There was an open house field trip at the Steigerwald Lake
National Wildlife Refuge today, about twenty five people walked on this
property east of Washougal, Clark County, WA. finding 45 specie.
The best bird of the day was a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE along Highway
14.
Other specie of interest (at least to us) were, several pair of LESSER
SCAUP on the ponds where they have nested for the last three years. They
are not a normal breeding bird in the Northern Willamette Valley. Three
GREATER YELLOWLEGS, the first shorebirds other than Killdeer that I have
seen in the Gorge this year. Both TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were
common although I saw none there yesterday. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH were
calling in the Cottonwood groves where they have been all winter. I poked
around a little after the other people left and watched a LONG-TAILED
WEASEL attempt to take a hen CALIFORNIA QUAIL out of a flock of five. The
weasel was making short dashes through the blackberry patch and into the
flock which would scurry for a few feet and then just go back to feeding.
This evening I got a phone call from Suzy Whittey, who
volunteers on the Ridgefield Refuge. Today she found a blue-phase ROSS'
GOOSE at Frenchman's Bar County Park. Although very few of these birds
have ever been seen, she was the person who photographed the first
Washington State record a couple of years ago. That bird was in her
backyard when she lived in the last farm house on Lower River Rd. She
said that in the same flock there was another goose that was somewhat
like a White-fronted Goose but had a gray bill, was browner and did not
seem to be a White -fronted to her, watch for it.
Good birding,
Wilson Cady
Washougal, WA.
gorgebirds at juno.com
360-835-5947 gorgebirds at juno.com

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]