Hi Tweets



On Aug 12-13, Seattle Audubon, took a field trip to Grays Harbor. On the
12th we concentrated on the Westport side, and on the 13th were over at
Ocean Shores. The 12th started out under overcast skies and a really
bird-slow trip. We did see ROCK PIGEON and AMERICAN CROW on I-5 going south.
In Olympia, at a restroom and coffee stop we saw ROCK PIGEON, AMERICAN CROW,
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE. There was a RED-TAILED HAWK
just as we left the freeway. As we progressed west, still under overcast
skies, we did see COMMON RAVEN and STELLER'S JAY. At Elma we picked up a
flock of CANADA GEESE in a field and more AMERICAN CROWs.



South out of Aberdeen, on SR105, we saw EUROPEAN STARLING, AMERICAN CROW,
and ROCK PIGEON. We arrived at Bottle Beach just before 9 AM, about 3 hours
before High Tide. As we walked out to the Beach we did hear COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT, saw CEDAR WAXWING, got a incredibly quick look at a VIRGINIA
RAIL, and saw a GREAT BLUE HERON. But the highlight was LONG-TAILED WEASLE
that looked out on the trail, and then scooted across. On the Beach, the
tide was still way out, but we did have a nice grouping of shorebirds that
we could scope. We saw BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (many), WESTERN SANDPIPER,
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (a good number), MARBLED GODWIT (one), RED KNOT
(one), RING-BILLED GULL (a bunch), WESTERN GULL (a couple), CALIFORNIA GULL
(one), CASPIAN TERN, a strangely surfing GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and overhead or
in the screen of vegetation VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, BEWICK'S
WREN, BALD EAGLE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (way out off-shore), BROWN
PELICAN, and then mixed in with the plovers RUDDY TURNSTONE. On the walk
back out we saw BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.



At John's River Rd. with clearing skies and warming temperatures, we stopped
at the house with the feeders and picked up HOUSE FINCH, HOUSE SPARROW,
DARK-EYED JUNCO, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE. Across the road
we heard a PACIFIC WREN but it stubbornly stayed out of sight. Down at the
river we did see GREATER YELLOWLEGS and LESSER YELLOWLEGS.



We took a lunch stop at Twin Harbors State Park and saw BLACK-CAPPED
CHICKADEE, AMERICAN CROW, NORTHERN HARRIER and CASPIAN TERN. We then went
down to Tokeland and at Graveyard Spit saw AMERICAN CROW, and two very large
groups of gulls loafing on the distant mud. We were able to pick out
GLAUCOUS-WINGED, RING-BILLED GULLs and CASPIAN TERNS but most of the birds
went down as gull species. There was a COMMON MERGANSER, some BARN SWALLOWs
and EUROPEAN STARLINGs. At the Marina there were a large group of HEERMANN'S
GULLs, several WILLETs, ROCK PIGEON, PURPLE MARTIN, MARBLED GODWITs, WESTERN
and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLs, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERs, GREAT BLUE HERON,
BROWN PELICAN, TURKEY VULTURE, COMMON MERGANSER, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, and a
single BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.



We drove out Cranberry Beach Rd. to the Beach and had a couple of SPOTTED
SANDPIPERs. Up at Westport we saw ROCK PIGEON, AMERICAN CROW, EURASIAN
COLLARED DOVE, and near the Coast Guard Station huge numbers of MARBLED
GODWITs (probably 4-500), HEERMANN'S GULLS, BROWN PELICANS, and some WESTERN
GULLS, PIGEON GUILLEMOTS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. At the viewing platform
at the north end of the marina we saw DOUBLE-CRESTED, PELAGIC and BRANDT'S
CORMORANTS. We also saw WANDERING TATTLER and BLACK TURNSTONE on the rocks
and out in the channel COMMON MURRE, MARBLED MURRELET, RHINOCEROUS AUKLET
and SURF SCOTER.



At that point we took the long drive around to Ocean Shores where we stayed
the night, after a most enjoyable day.



On the 13th we started with widely spaced broken clouds and a decent
temperature. At motels we had gull sp., ROCK PIGEON, AMRICAN ROBIN, HOUSE
SPARROW, CEDAR WAXWING, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE,
AMERICAN CROW, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW and EUROPEAN
STARLING. We started out at the Point Brown Jetty, with the tide way out and
we could walk quite a ways out. We were surprised when at least one of the
several swallows over the beach was a BANK SWALLOW (it obligingly landed so
we could get a really good look at the band). There were CLIFF SWALLOWs,
AMERICAN CROW, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, SAVANNAH SPARROW, BARN SWALLOW,
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BROWN PELICAN, BRANDT'S CORMORANT, HEERMANN'S
GULL, WESTERN GULL. As we did we flushed a bunch of turnstones. Over the
next 30-45 minutes we were able to study BLACK TURNSTONE (several),
WANDERING TATTLER (at least 5), RUDDY TURNSTONE (about 6), a single
SURFBIRD, a COMMON MURRE, several KILLDEER flew over. On the beach we saw
SANDERLINGS, SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW and a
GREEN-WINGED TEAL. From the jetty we saw SURF SCOTER, PELAGIC CORMORANT.



At the Water Treatment Plant we saw MALLARD, WESTERN SANDPIPER, LEAST
SANDPIPER, KILLDEER, WESTERN GULL, GLACOUS-WINGED GULL, HEERMANN'S GULL,
HOUSE FINCH. Nearby was a COOPER'S HAWK. Along the way to Damon Point we saw
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, HOUSE FINCH. At Damon Point there were DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANT, BROWN PELICAN, SURF SCOTER, a distant COMMON LOON. We stopped at
the access to Bill's Spit where we found the RED CROSSBILLs -feeding on
Spruce Conelets. There were EUROPEAN STARLINGS, EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE,
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BARN SWALLOW, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BEWICK'S WREN and
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET and distantly lots of gull species, some CASPIAN
TERNS.



At the Interpretive Center, and the Nature Trail behind, we saw BELTED
KINGFISHER, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER ( and later got good looks at them
perched), CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, AMERICAN ROBIN,
BEWICK'S WREN, more RED CROSSBILLS, SONG SPARROW and SPOTTED TOWHEE. As we
watched the small birds at a feeder a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD came within about a
foot of my bright red shirt. We walked out Tonquin Ave to the Game Range and
saw SWAINSON'S THRUSH, DOWNY WOODPECKER, PURPLE MARTIN, distant NORTHERN
HARRIERs and an active BARN SWALLOW nest.



Lunch was at Ocean City State Park and we had BROWN CREEPER, AMERICAN CROW,
GREAT BLUE HERON. On the way back toward Hoquiam we had two RED-TAILED HAWKs
fly over the car. At the Hoquiam Ponds we saw OSPREY, CANADA GOOSE, NORTHERN
PINTAIL, AMERICAN COOT, PIED-BILLED GREBE, NORTHERN SHOVELER, WESTERN
SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, MALLARD, AMERICAN CROW
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, GREAT BLUE HERON. But the excitement was a MERLIN that
zoomed over, made at least two abortive attacks on swallows. WOW!



It was a great two days, with lots of super looks at great birds with good
companions. We finished up with 92 species for the trip.



Good Birding!



Brian H. Bell

Woodinville Wa

Mail to bell asoc a t iso de dia com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20190814/09813b3d/attachment.html>