neah bay – Bird Banter

Lark Sparrow photo by Ken on Monday.

Last weekend Ken Brown, Bruce LaBar and I headed for Neah Bay early Saturday morning, getting there a little before 10 AM. After getting our reservation permit at the Makah Mini-mart (now $20./ year and still a great bargain IMO) we started by birding the town. First stop was at the Wa’adah community area where it was very quiet, almost no passerines. Then to the greenhouse area where we managed to find a single Lapland Longspur and did a bit of a seawatch, without anything unexpected. From there we spent most of the morning around town, and at the jetty area. Neah Bay is a place birders hope for vagrants, and we really struck out in that regard. In the later afternoon we birded Backtrack road, Butlers, and the Wa’atch Valley areas, all without much exciting.
We stayed at the Hobuck Beach cabins. The larger ones have three queen beds, one downstairs in a bedroom, and two upstairs in a loft area up a steep ladder with narrow steps, and a very low ceiling (can’t stand up at all) but otherwise quite comfortable. A good kitchen, and we heated up the meals Marian prepared, Saturday a tortilla casserole, salad, chips and salsa. Appreciated by all. We went back out for some unsuccessful owling, Bruce needed GHOW and Ken and I needed N. Saw-whet Owls for our Clallam County list, but no luck.
Sunday was another sunny very nice day, and we started at the Cape Flattery observation deck, drizzle early, but cleared later. Modest nunbers of distant Sooty type shearwaters, a couple of Humpback whales, lots of Black Oystercatchers, and the expected gulls, cormorants, scoters, Rhinoceros Auklets, etc.
The rest of the day around town with the same low variety of species, and we hiked Hobuck Beach in the afternoon. Overall a dearth of vagrants, but Ken and I added Wood Duck to our county list. Spaghetti for dinner, watched the Dodgers beat San Diego TV, and an early bedtime.
Monday brought rain, news of a Lark Sparrow at Adrianne A’s place in the Hobuck Beach Road housing area at her feeders. Bruce contacted here, got permission, and we staked out her backyard feeders after a late start due to heavy rain, about 8:30. After the owner put out fresh seed on the concrete back entry and a half hour wait, the Lark Sparrow showed up and gave great looks for all of us. A county bird for all 3 of us.

Out one vagrant for the weekend. Lark Sparrow photos by Ken

The rain persisted, and we spent the rest of the day travelling and birding the Sequim area in the rain shadow there, hoping for the Lesser Black-backed gull, but no luck.
Overall a nice trip, good fellowship, but a bit disappointing bird-wise. Here is our eBird trip report

In this episode Brad and I talk a lot about birding in Clallam County, WA. Over the last decade or so it has become increasingly clear that Neah Bay is a special place in the fall. If you look at a map of the northwestern U.S. you will see that Neah Bay and Cape Flattery are at the very northwest most point of the lower 48 United States.
Just this fall rare Washington species found in Neah Bay include Blackburnian Warbler, Orchard Oriole, Tropical Kingbird (frustratinglyk found the day after I left Neah Bay), Lapland Longspur, Lark Sparrow (rare for that location, not eastern WA), Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Mockingbird, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and American Redstart.