESA, WESA, both yellowlegs, and killdeer. On the low-tide but rising mudflats of the main arm of the lake were much larger numbers of peeps but way far out there. SESA and SEPL were out there but distant scope views only

So if you go, find the 50 mph marker and park in the lot across the road (Discover Pass needed). Looking north, the path is just to the right (east) of the 50 mph sign, between it and a concrete marker (and three fish sculptures on the fence a bit farther east). The trail at first is much harder to see. Requires a few mud hops, but after about 500' the trail is quite obvious and you go north until you find a large piece of driftwood from which you can easily scan the back channel

Mark Tomboulian

Shoreline, WA

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