[Tweeters] Semiahmoo Spit birds

[Dennis Paulson via Tweeters]

Hello tweets,

Some very nice local birders (thanks, Amy and David) from Blaine and Bellngham showed us the huge flock of Black-bellied Plovers on the north side of Semiahmoo Spit, Whatcom Co, yesterday 29 September 2024.

We watched them for a long time, at least 400 plovers and possibly as many as 500. I wish we had done a better job of counting them. Almost all the plovers were in basic or juvenile plumage, with some retaining some black feathers on the underparts, but I was surprised to see a male in full alternate plumage among them.

Also among them were four Black Turnstones, at least two Red Knots, a Dunlin, a Long-billed Dowitcher, two Marbled Godwits, and a Bar-tailed Godwit. It was really worthwhile scanning that flock and photographing them to pick out interesting birds back at the computer. We hadn’t seen the alternate-plumaged black-belly or the Dunlin while at the site.

Seven Caspian Terns, both adults and juveniles, perched with gulls near the shorebirds. I wonder what breeding colony they came from.

We saw a flock of a half-dozen Steller’s Jays at the bathroom at the base of the spit, and all flew over at treetop level and disappeared into the forest to the west, clearly migrating birds. That’s always exciting to see.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle