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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello Tweets, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jeremy Lucas and I had a wonderful day of birding in Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties making nine stops in the area. We were on a Big Day to support the Eastside Audubon Birdathon. In addition to a nice list of birds we experienced several
special – to us at least - birding events with spring migration in full swing and many birds singing and showing breeding plumage.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">At Bottle Beach we found seven species of shorebirds including Red Knot, Black-bellied Plover, and Dunlin in breeding plumage. At the Twin Harbors State Park, we were pleased to find singing Yellow-rumped, Wilson's, Black-throated Gray,
and Orange-crowned Warblers, and an active Olive-sided Flycatcher. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On the beach at Grayland Beach State Park, we unfortunately did not locate any Snowy Plovers, but opposite trails 4 and 5 a large flock of Semipalmated Plovers foraged along the beach, and we were especially pleased to see Sanderlings in
their red breeding plumage. A small group of shorebirds puzzled us for a few minutes until we realized they were Red-necked Phalaropes. It was almost shocking to see them alternately sitting on the sand and flying low along the beach. They must have been tired
from their migration flight. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">At the Westhaven State Park overlooking the jetty we had good looks at Rhinoceros Auklet and Pacific Loon in breeding plumage, Bonaparte’s Gulls, a large flock of Pelagic Cormorant and a few Brandt's Cormorants, and Common Murre just beyond
the breakers. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Most surprisingly, we saw flying Fork-tailed Storm Petrels from the observation platform at the Westport Marina. Neither of us had ever seen them from shore before. They topped off a special day of birding.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Andy McCormick<o:p></o:p></p>
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