Fall migration is in full swing and the last few weeks have been great for shorebirds in Western Washington – the impetus for writing this post.

Washington is an excellent state for shorebirds – some breeders, lots of migrants and occasionally a rare vagrant.  Altogether, sixty-one species have been seen in the state of which 16 are rare to exceedingly rare vagrants – some seen only a single time.  Migrating shorebirds come through in both in the spring (roughly March through May) and again in the Fall (roughly July through September although there is some carryover into October).  Because of the tidal mudflats and seashore habitats, far more species and individuals of  shorebirds are seen in Western Washington than Eastern Washington but a couple – Black Necked Stilt and American Avocet are common East and rare West and Wilson’s Phalaropes and Long Billed Curlews are somewhat more common in the East.

Of the 61 species ever reported in Washington, I have been fortunate to have seen 48 with the remaining 13 quite rare indeed.  I may someday see a few of them but I would be surprised if it will be more than a few, at least in the State itself.  In fact in all of my birding elsewhere in the ABA area, I have seen only three of those missing 13 species.  So far in 2018, I have seen 41 shorebird species in Washington.  The seven seen previously but not this year are:  Hudsonian Godwit, Wood Sandpiper,  Lesser Sand Plover, Red Necked Stint, White Rumped Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper and Wilson’s Plover.  I have seen the latter three elsewhere this year.  All of the others save the Hudsonian Godwit (regular in the Central Flyway) are extremely rare anywhere in the U.S. except in Alaska where only the Red Necked Stint is seen regularly.

Washington has good migration in both the Spring and the Fall but more species are seen in the Fall.  As I said, my shorebirding has been very good the past week or two.  Among the best species seen were Buff Breasted. Pectoral, Baird’s, Semipalmated and Sharp Tailed Sandpipers, American and Pacific Golden Plovers, Ruff, and Red Necked Phalarope.  Here are photos of the shorebirds seen this year, in Washington, others out of State in 2018, others out of State prior to 2018 and then lists of birds not seen.

Washington Shorebirds – 2018

Black Oystercatcher – Fort Flagler SP – February 22, 2018

Black Bellied Plover – Tulalip Spit – September 11, 2018

Snowy Plover – Grayland Beach – January 28, 2018

Killdeer – Hoquiam STP – May 3, 2018

Whimbrel – Camano Island Rekdal Road – May 13, 2018

Long Billed Curlew – Nisqually NWR – July 5, 2018 (No photo this is from Bottle Beach – September 2015)

Bar Tailed Godwit – Hayton Preserve – June 26, 2018 (No photo then – this photo is from Westport Marina – August 2018)

Marbled Godwit – Bottle Beach – August 11, 2018

Buff Breasted Sandpiper – Ocean Shores Game Range – September 23, 2018 – (No photo then – this photo is from Midway Beach 2012)

Pectoral Sandpiper – Ocean Shores Game Range – September 23, 2018

Semipalmated Sandpiper – Eide Road – May 13, 2018 (Photo from same spot – September 2014)

Baird’s Sandpiper – Wiley Slough – August 24, 2018 

Semipalmated Plover – Open Beach South of Westport – August 11, 2018

Red Knot – Bottle Beach – May 18, 2018

Sharp Tailed Sandpiper – Wylie Slough – September 20, 2018

American Golden Plover – Ocean Shores Game Range – September 23, 2018

Pacific Golden Plover – Ocean Shores Game Range – September 23, 2018

Ruff – Jakle’s Lagoon – San Juan Island – July 16, 2018

American Avocet – Redmond, WA – May 5, 2018

Ruddy Turnstone – Bottle Beach – May 3, 2018

Dunlin – Ocean Shores Game Range – September 23, 2018

Sanderling – Open Beach South of Westport – August 11, 2018

Solitary Sandpiper – Puyallup – July 24, 2018

Greater Yellowlegs – Three Crabs – September 19, 2018

Lesser Yellowlegs – Wylie Slough – August 24, 2018

Willet – Tokeland Marina – August 11, 2018

Black Turnstone – Ocean Shores Pt. Brown Jetty – September 23, 2018

Wandering Tattlers – Westport Jetty – August 1, 2018

Rock Sandpiper – Ocean Shores Pt. Brown Jetty – January 3, 2018

Surfbird – Ocean Shores Pt. Brown Jetty – January 3, 2018

Western Sandpiper – Jakle’s Lagoon – San Juan Island – July 16, 2018

Short Billed Dowitcher – Bottle Beach – May 18, 2018

Long Billed Dowitchers – Wylie Slough – August 24, 2018

Wilson’s Snipe – Ridgefield NWR – January 7, 2018

Wilson’s Phalarope – County Line Ponds – May 19, 2018

Red Necked Phalarope – Westport Pelagic – August 12, 2018

Red Phalarope – Westport Pelagic – August 12, 2018

Black Necked Stilt – County Line Ponds – April 19, 2018

Spotted Sandpiper – Oso Loop Road – July 10, 2018

Stilt Sandpiper – Wylie Slough – August 24, 2018

Least Sandpiper – Tokeland Marina – January 27, 2018

Outside of Washington in 2018

American Oystercatcher – Salt Pond, North Carolina – May 31, 2018

Wilson’s Plover – Corpus Christi, TX – April 3, 2018 (In WA in October 2012)

Piping Plover – Corpus Christi, TX – April 3, 2018

Upland Sandpiper – King Ranch, TX – April 6, 2018 (In WA – September 2013)

White Rumped Sandpiper – Rodanthe, North Carolina – May 30, 2018

Shorebirds Seen Earlier than 2018 but Not This Year (Washington and Elsewhere)

Lesser Sand Plover – Open Beach above Ocean Shores – August 16, 2015

Red Necked Stint – Crockett Lake, Whidbey Island, WA – July 8, 2017

Mountain Plover – Colorado – April 7, 2016

Far Eastern Curlew – Adak, Alaska – May 29, 2016

Hudsonian Godwit – Semiahmoo Spit – September 29, 2015

Purple Sandpiper – Kitty Islet, Victoria, B.C. – January 12, 2017

Common Snipe – Adak, Alaska – May 30, 2016

 

Shorebirds in ABA Area Seen but No Photographs
American Woodcock	Assateague Island National Seashore -MD	11-May-75
Bristle-thighed Curlew	Nome River (Nome-Kougarok Rd) – AK	4-Jun-16
Northern Jacana	Manor Lake, TX	25-Apr-78
Spotted Redshank	Fort Stevens SP–South Jetty/Parking Area – OR	26-Feb-81
Wood Sandpiper	Samish Flats–West 90 – WA	11-Aug-11

Washington Shorebirds Not Seen in State
Common Ringed Plover	Great Knot
Curlew Sandpiper	Jack Snipe
Eurasian Dotterel	Gray Tailed Tattler
Little Stint	Bristle Thighed Curlew
Spotted Redshank	Piping Plover
Temminck’s Stint	Mountain Plover
Little Curlew
Italics – seen out of State