Shorebirds and Waterfowl at Gray's Harbour. John Neville April 17, 2018, we crossed the Juan de Fuca Strait on the M.V. Coho and headed south on Highway 101 East. It's quite a pleasant drive past recreation areas, parks, the Salish Sea and river estuaries. A turning to the right on Hwy 108 took us to Gray's Harbor County. The Gray's Harbor Audubon Society web site provided us with detailed routes, birding hotspots, rare sightings and more. We tried Brady Loop Rd first: which was a mixture of wetlands and open fields. A farmer told us that the wintering trumpeter swans and snow geese had left the area 4 to 6 weeks ago. We did enjoy a harrier stooping for a mammal in the middle of a golden daffodil field. Savannah and white-crowned sparrows called in the grasslands while cottonwood trees provided nest sites for tree swallows. A male killdeer gave his typical calls as we drove slowly by and the female gave her high pitched trilling alarm call: we must have been very close to her scrape in the roadside gravel. The male flew away to distract us, but the female only moved a few metres. We traveled on about 65 km to Ocean Shores. The main hotspot for us in this area was the ocean beach, which we approached from Chance a la Mer Rd. Vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach. The wind carried the rich aroma of crab as the roaring waves crashed on the shore. People were harvesting razor clams but our interest was the birds! Western/Glaucous-winged hybrids were the norm, locally known as Olympic gulls. The highlight was a swarm of about 2000 shorebirds. As far as we could tell they were all least sandpiper, western sandpiper, and sanderling. All three species foraged along the surf line. We were allowed to stand just a few metres away without interrupting their feeding. On a second visit there were semipalmated plover and dunlin amongst the swarming flocks. On the third visit, we spotted a short-billed dowitcher using its bill like the needle on a sewing-machine to probe for food in the shallow water. Another hot spot for us was Perkins Lake near the end of the Ocean Shores peninsula. Just before dawn, deer were still asleep on front lawns. The lake water was perfectly calm, but the low roar of the ocean could be heard in the background. The Pacific tree frogs were noisy until dawn broke. A statuesque great blue heron stood poised, waiting for breakfast to arrive. A silent common loon stayed in the middle showing off his black and white plumage! The distinct "wahwah” call of a hooded merganser came across the lake. A belted kingfisher circled the lake, being careful to avoid the bank where we stood. A raucous mob of about 50 crows collected on a power line by the lake before dispersing to parts unknown. A male mallard came and went several times, calling incessantly. Like a burst of wind or a jet landing, a flock of sanderling rocketed by. More leisurely chevrons or V formations of snow geese honked, as they flew by. There were three lesser scaup on the water, the male in breeding plumage. A song sparrow was mimicking a Bewick's Wren, which also had a territory in the salal. We used the campground in the state park. For a treat we enjoyed breakfast out with razor clams, shrimp and crab omelettes. Then another day at lunch, seafood pie at the Irish pub, yum! The local Audubon Society has a shorebird festival at the end of April each year. You can find maps, routes, hot spots, rarities and more, at: Gray's Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival. There's also an info center at Ocean Shores, but we relied on the website and our shorebird books. Above all, the presence of shorebirds, snow geese cleaving their way north, and longer days all proclaim, that spring is with us again.