Subject: verm. flycatcher + brambling, 7 Jan (twitching in the rain)
Date: Jan 8 14:26:37 1996
From: David Wright - dwright at u.washington.edu


The Vermilion Flycatcher at Ridgefield put on a good show in light
rain Sunday am ca. 10 - 10:30. It worked its way up and down the barbed
wire fence, coming at one point to within about 30 feet of us. We didn't
encounter the Red-shouldered Hawk, but didn't really want to hang around
looking for it with the Brambling waiting in Naselle. Scrub Jays were
out in force.

The Brambling is definitely worth the drive -- a much flashier bird than
I had anticipated. Rex Ziak's backyard is full of bird feeders, including
a few really wild ones, and you can watch for the brambling in dry comfort
from beneath a covered carport. Apparently it is most reliably seen in the
late morning and mid-afternoon (though we saw it for about 10 min just
after 1pm). For reference, the drive from Naselle to Seattle via Raymond
and Chehalis takes about 3 hours. We stopped at Elk Prairie Rd to look
for White-tailed Kites, but really could not see much in the heavy rain
and fog-shrouded trees.

David Wright
dwright at u.washington.edu