-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ........Down California way!!!!
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 19:19:05 -0800
From: Gerald Hamilton <gerald at e-z.net>
To: "Wash. Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>



.................If you think you see alot of waterfowl on the local
wetlands in winter, ya' seen nothin'!!!!!
..................Visiting my daughter and grandkids 80 miles southeast
of Sacramento, Calif last week, and on the way back had time to drive
and walk through Grey Lodge State Wildlife area northeast of Colusa in
central Cal. valley. The *astronomical* numbers of wintering ducks and
geese seen will "blow your mind away"!!!! SNOW and ROSS GEESE cover
the ponds like snow in some ponds.( a hugh very noisy flock of Snow
Geese taking of like a thick cloud in a truly *awesome* sight!!!).
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, BLACK-NECKED STILTS; YELLOWLEGS; zillions of
REDWINGED and some TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS; COMMON MOORHENS;
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS; SANDHILL CRANES; AND AM. BITTERNS among the
duck multitudes of GADWALLS , RUDDYS', and the rest----the same species
as we see up here in winter , but "billions" more. REDTAILED and HARRIER
HAWKS and KESTRELS around looking for a meal. WESTERN BLUEBIRDS; PLAIN
TITMOUSE; PILEATED WOODPECKER; DOWNY WOODPECKER;WESTERN BLUEBIRDS;
COMMON YELLOWTHROATS; WHITE-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS
everywhere; NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD AND YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES; LESSER
GOLDFINCH AND BULLOCK'S ORIOLE; WEST. MEADOWLARKS; RUFUUS-SIDED and
CALIF. TOWHEES among other songbirds noted that we don't see in our area
or aren't up here in the wintertime. Flocks of HUMMINGBIRDS dining on
the flowers of the Equlyptis tree in the yard of my daughter.
.............3 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS and *lots* of GREAT EGRETS, a few
SNOWY AND CATTLE EGRETS seen along the I-5 freeway near Willows, CaliF.
.............Due to heavy rains Thursday didn't drive around the other
Sacramento NWR areas as plannned, but headed to the Cal. coast and drove
north along the spectacular south. Oreg coast.(esp. between Brookings
and Goldbeach) The tide was quite high so didn't walk much along the
beach because of limited sand area. Did see a number of BLACK
OYSTERCATCHERS; BLACK TURNSTONES; AND BRANDT'S CORMORANTS on the rock
outcroppings along with scads of GULLS.
............Enough.------Cheers!!!!!!

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