Subject: Census Count: Ridgefield NWR River S Unit, Clark County, Washington on June 18, 2001
Date: Jun 27 11:40:58 2001
From: contopus at home.com - contopus at home.com


This report was mailed for Wayne Weber by http://birdnotes.net

Date: June 18, 2001
Location: Ridgefield NWR River S Unit, Clark County, Washington

Wind direction: Variable
Prevailing wind speed: < 1 km/h
Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 0%
Precipitation: none

These observations were made from about 6:30 to 11:00 A.M. on Monday,
June 18, 2001.

Highlight was the discovery of 3 BLACK-NECKED STILT chicks,
apparently belonging to 2 different pairs. I learned later that the
chicks had been seen the day before (June 17) by Patrick and Ruth
Sullivan and Marv Breece. This is apparently the first confirmed
breeding record for western Washington.

Also of note were at least 6 BLACK TERNS which were actively foraging
and probably nesting in the area. At least 20 YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRDS, including both males and females, were seen near the
observation blind, and the high-pitched trilling of nestlings was
heard from one unseen nest. An immature PERGRINE FALCON was also
noteworthy.

Other vertbrates seen and heard included about 10 Eastern
Cottontails, 8 Bullfrogs, and 15 Pacific Tree-frogs.

During a brief visit the previous evening (June 17), 3 additional
bird species were seen, as follows:

Bald Eagle 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Vaux's Swift 1

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Pied-billed Grebe 15 [1]
American Bittern 6
Great Blue Heron 30
Great Egret 5
Canada Goose 1
Wood Duck 5
Gadwall 20 [2]
American Wigeon 3
Mallard 40 [3]
Blue-winged Teal 20
Cinnamon Teal 40 [4]
Northern Shoveler 5
Northern Pintail 4
Green-Winged Teal 6
Ruddy Duck 3
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Peregrine Falcon 1 [5]
Virginia Rail 5
Sora 3
American Coot 100
Killdeer 15
Black-necked Stilt 5 [6]
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Least Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 2
Common Snipe 20
Wilson's Phalarope 1 [7]
Black Tern 6
Rock Dove 6
Mourning Dove 5
Great Horned Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
Western Wood-Pewee 5
Willow Flycatcher 8
Steller's Jay 1
American Crow 20
Purple Martin 5
Tree Swallow 50
Cliff Swallow 10
Barn Swallow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Brown Creeper 2
Bewick's Wren 2
House Wren 5
Winter Wren 2
Marsh Wren 8
Swainson's Thrush 5
American Robin 40
European Starling 100
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 15
Western Tanager 3
Spotted Towhee 3
Savannah Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 25
Black-headed Grosbeak 6
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Yellow-headed Blackbird 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 8
Bullock's Oriole 1 [8]
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 12
American Goldfinch 15
House Sparrow 4

Footnotes:

[1] several broods seen
[2] several broods seen
[3] several broods seen
[4] at least one brood seen with female
[5] immature
[6] 3 chicks seen (about 1-2 weeks old), apparently belonging to 2
different pairs
[7] female
[8] male

Total number of species seen: 66