.............Sunday afternoon, under cloudy to partly cloudy skies with
a few very light showers. Where??? At Ridgefield NWR--River S unit.
.............The 200-400 Long-billed Dowitchers that were seen the last
few weeks have utterly vanished....not even one left!!!!!! The only
shorebirds observed were at Quigly Lake (.......or rather should we say:
2 *small pools* of water left!!!!!!!!): 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Western
Sandpiper, and 5 Killdeer. Mallards and a few Green-winged Teals had the
rest of the water.
.............On Mantrap Lake(just past the gate on the road to the
maintainance shops) at the north end were 23 Great Egrets, and about 17
Great Blue Herons. 1 immature Green Heron, and a nervous Belted
Kingfisher (...and a bevy of frogs) were seen along the sloughs at the
west end. A new road and a reconstructed drainage slough are being
developed. Couldn't walk south very far as it seems the whole south half
of River-S Unit is now closed to public entry due to Bald Eagle nesting
sites.
..............Rest Lale almost completly dried up. However 9 large
Canada Geese apparently found the conditions to their liking. Lots of
Swallows---predominantly Barn and Cliff Swallows( a pair of Barn
Swallows were tending a new clutch of eggs in a nest in the observation
blind at Rest Lake).
.............2 Turkey Vultures still eyeball everything and
everyone!!!!! That's it!!!!!! Oh, I mustn't forget: 1 Red-spotted Garter
Snake!!!! Be back at RNWR when the Sandhill Cranes arrive ( in 3-4
weeks I suspect).

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