Field Trip Reports 1999

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1999/11/14 Bob Boekelheide's trip to Sequim and other hotspots of Clallam County

1999/10/03 Bruce Labar's trip to Ocean Shores

1999/05/08 Brian Bell's trip to Ocean Shores for some great shorebirding

1999/05/01 Andy Stepniewski's trip to the Columbia Basin and lower east slopes of the Cascades

[Edited from a report posted by Andy Stepniewski on Tweeters]

About 12 participants attended a WOS sponsored fieldtrip led by Bob Boekelheide that focused on northern Olympic Peninsula coastal habitats from Sequim Bay west to Port Angeles. Fog hindered birding in the Sequim area; it cleared nicely in late afternoon at Port Angeles. A total of 93 species were seen or heard.

Loons and grebes were noted, especially in Sequim Bay, but also at Port Angeles. Yellow-billed Loon was especially sought, but none were noted. Surprisingly, no Red-throated Loons were seen; Bob attributed this to dense fog when we were at Dungeness, as this species is usually easily found in the shallows there. Both PACIFIC and COMMON LOONS were found, plus HORNED, RED-NECKED, and WESTERN GREBES.

RED-NECKED GREBES were especially conspicuous; it was Ralph Hoffman (Birds of the Pacific States. Houghton Mifflin. 1927) who was, perhaps, the first to really publicize the wonderful diversity of winter birdlife on the sheltered waters of Puget Sound. He specifically mentions the abundance of the "Holboell" Grebe (as the RED-NECKED was then called). There may be no better place to observe this species at this season than in the Pacific Northwest.

All three cormorants were seen, though BRANDT'S only on Ediz Hook. Bob noted and pointed out various courtship antics, though he thought it was a little premature for this behavior. Bob should know, he co-edited Seabirds of the Farallon Islands (Ecology dynamics, and structure of an upwelling-system community (Stanford. 1990). Bob was a primary contributor on BRANDT'S CORMORANT.

Waterfowl, usually a highlight of a trip to the Sequim region, were present, but the fog really hindered our ability to see all of this group well. A total of 18 species were seen, including a few EURASIAN WIGEON amongst the swarms (Columbia NWR biologist Randy Hill stated 6,000) AMERICAN WIGEON off 3 Crabs. Three size classes of CANADA GEESE were studied at the Olympic Game Farm, including two Cackling Canadas. We were treated to OLDSQUAW, BLACK, SURF, AND WHITE-WINGED SCOTORS, and both COMMON AND BARROW'S GOLDENEYES.

Raptors were tough on account of the fog: several BALD EAGLES, RED-TAILED HAWKS, and two PEREGRINES were counted.

A good diversity (for mid-November at this latitude) of shorebirds were noted including:

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER-widespread, numbers in low hundreds PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER- somewhat distinctive "chu-wheet" call heard over pastures KILLDEER- several in pastures near 3 Crabs Restaurant BLACK OYSTERCATCHER -2, Ediz Hook WHIMBREL-1, Ediz Hook MARBLED GODWIT-1, 3 Crabs RUDDY TURNSTONE-1, Ediz Hook log booms BLACK TURNSTONE-50, mostly Ediz Hook log booms RED KNOT -1, at the south end of Sequim Bay. "Late and very unusual here" said Bob Norton. SANDERLING-30+, widespread LEAST SANDPIPER-3, Ediz Hook log booms ROCK SANDPIPER-1, Ediz Hook log booms DUNLIN-1000+, widespread DOWITCHER, sp.-3, south end Sequim Bay, probably LONG-BILLS COMMON SNIPE-50+, 3 Crabs

Alcids were only fairly represented:

COMMON MURRE PIGEON GUILLEMOT MARBLED MURRELET- perhaps 20 total. Sequim Bay and Port Angeles provided good, if mostly distant views. Most were in pairs. RHINOCEROS AUKLET

ANCIENT MURRELETS, the sought-after alcid at this season, was missed, though Vic Nelson pointed out to me a lone (yes, it was all by itself) individual in a herring ball at at nearby Point No Point late in the afternoon of 13 November. He stated this was shaping up to be a lean year for this species in Puget Sound.

Of course, we "did" (Bob challenges those shunning this diverse and very plastic group) gulls, finding nine species: BONAPARTE'S (all in Sequim Bay), HEERMANN'S (3 on Ediz Hook), MEW (widespread and abundant), RING-BILLED, CALIFORNIA, HERRING (one at 3 Crabs), THAYER'S (Port Angeles and Ediz Hook), WESTERN (a few), GLAUCOUS-WINGED (not many), and, of course, the ubiquitous "OLYMPC" (GLAUCOUS-WINGED x WESTERN hybrids).

Adding lots of spice to this trip was the BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, which Vic and I re-located late in the afternoon of 13 November at the base of the hill immediately south of the Point No Point lighthouse. My kudus also to Tom Aversa for his impressive discoveries this fall.

[Edited from a report posted by Scott Downes on Tweeters]

Apparently fate decided to lift a jinx for once. After five years of being "the place the sharp-tailed wasn't" and countless times of chasing other people's Sharp-tailed Sandpipers I decided to sign up for Bruce's trip to Ocean Shores with the theory of: Good time of year plus good place to look plus enough skilled birders  equals A better than average chance of finding a Sharpie. We headed out on the game range off of Tonquin Ave. We encountered two Pectoral Sandpipers, no Sharp-tailed with them. We continued to scour the range with no more pecs to be found. As Ryan Shaw and I ventured out near the salicornia edge of the slough we continued to look. Suddenly Ryan flushed a "pec-ish" bird and we watched it drop into a mud patch about 30 feet in front of us. The bird turned around and standing before me was a bird with a burnt orange crown, prominent supercilium and the translucent pumpkin wash that I had been searching for years to see. I had finally found a Sharp-tailed, the bird remained still while we put it in the scope and viewed the bird. Then we motioned to the rest of the group frantically to come and see this jewel. As the group was about half way to us the bird flushed and fled into one of the numerous little tidal channels. We watched the bird go down, confident of being able to show this lifer to the rest of the group. As the group proceeded forward we stumbled upon four more pecs; a single bird and a group of three but no sharpie to be seen. We made one last attempt to walk the backside of the slough in hopes of finding the bird. As I approached the edge of the salicornia near the end of the area a bird run on to the mud and I was quickly able to see that this was our bird. The bird then went still, hunkered down so that only the head was visible. About half of our group got the bird this time. Then suddenly the bird rose up out of the hunkered position and rose up into the sky eventually landing near the extreme eastern end of the range. It may sound corny, but I have come to the realization that sometimes you just have to wait until the right time when you are supposed to get that elusive lifer. The pursuit while infuriating and exhausting makes that time when you finally see it all the more special. So what was my reward? Well parking in the sandy shoulder at Bill's Spit (our next stop) and getting stuck and waiting for a tow truck to pull my truck out! As a final cap to the day Ryan and I headed down to Tokeland to try and refind the Hudsonian that Ryan had found earlier. The bird was resting on the jetty with the other Marbleds. A very nice day indeed.

[And from Ryan Shaw, also posted to Tweeters]

Well the WOS trip was a success in that we were able to pull out a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at the game range. Other than that, shorebirds were rather scarce. Other interesting birds seen were Lapland Longspurs, lots of American Pipits, and a Pink-footed Shearwater from the jetty.

Five people (Stu & Sandy Renn, Franny Drobny, Mari Daniels, and John Friars) joined me on the WOS trip to Ocean Shores. We birded the Hoquiam Sewage Ponds-Bowerman Basin area and many of the usual spots at Ocean Shores, with a quick drive along Wenzel Slough Rd on the way home.

We had an absolutely glorious morning at Bowerman Basin (Grays Harbor NWR), mostly clear with puffy white clouds, calm, and wonderful light. The tide was falling while we were there, but we had good numbers of shorebirds some in close and many out further. We got good close looks at Western Sandpipers, Dunlins, and Semi-palmated Plovers all in brilliant "breeding" plumage - got lots of wows. Further out we had several thousands (tens of thousands?) of "peeps", likely mostly Western Sandpipers, perhaps thousands of Semi-palmated Plovers and scatterings of Marbled Godwits and Dowitcher species. We worked the forest and trail and had Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle and Audubon), Orange-crowned and Wilson's Warblers. Lots of singing Marsh Wrens and Song and Savannah Sparrows and Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows.

Our day at Ocean Shores continued with excellent weather conditions. The highlight for most people at Ocean Shores (aside from awe at the power behind the wreckage of the storms and modifications to the landscape) were the 20+ Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels which were visible very close to us on the Point Brown jetty. Great light, close views both sitting and flying (even a couple of scope looks). We walked the road at Damon Point out to the pond, which was fairly unpopulated (Canada Geese, some Green-winged Teal, Mallards), but the bay side was excellent. We had a large flock of Brant (closest views for some folks). We also had a good scattering of shorebirds at fairly close proximity - Western and Least Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone and Black-bellied Plover, all in "breeding" plumage and with great light. The Ruddy Turnstone was dazzling and did its namesake act for us. While we were watching the show, a small flock of Common Terns came over and was dive bombed by a Merlin (apparently unsuccessful). Near the base of Damon Point we had Whimbrels and Short-billed Dowitchers. Had some looks at Grey Whales.

Went over to Bill's Spit under unfavorable tide conditions, but still had good numbers of "peeps" in the distance, and Marbled Godwits and Whimbrels in medium distance views.

By the time we totaled up our haul for the day we had 84 species, plus extended good views of many of them. A most satisfactory day.

Brian H. Bell,  bellasoc@isomedia.com, Woodinville WA

A keen group of nine Washington Ornithological Society members and myself met at 6 am at I-82s Exit 26 Shell station and convenience store north of Selah for the scheduled fieldtrip. This WOS trips objective was to bird the edges of the Columbia Basin and lower east slopes of the Cascades.

SHRUB-STEPPE NORTH OF SELAH. We began by stopping off I-82 several miles north of the Redman Bridge over Selah Canyon. Here, a Sage Thrasher sang its beautiful warble persistently all the while we were there and perched close for great views. Sage Sparrows provided less obliging views, but much better than Brewer’s and Vesper Sparrows which were lurking in the sage and only heard. Nearby, at the Selah Canyon Rest stop overlook, fine views of a perched Prairie Falcon and dashing White-throated Swifts were enjoyed.

Crossing the Yakima River in Selah, the stop for the usual swirling clouds of swallows (usually five species can be noted here in spring) revealed few birds. Of note, not a single Bank Swallow, which nest by the hundreds along the riverside banks here, were seen. This was my first clue today that spring migration this year was tardy.

YAKIMA CANYON. Next were several stops in the southern Yakima Canyon. Adult Golden Eagles flying about their nest high above the river the on the towering lichen-encrusted basalt cliffs again afforded wonderful views through our many scopes (my gosh, almost everyone had a scope!). Here we also had good looks at Chukar, an often elusive species. A nest building Western Kingbird was busy attaching material to a insulator atop a power pole are insulators providing heated quarters for kingbirds all across western North America; this is such a common nest site?).

WENAS VALLEY. In the lower Wenas Valley, just north of Selah, a pair of Swainson’s Hawks soaring, kiting and perching over the irrigated fields was a life bird for some. Again, great views were had of this long distance migrant, which had undoubtedly only just returned from its winter quarters in South America.

HARDY CANYON. Hardy Canyon in the Oak Creek Wildlife Area has lush riparian zone woodlands, wetlands, and fields; these  usually provide great birding in spring. It was pretty obvious, though, that the timing of our visit was a tad on the early side. There were a handful of migrants about: Tree Swallows and Western Bluebirds were at their nest boxes and sparrows such as Golden-crowns and White-crowns flitted about the dense brush. However, we didn’t see a single other Neotropical migrant such as flycatcher, wren, thrush, vireo, warbler, tanager, or oriole. I was really surprised by the near total absence of migrants. Drumming but not seen Ruffed Grouse were heard here, partial compensation for the dearth of migrants.

PONDEROSA PINE ZONE IN THE WENAS. After Hardy Canyon’s unusually dull showing, I feared another slow period in the Wenas pine forests and streamside groves. In our jaunt through the open Ponderosa pine stands and streamside vegetation along Maloy Road, this was initially true. By and by, good views of a loose group of Townsend’s Solitaires (uttering their mellow, somewhat owl-like tooting call) raised our hopes. Then, I heard the chatter of a White-headed Woodpecker, which shortly provided superb scope views atop a snag, while its mate called a short distance away. Pygmy Nuthatches were also found here high in the pines and then low in a roadside snag riddled with holes, their nest site. One lone Nashville and several Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warblers, and singing Cassin’s Finches indicated a few migrants were filtering in. Denny Granstrand located a silent Gray Flycatcher perched low in the very open pine groves, one of the Wenas regions “specialties.”

In the Wenas Campground area, a walk onto the Ceanothus-mantled slopes to the south found the currant bushes with lots of bloom, attracting hummingbirds. We had good views of a male Rufous, but had to be content with a “heard” Calliope. These birds were not displaying yet, so were tough to spot as they slipped about the dense mass of flowers on the currants. The other usual summer residents of these brushlands such as Dusky Flycatcher, Nashville Warbler, and Fox Sparrow did not seem to be around, another indication migration was late this year. Another “chicken” provided the bonus again, however; we heard the distant muffled hoots of Blue Grouse from high on the mountainside to the south.

Beause we hadn’t encountered more than a handful of passerine migrants so far on our trip, it was becoming clear my original plan to ascend higher into forested zones of the Cascades after the Wenas might not be a good one. Also, the weather, which had been fine, was steadily turning worse. Plus, there were near-constant mutterings from a majority of the group for Ferruginous Hawk. Denny and I decided we were risking running out of daylight if we were to bird the mountains plus try and get the hawk. So, we left the Wenas heading east into the Columbia Basin, instead of west into the Cascades (which were now draped in a ominous and dense gray and grim-appearing cloud - sound familiar to Westsiders?).

TOPPENISH NWR. Birds were everywhere at Toppenish NWR. Old Goldendale Road just west of refuge headquarters, Pumphouse Road, and Lateral C were all particularly birdy. Some of the striking birds seen or heard in this area included: Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Sora, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, both yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlew, Dunlin, Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, and Yellow-headed Blackbird.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK. North of Sunnyside off State Rt. 241, we were treated to distant but adequate views of the rare (~ 40-50 pairs active in Washington) Ferruginous Hawk, both kiting in the stiff winds and huddled close on its impressive stick nest atop a coulee edge. Horned Larks on the road were also memorable here, always a striking bird.

MOXEE VALLEY. Returning to Yakima by way of the Highway 24, our last birding for the day included several stops along the highway between mileposts 18 and 28. Short-eared Owls were one highlight; we saw at least four of these impressive owls flapping and sailing high and low over the grasslands in the fading light of early evening. The other notable sighting was of a late (usually having departed north for their arctic breeding grounds a few weeks earlier) Rough-legged Hawk hovering and kiting in the strong westerlies.

A four Buteo day (Swainson’s, Red-tailed, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks), my first ever for Washington! A last quick stop at pine groves east of Moxee for fleeting views of Long-eared Owls and an attempt for Gray Partridge which would have been “chicken” # 5, but the partridge were not obliging.

We ended the day about 8:30 pm with about 105 species, a good effort! - Andy Stepniewski, steppie@wolfenet.com