Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Improvements to Navigation Environmental Studies. The Distribution and Abundance of Shorebirds during the 1981 Spring Migration at Grays Harbor, Washington

The shorebird migration was studied at Grays Harbor, a 94 square mile estuary on the Washington coast. During the last half of April and the first half of May 1981, a team of observers counted shorebirds daily at 11 census sites around the 50 mile shoreline. Migrants first appeared about 10 April and peaked 23-24 April, when about 1,000,000 shorebirds were present. Distribution and abundance of the 24 shorebird species are discussed relative to use of the major geographic subdivisions and the census sites in the harbor. Daily movements and behavior are described. Peregrine falcons were seen 16 times between 10 April and 7 May. The results of this study indicate that Grays Harbor is host to more shorebirds during the spring migration than any other estuary on the Pacific Coast south of Alaska. (Author)