About 25 folks came on the Audubon Society of Portland field trip
yesterday to Vancouver Lake and Ridgefield. 62 species were tallied by
the group, plus we were able to watch a COYOTE actively mousing for about
15 minutes. Avian highlights included:
--A pair of BALD EAGLES sitting together on a branch and another pair on
a nest (one in, one next to).
--ABout 200 SANDHILL CRANES. Swan numbers were very low (all on Sauvie?)
--A NORTHERN SHRIKE that posed for 15-20 minutes allowing scope views
from as close as about 25 yards.
--A SHORT-EARED OWL being chased by CROWS at noon at the Flushing Channel.
--As pale a MERLIN as I've seen since I've been here--a brown immature or
female that was as light as most kestrels are underneath
--A nice PEREGRINE FALCON that was scoped by all
--GREATER SCAUP and WESTERN GREBES on Vancouver LAke
--Good comparitive looks at LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS next to GREATER
YELLOWLEGS
--About a dozen WESTERN MEADOWLARKS at Frenchman's Bar County Park
Not a bad day--beautiful sunshine, a double rainbow.

I'd agree with posts that duck numbers have seemed low the last couple of
days since I birded both sides of the river those days.
RK

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray Korpi "The affairs of state must take precedence
Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA over the affairs of state."
rkorpi at csci.clark.edu --William J. Clinton, oops,
President, Oregon Field I mean, LePtomaine
Ornithologists (from _Blazing_Saddles_)