Beach Birds at Salishan

The American Golden Plover, according to the Birds of Oregon book, is considered an "occasional to uncommon migrant" in western Oregon, and it's always a treat to see one. Yesterday this one was associating with a group of 16 Black-bellied Plovers on the ocean side of the Salishan spit at Siletz Bay.

The Golden with a Black-bellied Plover

When the beach got wider I moved higher into the drier sand, hoping to find Snowy Plovers. I did not find them, but I did have a close encounter with this Whimbrel resting among the driftwood logs.

Semi-palmated Plovers were numerous along a half-mile stretch of the beach, but difficult to see when they were not in motion.

The handsome Heerman's Gulls come north with the Brown Pelicans after their nesting season is finished in Mexico, adding some nice variety to the gull scene here.

A few dozen Western Sanpipers were scattered along the northern-most mile of the beach, picking up things around standing water, and occasionally bathing and preening.

Back on the bay side of the spit, in the marsh at the south end of Siletz Bay, a Great Blue Heron was stalking small critters in shallow pools.