Late start for a birding field trip? Tides and timing are everything when trying to watch shorebirds. Scopes and binoculars generally are essential too. Don't forget your Discover Pass for parking. We'll meet at Hayton Access on Fir Island Road, just south and around the corner east of the Snow Goose Produce stand. Look for sign along the road. Official directions: From Interstate 5, take Exit 221 (Lake McMurray/Conway) and turn west. Drive 0.1 mile. Turn right (west) onto Fir Island Road. Drive west 3.2 miles. Turn left (south) at Wash. Depart. of Fish and Wildlife sign. Drive 0.5 mile to parking area.
The birds can be quite distant there, especially when water first starts to fill the basin, so we encourage people who have them to bring scopes. The main focus will be shorebirds, but if they are present in numbers we'll likely see one or two predators (e.g., peregrine, merlin, northern harrier) and of course the fall migration will be in full swing by then so we should see some waterfowl and whatever passerines happen to be passing through. We will probably move to Wiley Slough after the first stop.
Please join us for our first fall field trip.Leader: Neil O’Hara, neiloh52@gmail.com