.............I decided to make a quick visit to Ridhgeview Nat'l
Wildlife Refuge last Sunday, before the hunters come in to shoot ducks
next Sunday ( I have a problem here.....Why do they call this a *refuge*
when hunters are allowed to shoot ducks and geese 31/2 months of the
year??????? Maybe I have the wrong interpretation of the true meaning of
the words *wildlife refuge*. It certainly *isn't* a refuge to the
wildlife involved during this period!!!}
..............However, enough said on this topic!!!!!!! The day was
absolutely beautiful. The refuge has pumped water into the ponds and
wetlands for the coming winter residents, so the shorebirds have left.
No Canada Geese(Duskies mostly) have arrived yet, along with very few of
the wintering, migrant ducks. Where are the Widgeons that are usually
here several weeks ago. El Nino has been keeping the north Pacific
coastal area rather warm lately, and this may be a big factor in the
late arrivals.
..............Anyway, here's what I observed:

Red-tailed hawk(1)
Great Blue Herons(many!!!)
Am. Coots
Mallards(males starting to get their bright colors back...)
Barn and Tree Swallows(not many)
Semi-palmated Plovers(2)
Pintails (only 2!!!Widgeons(2)
Sharp-shinned or Coopers Hawk(seen from a distance in flight...so was
unable to be certain which species)
Savannah Sparrow(2)
Song sPARROWS
Pied-billed Grebes(3)
Sandhill Cranes(a flock of 70 in a field, plus numerous flybys going
toward Bachelors Island.)
Marsh Wrens
Red-winged Blackbird(1 female)

Gerald Hamilton
Brush Prairie, Wash.
gerald at e-z.net