When the tide goes out and reveals tidal mud flats in Grays Harbor near Westport, Washington, shorebirds appear. My best birding spot was actually at Brady’s Oysters! This establishment which has a small restaurant, a seafood grocery store, and their own fishing / crabbing / oyster fishing service was the place! During non business hours shortly after sunrise I asked and received cheery permission  to walk their boat launch (crushed oyster shells provided a firm walkway out on to the tidal flats). I then positioned myself and just waited for some of the thousands of shorebirds to walk over to where I was standing, which they did!

Willet

Black-Bellied Plover and Black Turnstone

Great Yellowlegs

Western Gulls (juveniles are brown)

Dunlins

Black Turnstones

Later in the afternoon I discovered a huge flock of Marbled Godwits (thousands of birds) at the Westport Harbor. I was surprised to make a good bird ID, as I had only seen Marbled Godwits twice in my life.

Marbled Godwits

It’s now time to fly home … and enjoy a snowstorm!

Sometimes when you have EXTREMELY low expectations, suddenly everything clicks for a fantastic time. Molly and I are out in Washington State visiting my youngest son and his wife for Thanksgiving. I decided to rent an AirBnB right on the coast near Westport. Even though it poured rain all day on Friday during our drive over to the Pacific Ocean, just before sunset when we arrived the sun came out. The sunset over the water and beach was wunderbar!

In the morning, although rain had been predicted, dry conditions prevailed and I then got my lifer, Western Grebes. By hiding behind tall wooden columns on harbor piers, I was amazingly close to the grebes. Life is good!