Subject: Vancouver Lake Tricolored Blackbirds
Date: Nov 26 13:01:34 2000
From: Wilson E Cady - gorgebirds at juno.com


On Saturday, Nov. 25th Steve Mlodinow left a message with my son that he
had found at least three male TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS in the mixed flock of
Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbirds at
Vancouver Lake. Sunday my wife and I went down and saw the birds, the
flock is just south of the Frenchman's Bar County Park and hangs around
the farm with the cattle. There are about 1,000 birds in this flock and
it moves around a lot but with a little patience they will eventually
come back to the fields along Lower River Rd. Be careful when you stop
here as the road is very narrow with few pull off spots.
At the end of Lower River Rd. is Post Office lake on the Ridgefield
Refuge here we saw 48 GREAT EGRETS, 10 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 3
GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and 200 SANDHILL CRANES. On days when hunting is
taking place thousands of geese move to the fields that are closed to
hunting providing great viewing opportunities. During the non-hunting
days I think a lot of the birds including the egrets move to the areas
that are man free.
Wilson Cady
Washougal, WA.
gorgebirds at juno.com