• Killdeer, 35 Long-billed Dowitcher, 4 Greater Yellowlegs

• AMERICAN ROBINS were everywhere - very conservatively, 350+ birds, but truly impossible to count. They were flying overhead in large numbers all day, mostly heading west. At one point, at least 30 flew out of a single small birch tree in the East Meadow.
• Also notable for high numbers were the YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, mostly immature and/or female Myrtles type, but at least a few bright Audubons as well. All told, we probably saw/heard around 50, but it was very hard to count.

• One especially obnoxious domestic mallard kept honking in a way that made me wonder what was wrong. When I finally got a look at him, I learned that he was just sounding off and all my hurry was for nothing. 
• His relentless honking finally drove away my favorite great blue heron, who had been patiently trying to stab a fish nearby. 
• The duck also drowned out the cries of a little flock of cedar waxwings, which flew right over my head as they tried to escape the little peregrine that was after them.
• I must have seen more than 200 yellow-rumped warblers stuffed into every available grove. Oddly, every single one of them that I observed was the myrtle variety. 
• Also in large numbers, cedar waxwings, American pipits (a flock of between 20 and 30), Bewick's wrens, huge numbers of savannah sparrows, goodly numbers of golden-crowned sparrows, and another passage of red-winged blackbirds. 

• A boat trip to the Bird and Grebe Islets in West Vancouver had highlights of 150 SURFBIRDS and 6 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS.

• From Reifel comes the report of 1 SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 3 SANDHILL CRANES, 1 PEREGRINE FALCON, 1 AMERICAN BITTERN and 400 SNOW GEESE. Three MUTE SWANS were seen near the Westham Island Bridge

• In the side arm of the coulee, north-east of the of the bridge, I found about 300+ Long Billed Dowitchers, identified by voice, etc. They were calling while feeding, but not a lot. I did hear a flight call of Short Billed Dowitchers a couple of times.
  

• 2 Stilt Sandpipers, 8 Lesser Yellowlegs, 12 Pectoral Sandpipers, many Killdeer, 2 Great Egret

• About 1/4 mile west of the bridge I found another 200 LB Dowitchers and 2 more Pectoral SP. I searched all Pectorals closely for the buffy breast of a sharp-tailed, to no avail.
  

• Though we saw several Lewis's woodpeckers along that road, just east of Balch Rd we were treated to a flock of well over 50. They were everywhere and very vocal. The Lewis's were acting more like swallows as they swarmed around us. After about a 1/2 hour flying in increasingly strong wind, they all landed in trees and the rain hit. One of the trees next to the "acorn woodpecker" snag held at least 20.
  
• At least 25 scrub jays and an equal number of Steller's jays were also in that area. 
• No acorn woodpeckers were seen, and the "acorn woodpecker" snag held only a few Lewis's woodpeckers and several starlings.
• Further west on the same road we saw a single western bluebird.
  

• Increasing numbers of Dunlin were noted at many locations, including up to 300+ at the Oyhut Wildlife Area and smaller numbers of Western and Least Sandpipers were also noted at this location.
  
• We noted a flock of both species of golden plovers during our last stop of the day made at the Damon Point "pond" consisting of 37 Pacific Golden Plovers and up to 5 Am. Golden Plovers, which ended our day in a rewarding way.  2 additional Pacific Golden Plovers were noted amongst a flock of 78 Black-bellied Plovers, 4 Red Knots, and 4 Long-billed Dowitchers at the Oyhut Wildlife Area.
  
• Other notable shorebirds species at Ocean Shores included 41 Long-billed Curlews and a single Whimbrel at Bill's Spit.
• A flock of 40 Black Turnstones that contained a single lingering Ruddy Turnstone and 3 Surfbirds were also observed and photographed at the Ocean Shores STP location, (which was our personal highest count of "rockbirds" at this location most likely due to the stormy weather). The entire flock of "rockbirds" allowed close approach and remained fairly calm,as the chattered at times along the rocky edges of the southern most sewage pond.
• Greater Yellowlegs were noted at three locations including our first flock of 57 birds and a single Long-billed Dowitcher roosting in the freshwater canal north of Ocean City State Park, followed by 5 Greater Yellowlegs at the Oyhut Wildlife Area
  
• On our way home along S.R. 115 at Cyber Lake a foraging flock of 38 Greater Yellowlegs and up to 3 Long-billed Dowitchers were tallied,which were mostly likely of the same individual birds noted earlier in the day near Ocean City S.P.
• Our other waterfowl highlight of the day was the male Redhead that was again noted at the Hoquiam STP amongst a large flock of both species of scaup, up to 10 Ring-necked Ducks and 5 Canvasbacks among other waterfowl species.

• An EMPEROR GOOSE was seen in overflight with a small flock of Snow Geese near the intersection of 72nd & 36th Ave. in Delta. The birds did not land and were heading in an Eastward direction.
• A dark immature GYRFALCON was seen hunting in the fields near Delta Port Way & Arthur Dr. At the base of the Roberts Bank Jetty on the Tsawwassen side were 2 PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS. A flock of 18 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were in a field near 34th & 33A in Delta.
• Seven MUTE SWANS were seen near the Westham Island Bridge.
• Reported from Reifel were 30 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 1 STILT SANDPIPER and 7,000 SNOW GEESE.

• Snow Goose (2 adults) near MP 5, SR105, approx 1 mile W of Raymond airport, with large gull flock.
• From 2:30 PM to 3 PM, Tokeland Marina:  599 Marbled Godwits, 3 Greater Yellowlegs
• From 3:40 to 3:45 PM, on bayside across from marina:  10 Willets.
• From 4:20 to 4:30 PM, at first pull-out on water side of road, just north of North Cove city limits sign:  
• 225 Heermann's Gulls (flying in as tide receded, undoubtedly more than what I counted in brief estimate.)
• 4 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (two singles, one pair, all flying northwest-ward; swallow-like flight)

• 40 American Wigeon-overhead, 120 Greater Scaup
• 35 Surf Scoter, 7 White-winged Scoter
• 4 Barrow's Goldeneye, 1 Red-breasted Merganser
• 2 Red-throated Loon. 1 Pacific Loon, 3 Horned Grebe, 9 Red-necked Grebe, 1 Eared Grebe, 26 Western Grebe
• 8 Pelagic Cormorant
• 1 Bald Eagle-resident adult.
• 2 Northern Harrier-flew low off water from Maury I., gained alt. & proceeded se.
• 750 Bonaparte's Gull, 1 Thayer's Gull-adult
• 12 Common Murre, 2 Marbled Murrelet-pair to north, 20 Rhinoceros Auklet

• 14 Harbor Porpoise

• 10 Hutton's Vireo-all in one tree, 8 Hermit Thrush, 60 Varied Thrush-a very large flock.
• 12 Yellow-rumped Warbler

• 10 P/B Grebe
• 1 Domestic goose, 2 Wood Duck, 2 N. Pintail, 1 EURASIAN WIGEON, hundreds of American Wigeon (following the R/Neckeds around), 30 R/N Duck
• 8 Bufflehead, 60 mixed Scaup, 10 Ruddy Duck, 5 Com. Merganser
• 1 California Gull

• We tallied a total of 12 Northern Fulmars from the fishing pier with an additional bird presumably one of the same birds we counted noted from the public beach at Dash Point S.P.
• Away from the Northern Fulmars our main highlight during our visit to the Dash Point public fishing pier was 2 Ancient Murrelets .
• Also a 1st winter Franklin's Gull flying amongst a flock of 80 Bonaparte's Gulls with a few Glaucous-winged Gulls and Mew Gulls.
• 8 Horned Grebes, 5 Eared Grebes, 92+ Western Grebes
• 12 Northern Fulmars, 5 Pelagic Cormorants
• 32 Am.Wigeon, 3 Canvasback, 13 Greater Scaup
• 28 Surf Scoters, 8 White-winged Scoters
• 2 Common Mergansers, 1 adult light-morph Parasitic Jaeger
• 1 first-winter Franklin's Gull, 240+ Bonaparte's Gulls
• 18 Common Murres, 2 Ancient Murrelets, 64+ Rhinoceros Auklets
• 17 Band-tailed Pigeons

• 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE on the sandbars at Reed Island, which is in the Columbia River just offshore of the Steigerwald Lake N.W.R. near Washougal, Clark County.
• About 100 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were cruising overhead there and 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATs were in a patch of dead Tansy.

• On Monday afternoon, 10/13, there were 539 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 2 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERs at Lind Coulee.  Over 500 were on the upstream side of Road M.
• There was also a single GREAT EGRET at the coulee.

• This afternoon at 3:45pm my mother and I observed a single light-morph Northern Fulmar off Steilacoom in Pierce Co. approxiatemetly 70 yards offshore in Puget Sound north of Sunnyside Beach Park in Steilacoom accessed from a large parking lot off of Steilacoom-Dupont Rd.
• 1 Pacific Loon, 5 Common Loons
• 6 Red-necked Grebes, 270+ Western Grebes
• 8 Brandt's Cormorants
• 25 Surf Scoters, 9 Hooded Mergansers, 17 Common Mergansers, 1 Red-breasted Merganser
• 1 Red-tailed Hawk
• 5 Common Murres, 25+ Rhinoceros Auklets

• Mike Meseberg from Mardon Resort called this morning, describing a male Surf Scoter actively feeding near their fishing dock. 
• This is probably the best time of the year to find sea ducks in the big waters of Eastern Washington.

• At the marsh there were 3 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 1 KILLDEER, 7 CANADA GEESE, 1 BREWER's BLACKBIRD, 1 female NORTHERN FLICKER, 1 female BELTED KINGFISHER, and multiple HOUSE SPARROWS, ROCK DOVES, and HOUSE FINCHES.
• From the fishing pier there was 1 male BELTED KINGFISHER, multiple CROWS, several DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 1 first-year RHINOCEROS AUKLET inside the breakwater and 4 adults on the open water, 54 male/female SURF SCOTERS, several COMMON MURRES, some BONAPARTE's GULLS, CALIFORNIA GULLS, STARLINGS, and 6 male/female MALLARDS.
• From Brackett's Landing North there were more SURF SCOTERS and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 6 COMMON TERNS, several WESTERN GREBES, 2 RED-NECKED GREBES, 12+ HORNED GREBES, 2 HEERMANN's GULLS, and some GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS. There were a number of CROWS on the beach and a flock of HOUSE SPARROWS moving through.

• Large flocks of CEDAR WAXWINGS at the locks in the gardens, thats a first this year, a BEWICKS WREN or two, BUSHTITS, Ten or so STELLER'S JAYS, MEW and HEERMAN'S GULLS, a handfull of DC COMORANTS, a juv BELTED KINGFISHER was posing nicely and two GREAT BLUE HERONS in the trees.
• I find the Mew Gull spacing on the cable west of the spillway interesting.  They seem to have a personal space of about 18 inches like we do. When a gull flies in the others adjust, with a bit of fussing, to the original spacing.  Sometimes there are 30 to 50 Mew Gulls on the cable, all ages, always adjusting their "personal space". Every so often a larger gull or a heron flies in and goofs everything up. It's fun to watch.

• Shoveler Pond is starting to fill up - the grasses are brown and flattened, so it won't be long until shovelers appear, making the name of the pond understandable.  You have no idea how difficult it was this summer to explain to birders on my guided walks that yes indeed, this was a pond, and it did get large numbers of shoveler ducks, and no, it didn't always look like the Gobi Desert.
• Building continues apace on the new CU.  The birds do not mind the sounds of building at all.  In fact, there were so many birds stuffed into every available bush and tree that I couldn't have found a rarity to save my life. Too many goldfinches, white-crowned sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers, chickadees, hummingbirds and towhees.
• The remainder of the Fill was almost completely empty, except for the ducks. Then I saw why: a sharp-shinned hawk seems to have moved in for the winter. It had stationed itself near the main pond. I kept my eye on it and saw it heading out toward the lake, flapping hard against the south wind. I thought it was going to Foster Island, but suddenly it turned and, using the wind as an accelerator, it shot like a comet toward an unwary kingfisher hovering over the main pond. The kingfisher flew like an arrow straight into the willows - I never saw one fly so fast. I didn't think they *could* fly that fast. The hawk missed and disappeared. Shortly afterwards, the female kingfisher showed up and scolded her mate all the way back to their burrow behind the greenhouses. I could still hear her scolding long after they had disappeared from view. I'm sure she thought her mate had been very stupid, so she was yelling at him to be sure hewouldn't do that again.
  

• The pied-billed grebes were out in force on Union Bay, along with good numbers of mallards, gadwalls, shovelers and wigeons. I didn't see any wood ducks, but I did see a sight that Martin Mueller, our resident pied-bill grebe guru, said I should treasure all my life, if I should ever be lucky enough to see it: I saw a pied-bill grebe fly today. I have no idea what got it going, but all of a sudden, the grebe starting running across the top of the water like a coot, flapping in time with each step, and then it was airborne. With its neck stretched out and its head flat and reaching forward, it looked far more grebe-like in the air than it ever does on the water. A flash of white underwing and belly and then splash, it was done. The whole flight couldn't have lasted more than a couple of seconds. Even the Wright brothers stayed aloft longer, but still it was an inspiring flight. 
• To top off the day, I saw a flock of some 17 American pipits by the greenhouses.

• 2 Greater White-fronted Goose juvs., 400 Canada Goose flying around the valley
• 1 Eurasian Wigeon -partly eclipse male from grassy knoll (64th Ave)
• 8 Ruddy Duck -main lagoon, 3 Canvasback -males, 4 Redhead) -high count; all males
• 1 California Quail -meadows
• 1 Green Heron) -near weir, 1 Great Egret -constructed wetlands
• 1 Barn Owl -Russell Rd. nest box
• 1 Northern Harrier -juv. female, 1 Merlin -female type columbarius, 2 Peregrine Falcon -1 pale ad., 1 juv. pealei.
• 3 Northern Shrike -1 ad., 1 light juv., one dusky juv.
• 1 Orange-crowned Warbler -bright bird, Dozens of Yellow-rumped Warbler -slightly more Aud. than Myr, 1 White-crowned Sparrow -ad. gambelii, 8 Western Meadowlark -east meadow.

• in a big full flock were single California, Mew, and Bonaparte's Gulls; the latter two rarely show up in the upper Skagit.

• Dark Rough-legged Hawk (perching to show feathered tarsi).

• Among American Pipits, was at least one Lapland Longspur. 
• A big shorebird flock nearby had over 170 Black-bellied Plover, 150 Dunlin, an American Golden Plover, and two calling Short-billed Dowitchers. 
• A Short-eared Owl foraged among the many harriers. 
• Six Snow Geese flew up from the dike, and 16 Greater White-fronted Geese flew southwards over the flats.

• 140 Western Grebes. 
• The best find out there was a Common Tern, not a common bird in Skagit County. 
• A few Harlequin Ducks, Red-throated Loons, and Red-necked Grebes made it feel as though winter birding had finally arrived.

• Close to 1000 each of Surf Scoter and Greater Scaup.  A half-dozen Buffleheads and one Ruddy Duck were with them, as were a few Red-breasted Mergansers. 
• Over on the west side of the point was a single Eared Grebe, not an easy bird to find in Skagit County.  There was also a single Pied-billed Grebe and several Horned Grebe, along with a few Red-necked Grebes there.  It would have been an eg-grebjious error to stay home on such a day.

• Among the highlights reported from the Reifel Refuge today were 2 SWAMP SPARROWS. Other highlights were 7 SANDHILL CRANES, and a BARN OWL. 
• Six MUTE SWANS were observed near the Westham Island Bridge.
• Seen near the end of 33A in Delta were 60 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, 3 RED KNOTS, and 36 LEAST SANDPIPERS

• Large numbers of dabbling ducks -- mostly Mallard and Northern Pintail, but also including small numbers of Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Shoveler. 
• There were also 2 Western Grebes, and 10 Pied-billeds. 
• So many ducks bring raptors, and we saw 4 Red-tailed Hawks, 4 Northern Harriers, a young Cooper's Hawk, 2 American Kestrels, and 2 Bald Eagles. 
• A late flock of 50+ Barn Swallows was a surprise. 
• We also found a large flock of (c 200) Cedar Waxwings exploiting available berries, and about 30 American Goldfinches gleaning seeds from thistles. 
• The only shorebirds we noted were 2 Greater Yellowlegs, about 24 (presumably Long-billed) Dowitchers, and 3 noisy Killdeer.

• Lots of Great Egrets, American Coots, Canada Geese, and many of the other usual suspects.  
• We also observed a pair of White-tailed Kites hunting near Fir Butte and found a Green Heron at a nearby wooded pond.

• 15 Greater Yellowlegs, an Osprey and a female kingfisher perched over the river, herons and egrets in the water, raucous scrub jays, Acorn and Downy Woodpeckers and flickers flying about, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Bushtits collecting insects on the streamside trees accompanied by a lone Lincoln's Sparrow and a skulking pair of Wrentits. 
• At the treatment plant down the road we found lots of Savannah Sparrows, Mallards, shovelers, Green-wingedTeal, and about 30 Wood Ducks.
  

• Lower Klamath had lots of dabblers, four Lesser Scaup that breed there, and three Sandhill Cranes.
• TULE LAKE NWR on the east side of Sheepy Ridge from Lower Klamath was our prize: thousands of dabblers with some divers mixed in, Pied-billed, Eared, Western, and Clark's Grebes, several dozen white pelicans, thousands of American Coot. In and around the trees at refuge headquarters we found a couple dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers, plus flickers, robins, Savannah, Golden-crowned, White-crowned, and House Sparrows, Rock Wren, Hermit Thrush, California Quail, and waxwings.
• As we headed south along Sheepy Ridge we saw the RAPTORS, some heading south along the ridge, many foraging over the fields. We found 50+ Red-tailed Hawks, 50+ harriers (one of them living dangerously by harassing a Golden Eagle), a Prairie Falcon, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. 
• Over a field near the 6 mile mark of the auto tour route 10 Short-eared Owls foraged in a freshening wind that buffeted them about, as long lines of Canada Geese flew high overhead. 

• BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER - 1 - This bird was reported last week and may or may not be the same bird. Very cooperative and decent pictures were taken.
• STILT SANDPIPERS - 4 - A good number and seems to be a good year for this species. There have been at least two present at this location for several week
• 300+ Eared Grebe -- these were observed along the entire length of the lake and were very plentiful.

• BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER - 1 - Most likely the same bird seen earlier, though it is possible this is another individual.
• STILT SANDPIPER - 1 - Associating with the dowitchers.

• Canyon Wren/Rock Wren/ Chukar - Present and calling form the hillsides.
• 7 Barrow's Goldeneye  - Lake Lenore specialty and almost always present here.

• 16 Canvasback  - A nice number this early

• 48 Common Loon - A nice number for the location and a good study in molt patterns
• 1 PACIFIC LOON  - A nice adult bird observed at close range from the rest area. Unfortunately a boat arrived and pushed the birds off before photos could be taken.
• 1 Golden Eagle - A single bird perched on the bluffs above the lake

• 2 Black-capped Chickadee - Only the fourth time I have seen this species south of Banks Lake in the county.
  

• 26 Bonaparte's Gull - Good numbers at the mouth of Frenchman's Wasteway.
• 5 Least Sandpiper - The only peeps seen during the entire day.

• 1 northern shrike
• 25-30 american pipits, 20+ yellow-rumped warblers
• 1 downy woodpecker, 1 northern flicker
• 1 Cooper's hawk
• 1 northern pintail (on central pond), 100+ mallard (scattered across the ponds, which are all now full), 25 green-winged teal (on central pond)

• 2 Great Egrets, 1 GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW
• The big deal today in this mid-August like heat was the huge numbers of butterflies. Hundreds of thousands of alfalfa butterflies were everywhere in the Walla Walla Valley. Thesesulfers were present in small clouds along HWY 12 from Touchet on east towards Walla Walla. This is the most butterflies I have ever seen in the last third of October.

• Best bird was a juvenile Brant near Kent, plumaged appropriately for a Black Brant (nigricans). It's in a flock of about 320 Cackling Canada Geese, in an open field along Frager Road near where it connects to West Valley. We did have some other birds today between Auburn and Renton.
  

• 320 Canada Goose, 5 Greater White-fronted Goose (4 ad., 1 juv.), Brant (1 HY nigricans)
• 1 Common Yellowthroat  -Frager Rd along Green River
• 14 White-crowned Sparrow (6 pugetensis, 8 gambelii)-Frager Rd.
  

• 18 Greater White-fronted Goose (17 ad., 1 juv)
• 44 Canvasback
• 2 Redhead (1 m., 1 f.)
• 12 Horned Grebe, 2 Eared Grebe, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 130 Western Grebe

• 1 Horned Grebe

• 23 Long-billed Dowitcher
• 200 California Gull

• 1 Thayer's Gull (1 ad.), 12 Herring Gull (10 ad., 2 juv.)

• I, too, saw several small (8-12 birds) flocks of western bluebirds from the Porcupine Ridge. They appeared to be working their way south along the ridge-tops, and I presumed that these were birds migrating from the North & East.

• The HUDSONIAN GODWIT was observed with 7 MARBLED GODWITS at the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty's Compensation Lagoon. Also present were 4 CASPIAN TERNS, 3 adults and a juvenile.

• 15-25 KILLER WHALE. Spotted a bunch from the ferry and when I reached my destination by road, there were a couple only a couple of hundred feet offshore - spyhopping, tail lobbing and all kinds of other behaviours. My best views of these magnificent creatures in a couple of years!
• A latish TURKEY VULTURE flew over the shoulder of Mt. Norman on South Pender Island. Half an hour later, an adult male SHARP-SHINNED HAWK landed about 25 feet away from me - it was a startling event for both of us. Near Mouat Point (North Pender I.), a HUTTON'S VIREO was calling.
• On the return ferry ride, we encountered some CALIFORNIA SEALIONS and a HARBOR PORPOISE.
• The day finished with a show of a PEREGRINE FALCON chasing EUROPEAN STARLINGS near Rithets Bog, Saanich.

• Washougal Sewage Lagoons -- 5 MEW GULLS. 
• About a mile further east, the newly mowed fields at the Steigerwald Lake Refuge had about 24 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS on it along with two coyotes stalking the newly exposed mice and voles. Several noisy flocks of "Cackling" CANADA GEESE flew in while we were parked along Highway 14 looking the fields over.
  

• Just past the Catherine Creek Nature Conservancy site we started seeing LEWIS' WOODPECKERS. In the oaks at the top of the grade just before Balch Road there were dozens of these woodpeckers visible in the air at a time.
  
• While watching these birds 7 LESSER GOLDFINCHES flew in and landed on a blackberry bush giving everyone decent views. 
• We lunched at the Lyle - Balch Cemetery where the high numbers of Lewis' Woodpeckers continued to amaze us. 
• A flock of about 35 WOOD DUCKS were on Balch Pond as we headed back to Old Highway 8 for a stop at the granary tree where at least 2 ACORN WOODPECKERS were busy stashing nuts in the holes in the tree.  Lewis' Woodpeckers were abundant in this location also.  This oak forest now has the largest concentration of these beautiful woodpeckers that I have seen in any location.
  

• Many Common Loon, 2 Pacific Loon, 1 Red-throated Loon
• 2 Snow Goose on the lawn. Another observer told me that she had seen them the day before at the same location.
• 1 Eurasian Wigeon, several Harlequin Duck, 5 Long-tailed Duck, all 3 scoters
• 1 Peregrine Falcon - adult Peale's on a mast in the harbor. It hid well among the fake owls.
• 300-400 Black-bellied Plover on the incoming evening tide
• 1 Short-billed Dowitcher  juv.  It was seen with a large flock of BB Plovers. It was the only dowitcher observed. It made no sound.
• 5 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Red Knot with the flock of Dunlin and BB Plovers, many Dunlin Many seen.

• There was a mixed flock of SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, COMMON LOONS, HORNED and WESTERN GREBES, AMERICAN WIGEONS, RING-BILLED and GLAUCUS-WINGED GULLS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, STARLINGS, NORTHWESTERN CROWS, and CANADA GEESE.

• 2 BALD EAGLES, a RED-TAILED HAWK, and AMERICAN CROWS. Along River Road, heading out to Westham Island we saw two more BALD EAGLES. All four eagles were perched in trees.

• Flock of several hundred SNOW GEESE feeding in a field along the road. That is where I observed the banded goose.

• It was a little eerie seeing SANDHILL CRANES in migration. We identified 13 cranes that were in migration. We did not count Reifel's several permanent residents. 
• There were a number of juveniles among the many RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS that we saw singing up a raucous. 
• Upon entry we could not find the BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON in its usual spot. Joanne had not seen one since the early '80s so I assured her we would come back and check its roost throughout the day. By early afternoon we found it and got some great observations through the scope. 

• 1000+ DUNLIN, 100+ SANDERLING, 20-30 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER
• 4-5 RED PHALAROPE just offshore at Leadbetter Point SP

• 2 ORCA were not far off  the point below the lighthouse - I only saw the size, black back & fin though, and don't really know my mammals well enough to be completely confident in the ID.
• PILEATED WOODPECKER - Near the trail up to the Lighthouse, actively calling & drumming.
  

• In Salmon Arm, 4 SNOW GEESE, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE and 5 TRUMPETER and 8 TUNDRA SWANS were seen from the pier area (DC). 
• To the W. of the pier on the mudflats were 12 DUNLIN (TH)

I was amazed that Charlie Wright had Canvasback and Redhead a full week ago in King County, so today I vowed to find my own in Thurston.  It's been maybe two years since I saw a Redhead in Thurston County but I still had hopes.  I met up with Steve Nord at the Interpretive Center on the South end of the lake near the highway overpass. From here we saw:

• 2 P/B Grebe
• 6 Gadwall, 500 A. Wigeon, 1 CANVASBACK (female or 1st-year type, found by Steve. Noteworthy for me since I was expecting to find one in their normal wintering spot on the North end of the lake along the western shore)
• 7 Scaup Sp., 6 Bufflehead

We then moved down to the first bus stop for a scan of more of the South section:

• 3 P/B Grebe
• 5 D/C Cormorant
• 25 N. Shoveler, 8 Gadwall, 120 A. Wigeon, 3 Green-winged Teal (flybys-G/Ws can be hard to find here), 230 R/N Duck, 8 Bufflehead
• 1 Bald Eagle (heard)
• 2 Mew Gull, 2 R/B Gull
• 3 B. Kingfisher
• 1 Y/R Warbler (flyover)

• 15 P/B Grebe (good number)
• 1 G/B Heron
• 1 Hooded Merganser (fem.), 4 Com. Merganser

The North section of the lake (as divided by the train tracks) held:

• 10 Gadwall
• 1 REDHEAD (juv or male coming out of eclipse.)
• 5 R/N Duck, 150 Scaup (mixed flock), 78 Bufflehead, 12 Ruddy Duck (3 winter males with nice white face patch)
• 4 Mew Gull, 2 R/B Gull
• Also here was a HARBOR SEAL which seem to occasionally pop up on the wrong side of the fish-ladder area. Haven't figured out how they do that yet.
  

Jason Paulios     Jpaulios@earthlink.net     Olympia, WA

• There were three mature bald eagles bathing in the saltwater just off the stream channel as well as many crows  and gulls feasting on the salmon carcasses laying about.
• The surprise tho was seeing a non-breeding Black-Bellied Plover feeding along the shore to the right of the gazebo just off the main parking lot.  I  spent about 15 minutes watching it feed at close range during the incoming tide. It was feeding on small crustaceans, worms and tiny crabs along the muddy and stoney shore. It appears to favor one leg, standing mostly on only one and walking with a bit of a limp as it moved about. 
• As the fog lifted great rafts of surf and white-winged scoters could be viewed along with a goodly flock of commom mergansers. 
• A bit further west along North Shore Rd. is a nice group of about 12 loons that have been together near the Allyn Dock for about a week now. Other paired loons and horned grebes can be found along the Canal at various places on the way out toward Tahuya.
• It's nice to see the over-wintering flocks back. Right now they are a bit harder to pick out from all the debris masses in that end of Hood Canal though.

• I started in Satsop on Saturday where all the fields are flooded.  The only birds I thousands of Gulls bathing in all that deep water and Crows.
• The same goes for Brady-loop road where there was more Gulls than I ever saw there.
• On Bowerman the tide was so high already at noon so there was the usual Ducks. The only birds noticed was 4 Boneparte gulls and the Redhead and one Eared Grebe.
• Ocean Shores Sewage Ponds produced 15 Red Phalaropes, 50+ Long-billed Dowitchers .
• From there we went to the Game range where usually on the tower sits the Adult male Peregrine, but not today.This are the birds we saw here: White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, Red-throated Loons, Common Loons, 50 Black-bellied Plovers, 800+ Dunlin's, many Killdeer, 6 Least Sandpiper.
  

• I had 3 Grebes -- Western Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe
• There was still 15 Red Phalaropes, 3 Black Turnstones, but only 20 Long-billed Dowitchers

• 13 Double-crested Cormorant
• Great Blue Heron
• 4 Mallard
• Peregrine Falcon
• 3 Ring-billed Gull (the first since Spring), 8 Glaucous-winged Gull
• ~30 Rock Pigeon
• Belted Kingfisher, 19 American Crow
• Bewick's Wren
• 18 European Starling

• We located the Hudsonian Godwit within 10 minutes of our arrival to the Tokeland Marina that was observed amongst a flock of 4 Marbled Godwits and 8 Long-billed Dowitchers.  The entire resting flocked flushed and flew around the southern perimeter of the marina in the direction towards the Bayshore RV Park.
• We located single juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper that was briefly,but well observed amongst a large feeding flock of shorebirds (mainly of Dunlin with lesser numbers of Western Sandpipers,Sanderlings and a few other shorebirds species that all took advantage of the limited shoreline with all other nearby areas covered by high water.) at the south end of Graveyard Spit (viewed from 7th Street immediately north of the Bayshore RV Park in Tokeland).
• We also observed up to 72 Long-billed Curlews and 9 Red Knots at this same locations along with additional numbers of Marbled Godwits. As tide conditions remain quite high this location should be a good feeding area for shorebirds,which is a seemingly accessible area for viewing.

• 28 Common Loons
• 8 Horned Grebes, 2 Red-necked Grebes, 43 Western Grebes
• 1 dark-morph Northern Fulmar
• 2 Red-breasted Mergansers
• 1 Turkey Vulture, 1 Northern Harrier
• 8 Black-bellied Plovers, 15+ Semipalmated Plovers
• 13 Willets, 3 Whimbrel, 72 Long-billed Curlews, 1 Hudsonian Godwit, 800+ Marbled Godwits, 9 Red Knots, 75+ Sanderlings, 110+ Western Sandpipers, 1 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 430+ Dunlin, 28 Long-billed Dowitchers, 10 Wilson's Snipe, 1 Red Phalarope
• 1 Herring Gull, 10 Caspian Terns

• 4 Black Brant -southbound low to water.
• 85 Greater Scaup
• 1 Canvasback -male.
• 50 Surf Scoter, 3 White-winged Scoter
• 13 Barrow's Goldeneye, 3 Pacific Loon
• 8 Horned Grebe, 12 Red-necked Grebe
• 3 Pelagic Cormorant, 25 Double-crested Cormorant
• Bonaparte's Gull (2)
• Herring Gull (1)-ad.
• 8 Common Murre, 1 Ancient Murrelet -flyby to east/north, 24 Rhinoceros Auklet

• ~ 3:00 p.m., we saw 5 CATTLE EGRETS. They were in a small pasture with cattle (young Holsteins), on the north side of Norman Road, about a quarter mile or so west of Norman Road's intersection with the main highway that goes through Silvana and then winds north around the edge of the valley 

• An hour or so later, we saw several thousand SNOW GEESE on Fir Island, off in the distance directly south of the newish dead-end public access parking lot off Fir Island Road that's a mile or so west of Mann Road.
  

• Excellent for shorebirds with good numbers of DUNLIN, more MARBLED GODWITS, LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, a few DOWITCHERS, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED plovers as well as a scattering of WESTERN and LEAST sandpipers. 
• Also at this location were two RED KNOTS and an adult THAYER'S GULL

• 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE - an especially small-looking juv. walking with large Canadas, 175 Canada Goose
• 20 TRUMPETER SWAN - low fly-by of mostly adults, vocalizing
• 4 Gadwall, 4 American Wigeon, 25 Mallard, 7 Northern Shoveler, 5 Green-winged Teal, 20 Lesser Scaup, 5 Bufflehead, 6 Hooded Merganser, 2 Common Merganser
• 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 30 Western Grebe
• 2 Double-crested Cormorant
• 2 Great Blue Heron
• 1 Cooper's Hawk, 3 Red-tailed Hawk
• 200 American Coot
• 8 Killdeer
• 30 Mew Gull, 20 Ring-billed Gull, 30 California Gull, 3 Herring Gull, 15 Glaucous-winged Gull
• 2 Belted Kingfisher
• 4 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Northern Flicker
• 1 NORTHERN SHRIKE (imm) - in the back end of park
• 4 Steller's Jay, 25 American Crow
• 20 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Chestnut-backed Chickadee, 3 Bewick's Wren, 3 Winter Wren, 15 Marsh Wren, 10 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 10 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• 8 American Robin, 45 European Starling
• 3 Cedar Waxwing
• 10 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 Townsend's Warbler, 6 Spotted Towhee
• 20 Fox Sparrow, 18 Song Sparrow, 1 Dark-eyed Junco
• 20 Red-winged Blackbird
• 15 House Finch, 2 Pine Siskin, 2 American Goldfinch
• 2 EVENING GROSBEAK - vocalizing fly-bys

• 20+ Surf Scoter, 6 Black Scoter (5m., 1f.)
• 6 Horned Grebe

• 15 Greater Scaup, 6 Lesser Scaup
• 23 Harlequin Duck -incl. several displaying/calling drakes.
• 15 Surf Scoter, ~ 90 White-winged Scoter
• 23 Long-tailed Duck, 10 Bufflehead, 3 Barrow's Goldeneye)-SE side of island.
• 1 Hooded Merganser (m.), 347 Red-breasted Merganser (ALL female/imm. male in essentially one raft)
• 1 Red-throated Loon (ad.), 26 Pacific Loon, 12 Common Loon -some calling early on.
• 45 Horned Grebe, 16 Red-necked Grebe, 1 Eared Grebe, 5 Western Grebe
• 6 Brandt's Cormorant, 150+ Double-crested Cormorant, 100+ Pelagic Cormorant
• 24 Great Blue Heron
• 5 Bald Eagle (ad.), 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk (ad.)
• 70 Black-bellied Plover, 8 Killdeer
• 1 Black Turnstone, 35 Sanderling, 75 Dunlin
• 11 Bonaparte's Gull, 2 Heermann's Gull, 110 Mew Gull. 1 Herring Gull, 200 Glaucous-winged Gull
• 7 Common Murre, 18 Pigeon Guillemot, 1 Rhinoceros Auklet

• lots of little land birds
• 1 River Otter
• 50 California Sea Lion
• 6 Harbor Seal

• 10 Canada Goose
• 30 Gadwall )-lagoon, 25 Am. Wigeon, 20 Mallard, 5 Northern Pintail, 4 Green-winged Teal
• 9 Greater Scaup, 6 Harlequin Duck, 5 White-winged Scoter, 10 Bufflehead
• 2 Pacific Loon, 1 Common Loon, 3 Red-necked Grebe
• 15 Double-crested Cormorant
• 11 Am. Coot
• 20 Mew Gull, 1 Ring-billed Gull, 5 California Gull, 30 Glaucous-winged Gull, 14 Pigeon Guillemot, 
  1 Rhinoceros Auklet

• 1 Raccoon

• 18 Greater Scaup
• 40 White-winged Scoter
• 10 Bufflehead, 1 Common Merganser
• 35 Pacific Loon, 4 Common Loon
• 5 Red-necked Grebe, 10 Western Grebe)
• 25 Double-crested Cormorant, 12 Pelagic Cormorant
• 1 Bald Eagle (ad.), 1 Red-tailed Hawk (juv.)
• 16 Black-bellied Plover, 10 Dunlin
• 8 California Gull, 50 Glaucous-winged Gull, 1 Western Gull (ad.)
• 2 Common Murre, 15 Pigeon Guillemot

• 1 Eurasian Wigeon (m.), 110 Am. Wigeon
• 100 Mallard, 3 Northern Shoveler, 20 Northern Pintail, 12 Green-winged Teal
• 30 Red-breasted Merganser, 5 Horned Grebe
• 20 Brandt's Cormorant, 80 Double-crested Cormorant, 30 Pelagic Cormorant
• 1 Bald Eagle, 2 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Peregrine Falcon (ad.)
• 7 Western Sandpiper
• 6 Heermann's Gull, 100 Mew Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 200 Glaucous-winged Gull
• 15 Mourning Dove
• 3 Northern Flicker
• 40 Red-winged Blackbird, 40 Brewer's Blackbird
• 2 Am. Goldfinch

• At Bottle Beach from about 11:00 until 12:00, and with the tide far out, we scoped distant flocks of peeps, around 500 Dunlin, perhaps 100 Sanderlings, 12 or so dowitchers, and on one first-year bird we could see the plain gray tertials of a Long-billed Dowitcher. The plovers we could see were Black-bellied. There were also 12 or so Ring-billed and two California Gulls. In the brush and grass at the shoreline were a few Savannah Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, and the marsh held 2 Green-winged Teal and three Mallards.
• A mile or so to the west, at the Bay City bridge we found 1 Great Blue Heron, 4 Great Egrets (which seem to be showing up more often in Grays Harbor County), 6 Western Grebes, and a Red-breasted Merganser.
• By the oyster packing company were several second-year Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid gulls.
• At the Westport marina we had 4 Brown Pelicans, a few Double-crested and Pelagic Cormorants, 18 Surf Scoters, 2 Western Grebes, 10 Common Loons, and a large juvenile Glaucous-winged Gull that begged shamelessly and insistently for food from its parent.
• At Midway Beach we missed a flock of a dozen birds overhead, pipits or longspurs, we guessed, that dived into the beach grass and had vanished when we went to investigate.

• At Tokeland we had a flock of 10 Redwings and saw a Horned Grebe as we arrived at the marina. We located the godwit flock just as a Merlin flew overhead and made a half-hearted dive at the much larger godwits, and then thought better of it. But that startled the flock; it took off, and when it returned a couple minutes later the Hudsonian Godwit landed atop the piling nearest to us.  Then Marbled Godwits pushed it off the piling and it plunged into the wall-to-wall godwit flock on the platform closest to the road where the birds had some protection from the east wind. 
• Then a Red-tailed Hawk flew by and sent the flock of 500-odd godwits into the air. They flew around to the east of us in the brilliant sunshine and swirled back and forth in a dizzying display that took our breath away. We spotted the Hudsonian Godwit, it's light gray and white sides clearly visible at points, but it blended into the flock when the birds turned so that we saw mostly their backs and wings. 

• We headed back for a last look at Bottle Beach, even though we knew the tide would be pretty well in. We found no shorebirds there, but we saw an immense flock of 500+ American Wigeon a couple hundred yards to the east, and as they bobbed up and down we saw the heads of two Eurasian Wigeons. 
• A small group of a dozen Northern Pintail landed with them just as a first-year Peregrine Falcon flew by, but the ducks ignored it as it disappeared from view.