Sunday and Monday, Oct. 9-10 Ken Brown and I went to Neah Bay hoping for rarities and to add to our state year lists. There had been a strong on-shore wind the Friday before we arrived, pushing a large number of 3 species of shearwater into view from the jetty, and we were hoping that they would stick around. The weather cleared and the birds cleared out, but we had a great trip anyway.
Saturday we met at Ken’s at 5 AM and arrived in Neah Bay just after 8 AM. We started birding at the jetty, and on the road near the base of the jetty called by Brad and others “Rarity Corner.” Rarities not for us but we did find a late first year Yellow warbler, lots of Fox sparrows, and off the jetty lots of the usual loons, grebes, alcids and gulls.
Back in town later we located the Ruff that has been hanging around for a month or so. Compare size to the Western Sandpiper, Killdeer and Mew Gull in the photos. Is it a Ruff or a Reeve? (male or female)




We also saw the tan form White-throated sparrow at the Butler’s feeders, two Cassin’s aucklets on the bay, and a good variety of the expected birds. In the afternoon we went out to the sewer treatment pond and the Waatch River area where we had 7 Sandhill Cranes fly overhead, a Merlin zip by, and found the previously reported Blue-winged teal in the river. We then went to the Tsoo-Yess Beach and walked the area looking for shorebirds, adding only Surfbird to our trip list, but had great looks at Harlequin Ducks and met Charlie Wright and his bride looking over a dead beached “beaked” whale, maybe a Narwhale.

Back in town we had dinner at the Warmhouse Restaurant, really a grill for burgers, but did get to watch the first hour of the presidential “debate.”
Today, after a nice night and breakfast a The Inn at Neah Bay, we again first birded the jetty and rarity corner, and in very calm waters saw little new, and the passerines at the corner were few. We did get great looks at close up Brandt’s vs. Pelagic Cormorants.

Next we went to Cape Flattery, and walked to the lookout area, birding the wooded path and then the ocean lookout. The views were spectacular, as were the many hundreds of Brandt’s cormorants on the rocks and in the water, the Black oystercatchers just below us calling incessantly, and the sunny weather.

On the way home we made several stops, but by far the highlight was at Ediz Hook in Port Townsend, where we located 3 closeup Ancient Murrelets.



A great trip, a place we plan to revisit often, and good time had by both of us.