We started at a new place for me, the Hansville Greenway, hoping to see whatever the large white bird in a photo sent by Caroline Barry, but taken by someone else, was. Ken thought a Snow Goose, I guessed maybe Snow Goose but maybe Great Egret. Awful photo, but either a good bird for Kitsap. We saw no large white bird, but got in about a 4-mile walk in a wet woodland. Not very great birding.
From here we headed to Point No Point. Always a place with possibilities. We did get Ken’s FOY Kitsap Sanderling, a very close up and obliging single bird on the beach. Lots of Marbled Murrelets, Bonaparte’s Gulls, and a modest variety of other species, but nothing else really special.
We next birded Driftwood Key, where lots of Dunlin had 4 more sanderlings, lots of Brant, and visited briefly with Mike Barry, Caroline was laying low with minor Covid vaccine #2 side effects.
This was followed by a stop on a nearby beach where 2 FOY for me Black Oystercatchers gave good scope distant views. This was one of 2 FOY birds for me with a reasonable likelihood, so nice to get.
We then cruised the Driftwood Key neighborhoods hoping for a Ring-necked Pheasant, and while Ken was studying a female RWBL, hoping to see his FOY Brown-headed Cowbird, a cock pheasant called loudly and flew right in front of us. Ken somehow didn’t react, and by the time he did was facing 180 degrees the wrong direction as to where the bird was flying. I grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him to see the pheasant as it flew over a clearing and dropped into the tall vegetation. FOY for both of us and a good laugh to boot.
Our last stop was at Point Julia, a great place for Black Scoter, where we saw an incredible 13 individuals, along with 7 Long-tailed Ducks, the seemingly resident Western Gull, and finished the day strongly.