Hi all,

I visited Cassimer Bar this evening in hopes of finding a gathering of birds at the tip at dusk. When I got to the tip, I noticed the low water levels and was excited! I could walk/wade out to the island, and it paid off handsomely. There was an awesome roost of gulls, pelicans, ducks and shorebirds at the tip as I'd hoped, with several rarities mixed in! The highlight was a young Brown Pelican, which I first noticed as it flew up with a group of American White Pelicans. I did a double take as I realized one was brown!! They circled the tip and crossed into Douglas county before settling upstream offshore Washburn Island. I obtained many photos and enjoyed watching this first county record for Okanogan with a gorgeous sunset at my back! When I was finished, I turned back to the flock and almost immediately my eyes settled on a Franklin's Gull, another rare bird for the county! What a lucky evening.

I traipsed through the Sinlahekin and Conconully area for much of this windy day, and had a Trumpeter Swan on Forde Lake along with many other cool birds. A count of 42 Baird's Sandpipers at the playa just north of Little Soap Lake was also exceptional, my highest count for Washington. 115 species for me today despite the blasting wind! I'll be doing Cassimer Bar in the morning, if anyone wants to chase the Pelican let me know and I can send you updates.

Best,

Eric

Sent from my iPhone