We chose Monday 12 because of the 4pm high tide at Bottle Beach, birding Westport to Tokeland, then arriving Bottle Beach at 2pm, 2 hours before high tide.

First stop was the viewing platform at the end of the highway in Westport. We saw 25 Brown Pelicans, 100 Gulls, a dozen Cormorants, 5 Crows and a single Pigeon Guillemot-;no White Pelicans or Heermans gulls, both desired as WA year birds.

Then we headed for Tokeland, found several beach entrance roads, but finally took Warenton Cannery Rd. BIG MISTAKE! Signs warned of unmaintained conditions, but it didn't look too bad. There were a few places where dry sand had had piled on the road. OK, until one tall pile. Our low clearance Toyota tried to climb over, but the friction chugged us to a stop. We tried shoveling our way free to no avail. We called a local towing company. They tied a rope and towed us 100 feet to solid ground, charging us only $2 a foot.

It was 5pm before we got to Tokeland-;again, only Gulls, Crows and Cormorants.

Highlights:
Fresh raspberries at a fruit stand in Aberdeen
No shorebirds seen
140 WA year birds plus zero new ones today = 140
$200 plus a half tank of gas
9am until 8pm = 11 hrs = tired

Al Clark, back in NE Tacoma
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