OREGON & WASHINGTON 
(358) set just last spring at nearby White 
Lake. Black-bellieds remain a novelty else- 
where e. of the Cascades, with 8 reported from 
four Washington locations 8-25 May provid- 
ing the only other reports. Golden-plovers 
were again scarce; unidentified singles flew 
past Boiler Bay 22 Apr and 9 & 10 May (PP), 
while 2 Pacifies at O.S. 25 Apr (K. Carlson) 
constituted the lone Washington report. A 
Snowy Plover at Crockett L., Island 11 May 
(RM) was just the 5th for the P.T. but the 4th 
there since 2003; aside from one Sep record, 
all have been in May. Rare, but now annual in 
w. Washington, 7 Black-necked Stilts were tal- 
lied 25 Apr-11 May; 3 near Edison 9 May (H. 
Armstrong, T. Armstrong, M. S. Dallas) were 
Skagit’s first. Six American Avocets strayed to 
w. Oregon, including 3 at ER.R. 24 May+ (S. 
Maulding, m.ob.). The spring record 55 Soli- 
tary Sandpipers (19 Apr-19 May) were almost 
evenly split between the two states; all but 3 of 
14 eastside birds were in Washington, while 
25 of the 41 westside birds were in Oregon, in- 
cluding a maximum of 8 at E.E.W. 27 Apr 
OGe). Single Willets at Crab Cr., Lincoln 10 
May 0. Acton) and W.W.R.D. 27 May 
(M&MLD) were in e. Washington, where they 
are rare-but-regular spring transients. Whim- 
brel again showed well inland, with 15 visiting 
four W. V locations 22 Apr-3 1 May and 4 east- 
side birds 13 Apr-22 May; one at Sydney L., 
Okanogan 21 May (ph. K Tran et al.) marked 
just the 4th spring record for e. Washington. 
As has become the norm, the WV. hosted 3 
Long-hilled Curlews 10-26 Apr. A Hudsonian 
Godwit at Deer Lagoon, Island 27 May was the 
Region’s 13th northbound bird but the first in 
spring for the ET. (RM). Ten Marbled Godwits 
at six locations in the ET 10 Apr-27 May was 
supranormal; this species is rare away from 
the outer coast on the westside. Two Ruddy 
Turnstones at Lower Klamath N.W.R. 4 May 
(C. Kisling) were the eastside’s first spring 
birds since 2000. A gathering of 350 Surfbirds 
at O.S. 24 Apr represents Washington’s 2nd 
highest tally ever (BS). Red Knots, which typ- 
ically overfly Oregon in spring, showed well 
along that state’s outer coast, with 230+ re- 
ported 18 Apr-25 May; tallies on 9 May of 82 
knots at Boiler Bay (PP) and 61 at Elorence, 
Lane (M) were exceptional. Two knots en- 
livened Einley 6 May (WDR), while another at 
Soap L., Grant 20 May (R. Friesz) was e. 
Washington’s first at any season since 2005; 
inland birds are rare in the Region. Seven 
knots at Dungeness Bay, Clallam 22 May (MB, 
KK) were in the P.T., where not annual during 
spring. A Sanderling at Soap L. 15 May (TL) 
was a less-than-annual spring migrant for e. 
Washington. Seven Semipalmated Sandpipers 
marked a return to normal following last 
spring’s record 13. Four were in the ET., where 
expected, while 3 were along outer coast, 
where they are surprisingly rare in spring; sin- 
gles graced Bay City, Tillamook 2 May (DS, 
TS), Bottle Beach, Grays Harbor 9 May (J. 
Puschock), and Florence 10 May (M). The 
lone eastside Semipalmated was at Borax L., 
Harney 15 May (OS). Baird’s Sandpipers are 
rare-but-annual in e. Washington; 8 this sea- 
son, 19 Apr-22 May, was nearly twice the 
norm. Four Baird’s, all in Oregon 22-29 Apr, 
was a typical westside showing. Pectoral Sand- 
pipers invaded for the 4th time since 2000, 
with 80 reported 2 May+; this is the 2nd high- 
est seasonal tally for the Region (102 in 2004), 
which averages about 4 per spring. Most were 
in Washington, including all 10 eastside re- 
ports and 55 of 70 westside birds; groups of 12 
at Dungeness Bay 22 May (MB, KK) and 
N.S.C.B. 24 May (TR) were the maxima. A 
Rock Sandpiper at Hug Point S.P., Clatsop 24 
May (L. Cain) was record late for Oregon by 
10 days and some five weeks after the typical 
spring departures. For the 5th consecutive 
spring, a Ruff appeared in the Region; this sea- 
son’s bird, a male, brightened the Astoria air- 
port 25 May (B. Andry). Flights of Red-necked 
Phalaropes peaked about mid-May, as evi- 
denced by the 40,000 that winged northward 
past Boiler Bay 12 May (PP). An unexpected 6 
Red Phalaropes stopped at Midway Beach, Pa- 
cific 21 May (E. Huston), and one remained 
until 24 May (D. Gluckman). 
Following a mini-invasion in spring 2008, a 
Franklin’s Gull, at Floras L., Curry 22 May 
(KC, DL), was the only one westside. For only 
the 2nd spring in 20 years, the Region had no 
Little Gulls. They are found near annually 
with the Bonaparte’s Gull flocks at P.N.P. Giv- 
en that this season’s high count of Bonaparte’s 
at PN.R was nearly double the norm — 5500 
on 10 Apr (BW, VN) — the absence of Little 
Gulls was, perhaps, even more confounding. 
The 2500 Bonaparte’s at Port Orford, Curry 21 
Apr (KA) was an exceptional tally for the Ore- 
gon coast. A Heermann’s Gull near Port 
Townsend, Jefferson 4 Mar-10 Apr (G. 
Thompson) likely wintered locally, as this 
species rarely reaches the P.T. before Jun; 
northbound flocks arrived along the Oregon 
coast 21 May+ (PP). A kumlieni Iceland Gull 
graced W.W.R.D. 8 Mar. (ph., tM&MLD) and 
will be Washington’s 13th if accepted. The 
third-cycle Slaty-backed Gull found in Port- 
land during Jan was last seen 3 Apr (SN). 
Though Western Gulls regularly wander up- 
river along the Columbia R. e. to W.W.R.D. in 
early spring, one at Vantage, Kittitas 29 May 
(TA) was both late and about 130 km farther 
upriver than usual. A Glaucous-winged Gull x 
Herring Gull hybrid at Everett 10 May consti- 
tutes the Region’s latest spring record of this ; 
cross (SM). Forty Glaucous Gulls, 1 Mar-24 ' 
May, established a new Regional benchmark ; 
for spring; one at Hood River 22 Mar QW, ii 
DM) was the only one of 9 eastside birds not jj 
found in Washington. Excluding last spring’s jt, 
inexplicable invasion into e. Washington, the t 
single ad. Sabine’s Gull near Vantage, Kittitas j' 
29 May (TA) would have been the Region’s 
first eastside spring record since 1971! North- 
bound movements of Common and Arctic | 
Terns went all but unnoticed; high counts of |; 
92 Commons and 163 Arctics came from the 8 
May cruise off Oregon QW). A Forster’s Tern 
at FR.R. 17 May (S. Maulding) was at the only i 
westside site where they are somewhat regular 
in spring. Though Tufted Puffins nest on Pro- 
tection 1. Jefferson they are quite rare e. of Port 
Townsend in the inner Puget Sound; thus one 
at Bellingham Bay, Whatcom 24 May was note- 
worthy (M. Tove). 
Eight Band-tailed Pigeons visited feeders in 
White Salmon 12 Apr-4 May, providing fur- 
ther evidence that this species is now firmly 
established in Klickitat (fide SJ); following 
several years of spring and summer reports, 
breeding was documented in this eastside 
county during 2008. Single Band-taileds at 
Northrup Canyon, Grant 19 Mar (RM, M. Du- 
fort). Bend 3 Apr (E Meehan), and Yakima 26 
Apr (fide DG) were well e. of areas where they 
are expected. Though now annual in the Re- 
gion, the White-winged Dove at Frenchglen, 
Harney 30 May+ (E & P Newman, ph. J. Pow- 
ell) was just the 5th in spring; most records 
have come Jul-Oct. This season’s Yellow- 
billed Cuckoo was Malheur 30 May (SF, F 
Rowland); they are annual at se. Oregon 
oases. A migrant Flammulated Owl, discov- 
ered in an isolated stand of deciduous trees at 
Palouse Falls S.P, Franklin 24 May (RS, MW 
et al), was quite a surprise, as this is just the 
2nd Washington record away from suitable 
nesting habitat; similarly, another migrant 
was one heard s. of Fields, Harney 25 May 
(AS, ES). A Short-eared Owl flying over heav- 
ily forested Mount Tabor Park in e. Portland 
25 Apr must have been a bizarre sight 
(A&CH, T. McNamara). Ten Snowy Owls, all 
in Washington 1-17 Mar, was goodly total for 
a non-invasion year. The Northern Hawk 
Owl that wintered at Mansfield, Douglas was 
found dead of an apparent vehicle strike 7 
Mar 0- Ellis). The now-expected flight of 
Black Swifts passed along the Oregon coast 
17-25 May, with a high count of 103 at New 
River, Coos 25 May (TR). One at McMinnvlle, 
Yamhill 22 May (E Johnston) was in the WV, 
where this species is a rare-but-annual mi- 
grant. Weeks after the last of several winter- 
ing Anna’s Hummingbird disappeared from 
494 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
