Grays Harbor.

I went up to Grays Harbor yesterday to see the shorebirds.  Last year I had such an awesome time and was so impressed by the amazing numbers of birds that I was excited to get back there.

My first stop was the Hoquiam Sewer Ponds near Bowerman Basin.  Tree, Barn, and Cliff Swallows were lining the barbed wire fences and some even allowed me to take photos...












It was pouring rain for the beginning of my trip, but the birds were still out in good numbers...


Most of the birds I saw at Bowerman Basin were Western Sandpipers and Dunlin...

Western Sandpipers

There were tons of birds... I saw some Semipalmated Plovers and possibly some Least Sandpipers.  Good luck finding them in this mess:

 Tons of birds

When the rain started dumping buckets I headed back to the car... There are so many great spots around Grays Harbor that Bowerman Basin is just the tip of the iceberg.  I did another drive by the sewage ponds before leaving the area.

The saddest scaup I've ever seen:


Not sure what happened to him but it's amazing that he survived it!  Nearby another sandpiper let me get a good look...


The rain cleared up and I headed over to Ocean Shores to walk the dogs on the beach.  There were small clusters of Semipalmated Plovers all over...


There was a big group of Dunlin and friends cuddling near the shoreline...


Further down the beach were Marbled Godwits with friends...


Someone came walking up the beach and they took off...


I headed down to Damon Point after that but only spent about 45 minutes there.  The wind was brutal and I was losing steam.  I did see about 8 White-winged Scoters on the calm side of the point.


For my last stop I headed down to the jetty for a quick peek and found a pair of Wandering Tattlers!  A new bird for me!



Woohoo!  Great trip!

Comments

  1. Fanastic series of great birds!! Boom & Garey of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  2. That Tree Swallow shot is awesome. Great shorebird post! I wonder what happened to that haggard scaup...

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  3. You have been very busy! I always look forward to seeing pics from your birding adventures! Thanks.

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  4. Great set of photos.

    The Scaup sure is a curious wonder. Perhaps just a bad case of getting new feathers?

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  5. Awesome photo series! So many fabulous images, it's too difficult to select a favorite. A pleasure to visit your wonderful blog!

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  6. Wonderful photos and looks like a great time. I love the swallow photos. I like that you aren't looking up at them.

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  7. Great series, Jen! There are tons of birds there. Congrat on the Tattlers. They are pretty birds. Wonderful photos.

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  8. FANTABULOUS--PHOTOS
    wow even in that bad weather you saw so many shorebirdsssss zillions of them. I'm very fond of that startled into flight shot..its perfect and the Tattlers what a great bird!!

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  9. Wow, what a great trip! I'd never heard of Grays Harbor. I may have to make a visit.

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