All,
Spent the day birding with Steve Mlodinow and Bruce LaBar in Southern
Washington, mainly in Clark and Clowlitz counties with a quick stop in
Portland OR. Weather wasn't too bad, Rain at times but mostly cloudy all
day.

1st stop was the Ridgefield Auto Loop, where we didn't have anything really
great, a few WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, 50+ LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, many
returning TREE SWALLOWS and a few VIOLET-GREENS, 1 drake WOOD DUCK, and a
pair of CINNAMON TEAL. A later stop at the Carty unit yielded about 250 or
so TREE SWALLOWS, otherwise it was dead.

Vancouver Lake area was also quite slow, sparrow numbers were quite down.
Cranes are moving through as are Cackling Geese.

We then headed to Portland where the wintering male breeding plumage (well,
mostly) SUMMER TANAGER was well observed for 5-10 minutes after taking about
5 minutes to locate. It was chased off by a House Sparrow and we didn't see
it again. (Check Portland RBA for directions as I don't know them).

After a repeat performance at the Ridgefield locations again, we headed to
Cowlitz County and birded the Dike Access Road. Highlights at various
locations included:
1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
1 BRANT in a flock of Cackler's

Large gull flock (ca. 11000) on a sandbar feeding on Smelt which are running
in the Columbia River:
4950 MEW GULLS
3300 HERRING GULLS
1100 GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS
1100 RING-BILLED GULLS
550 CALIFORNIA GULLS
4 THAYER'S GULLS
1 WESTERN GULL

also about 300 GREATER SCAUP
1 LESSER SCAUP
40 WESTERN GREBES
1 MALE SURF SCOTER in the river.

Thats about it.
Cheers and Good Birding

*********Ryan Shaw************
****7108 Blue Jay Court SE****
****Lacey Washington 98503****
******Home (360) 491-1804*****
******Cell (360) 789-6750*****
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