OREGON & WASHINGTON 
tions in Deschutes, Harney, Klamath, and Lake 
5 Aug-14 Nov. Body parts of a dead imm. at 
Fields, Harney 9 Aug (DI, DPe), and the cap- 
ture of an imm. at the Green Ridge, Jefferson 
hawkwatch 28 Aug, invite questions about 
where these birds hatched. About par for re- 
cent years, 5 Red-shouldereds were noted in 
w. Washington 23 Aug-29 Nov; the northern- 
most was a returnee at Kent, King 8 Nov+ (K. 
Andrich). Washington’s 3 Broad-winged 
Hawks included singles on the eastside at 
Beverly, Grant 9 Sep (SM, DI, BW) and Wash- 
tucna, Adams 12 Sep (XL, RH), and a rare 
westside bird was over Auburn, King 8 Oct 
(CW); Washington’s 15 “accepted” records is 
deceiving, as many sightings from hawk- 
watches in Washington’s Cascades, where this 
species is likely annual, remain undocument- 
ed. All but one of Oregon’s 6 Broad-wingeds 
were recorded at the Bonney Butte, Hood Riv- 
er hawkwatch (RGe), where annual in fall; 
the other graced Malheur 10 Oct (R. Phillips, 
W Wolfe). Not annual in w. Washington, an 
impressive 3 Swainson’s Hawks included sin- 
gles at Snoqualmie, King 10 Sep (J. Tubbs), at 
Marymoor, King 13 Sep (HF), and near Van- 
couver L., Clark 26 Nov+ (imm.; ph. L. Top- 
inka); this continues the recent string of fall 
and wintering Swainson’s on the westside. A 
Gyrfalcon at Lost L., Linn 5 Oct (TC) was the 
season’s only report; the Region averages 
about 4 per fall. Three westside Prairie Fal- 
cons 3-29 Nov (2 in Oregon, one in Washing- 
ton) was also sub-par. Late for e. Washington, 
3 Sandhill Cranes visited Duley L. and Cam 
L., Okanogan 21 Nov. (CW). 
SHOREBIRDS THROUGH 
WOODPECKERS 
An ad. Black-bellied Plover visited Lind 
Coulee, Grant 2 Aug (SM, CCx); ads. are not 
annual on the eastside. All but 2 of 20 west- 
side American Golden-Plovers 24 Aug-25 Oct 
were in Washington, with a maximum of 5 at 
O.S. 16 Sep (CW). The eastside’s lone Ameri- 
can was at Philleo L., Spokane 30 Sep (MW). 
Fifty-one Pacific Golden-Plovers 1 Aug-5 Nov 
fell shy of recent averages. Fifteen at favored 
O.S. 16 Sep (CW) was the maximum, while 
Oregon’s high count was a paltry 4 at N.S.C.B. 
25 Aug (TR). As usual, a handful of golden- 
plovers were left unidentified to species. The 
106 Black Oystercatchers congregated at Cape 
Flattery, Clallam 24 Oct (D. Wheelan) was un- 
precedented for the Region. An oystercatcher 
near Tacoma 17 Nov was a Pierce first and the 
most southerly record for the ET. (G. Mc- 
Cwethy). An active Snowy Plover nest and 
two broods of days-old chicks were at the s. 
end of L. Abert, Lake 9 Aug; these late nestings 
may be timed to coincide with this site’s brine 
fly hatch. Snowies are rarely encountered 
away from the Region’s known nesting and 
wintering sites; thus a migrant at Chicka- 
hominy Res. 13-20 Sep (SDn, RN) was note- 
worthy. Rare westside American Avocets in- 
cluded 2 at ER.R. 24 Aug and another that tar- 
ried at P.S.B. 17 Sep-30 Oct (M. Reid); there 
are few westside records after Sep, though w. 
Washington has two winter records. A Black- 
necked Stilt at Beaver Cr. marsh, Lincoln 19-22 
Sep (M. Noack, ph. D. Comfort) provided the 
Oregon coast’s first fall record — a month after 
the departure of the W.V nesting population. 
The 190 Greater Yellowlegs at P.S.B. 11 Oct 
represent Washington’s highest inland count 
ever (SM). The Wood Sandpiper that inhabit- 
ed FR.R. 26 Sep-5 Oct (ph. JS) was the Re- 
gion’s first and just the 6th for the Lower 48. 
Seventy-nine Solitary Sandpipers 1 Aug-22 
Sep approximated recent averages. Interest- 
ingly, Washington accounted for all but 3 of 
56 eastside birds, while Oregon generated 16 
of 23 westside reports. Single Willets along 
This photograph taken at Summer Lake Wildiife Manage- 
ment Area 17 August 2008 not only documents the first 
first record of Black Phoebe for Oregon's Lake County but 
also suggests that this species has nested in the county: the 
wing coverts' broad buffy margins and the orange gape 
flanges indicate that this bird had fledged recently. This lo- 
cation is at least 130 kilometers east of the nearest known 
breeding outpost. Photograph by Scott Carpenter. 
Sunset Beach 27 Aug QC, JGi, OS) and at Sea- 
side 3 Sep (D. Bailey) were in Clatsop, where 
not annual. Another at Nisqually 15 Nov (E 
Hicks) was similarly unexpected in the ET. 
Twenty Willets at Tokeland, Pacific 23 Oct 
(RM) was the high coastal count. A Wander- 
ing Tattler, rare for the ET., lingered at Bain- 
bridge 1., Kitsap 23 Aug-17 Sep (BW), while 
one at Newport 29 Nov (M&MLD) was more 
than a month late. 
An Upland Sandpiper circling the NOAA 
research vessel McArthur H 255 km w. of 
Yaquina Head 7 Aug (MF, ph. S. Webb) was 
most unexpected. Two Whimbrels at Summer 
L. 28 Aug (D. Stein) and another at Chicka- 
hominy Res. 12 Sep (SDn) were on the east- 
side, where less than annual in fall. Three 
Long-billed Curlews visited inland valleys on 
the westside, where rare; singles were at Eu- 
gene 5-8 Aug (R. Holland, TM), Finley 17-18 
Aug (M. Hunter), and Ridgefield 13 Sep (BE). 
An ad. Hudsonian Godwit graced Tokeland 2- 
11 Aug (ph. CW, vt. BW); though annual in 
the Region, records of ads. are few. A juv. 
Hudsonian at ES.B. 8 Sep provided a very rare 
record for the ET. (ph. MB). Bar-tailed Godwit 
went undetected in the Region for just the 3rd 
fall since 1975. Marbled Godwit now averages 
about 3 eastside birds per fall; this season, 
singles were at W.W.R.D. 16 Aug (M&MLD), 
n. of Potholes Res. 23 Aug (R. Friesz), and at 
Malheur 28 Sep (S. Shunk). Two Marbleds at 
Dungeness Bay 16 Nov (SM, BW) were rare 
for the ET. Two Ruddy Turnstones at McKay 
Res., Umatilla 10 Aug (D. Herr, A. Skirvin) 
and another at Soap L., Grant 16 Aug (D. 
Martin) were the eastside’s first southbound 
birds since 2005. A minimum of 106 Sander- 
lings were in e. Washington 3-20 Sep, high- 
lighted by an eastside record 83 at Potholes 
Res., Grant 8 Sep (SM, DI). Just 5 Sanderlings 
were reported from e. Oregon 30 Aug-20 Sep. 
Washington’s 122+ Semipalmated Sandpipers 
1 Aug-1 Oct included westside maxima of 8 
at P.S.B. 23 Aug (SM) and 7 near Ocosta, 
Grays Harbor 3 Aug (BW, GG) and an eastside 
maximum of 20 in s. Grant and Adams 2 Aug 
(SM, CCx); the eastside’s 72+ was low by re- 
cent standards. A Semipalmated at Ridgefield 
1 Oct 0- Danzenbaker) was record late for w. 
Washington. In Oregon, 14 w. of the Cascades 
and 8 from the eastside were about normal. 
Twenty-five Baird’s Sandpipers in Clatsop 26 
Oct QC, JGi, OS) was a high coastal count for 
Oregon; most of the Region’s Baird’s pass e. of 
the Cascades, where double-digit counts are 
expected. A Pectoral Sandpiper at Soap L. 27 
Nov (MB) was record late for e. Washington. 
A near-average 12 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, all 
westside 27 Sep-31 Oct, were equally split be- 
tween the states. 
Oregon’s 16th Curlew Sandpiper was at 
Bandon 24 Oct (TR); this species has appeared 
in the Region three of the past four falls. From 
year to year. Stilt Sandpiper flights vary great- 
ly; Oregon’s 14 birds surpassed all recent tal- 
lies, while 39 in Washington was a bit sub-par. 
Late Stilt Sandpipers included one at ES.B. 1 1 
Oct and 3 at Fernhill Wetlands 12 Oct (M. 
Marsh). After last fall’s record Buff-breasted 
Sandpiper invasion (72 in this Region), this 
season’s 7 constituted the worst showing since 
2003; excluding the major flight years (2004, 
2007), the Region has averaged about 10 per 
fall since 2000. Single Ruffs at the Yakima Riv- 
er Delta, Benton 2 Aug (NL) and near Othello 
12 Aug (RH) provided the 7th and 8th for e. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) 
NUMBER 1 
145 
