Today I met Bill Tweit and Ken Brown and headed to Westport on a double agenda trip. The primary reason for the trip was so that I could meet with Bill and Phil Anderson of Westport Seabirds to discuss how they might make some improvements to their site. The secondary reason was to get to the coast for a day of winter birding.
On the way to Westport we noted a nice flock of 60 Marbled Godwits and about 500 Dunlin at the Elk River Estuary
We got to Westport a little after 8 AM and with a weather report that predicted a 0% chance of precipitation before noon we got soaked in a downpour as we walked to the jetty. In the rain the jetty highlight was 6 Rock Sandpipers, easily the most I’ve ever seen at once, and a high count for recent years. We also had Black turnstone and Surfbird.
Next at the Marina we looked over a gull flock and Ken helped pick out a first year Herring and a third year Thayer’s along with a GWGU x HEGU hybrid. Lots of COLO but no other loons, a large flock of Brant at the tidal rip, and a PEFA on a bouy were the best birds.
Later at the Coast Guard Station area we found about 15 WEME in the trees across the large wet field and a total of 27 species including a Lincoln’s sparrow.
On to lunch at Phil Anderson’s place where the others had Clam chowder and I stuck to a vegan PB&J sandwich, and we discussed the website. Outside was a great view of the Pacific across a long expanse of wet fields.
After lunch we went to Tokeland, where at Graveyard Spit we got a LBCU, GRYE, and missed Willet.
At Midway Beach area we missed Snowy Plover, and at Bottle Beach were good numbers of BBPL and Dunlin. In the field by the parking lot we had a Snow Goose, and a large variety of Canada and Cackling goose subspecies. Bill taught us about the difference between western WA Lesser Canada Geese which are very dark bellied, and the Dusky Goose, and discussed the difference with the pale-bellied eastern WA Lesser CA geese. I 6 FOY WA species today, and took a day off from working on our rental.