Hello Tweets,

Today Dave Hayden, and my mother and I birded in Lewis, Clark, Cowlitz, and
Thurston Cos., covering areas from the Centralia Steam Plant to Ridgefield
NWR in the morning, then north to Nisqually NWR in the afternoon, covering a
few additional locations in between on route coming back north. The weather
was exceptional with mostly sunny skies, with low clouds in the morning, but
moderate wind at times in the afternoon, and we were able to locate a total
of 120 species for the day. The main purpose that proved successful was the
search and attempt for WHITE-FACED IBIS, which were able to locate a total
of 36 birds at the River S Unit of Ridgefield NWR, in addition to other
quality highlights listed below at mentioned locations.

We started at 6am at the Centralia Steam Plant, east of Centralia in Lewis
Co., where highlights included:

1 pair of Cinnamon Teal
14 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS
1 LEAST SANDPIPER
1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER
1 adult Cooper's Hawk
3 calling Virginia Rails

Next, we headed south to the River S Unit of Ridgefield NWR in Clark Co.,
where we arrived at 8:40am, where we spent a generous search of the driving
loop, as we were fortunate to encounter many highlights, as well as running
into Wilson Cady and his wife, where we watched 1 of 3 seperate flock of
White-faced Ibis that contained 10 birds, with 21 birds circling, then
coming in from the north high over the town of Ridgefield, as we watched
them land and feed with the previous flock to contain a total of 31 birds.
The first flock of the day was of 5 birds flying north from the
headquarters, just west of the main entrance. We were quite fortunate to
observe the flock of 10 birds, as they foraged along the exposed mudflats of
a drying pond at the south end of the loop, as most other previous
observations were mostly of flying birds noted by other observers. Another
quality highlight, being the second Clark Co. record was 3 BLACK TERNS also
noted along the south portion of the driving loop, as the hawked for insects
over the open water, but they were also noted resting on exposed vegetation
on the open lake. The other other record in Clark Co. comes from this same
location last year during mid-May, and the same number of birds, being also
a quality western WA bird, but to be looked for in spring migration, and
occasionally in fall.

Other notable highlights during our extensive visit at this location,
including a short visit to the Carty Unit at the north end of the refuge in
the afternoon included:

7 Am.Bitterns
1 GREAT EGRET
1 GREEN HERON
1 TUNDRA SWAN(presumably injured)
27 Wood Ducks
38 Blue-winged Teal
71 Cinnamon Teal(high count, as this species seems to favor this location,
greatly outnumbering the previously mentioned species)
1 pair of Am.Wigeon
1 female BUFFLEHEAD
8 Ruddy Ducks(rare breeder at this location)
16 Virginia Rails
14 Sora
9 BLACK-NECKED STILTS
18 Greater Yellowlegs
1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS
5 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS
2 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS
3 Purple Martins
1 CASSIN'S VIREO
1 calling YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
17 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS

After birding Ridgefield NWR, we checked Kress Lake, north of Kalama in
Cowlitz Co., where we walked around the north part of the lake, but were
only able to add a few species for the day, including our only
Black-throated Gray Warbler, but observed good numbers of Band-tailed
Pigeons north of Kalama along I-5, and at this location, including the
largest flock that consisted of 75+ birds, as they flew over the highway
coming from feeding along the railroad tracks in search if spilled grain and
seeds, then roosting in tall Black Cottonwood tress, then continuing east.

Continuing north, we stopped briefly at the Lacey Clearcut, where we managed
at locate at 4 Chipping Sparrows, and 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, as
highlights here before arriving at the Nisqually NWR at 4:30pm, where we
walked to the observation tower at the northeast corner of the refuge in
search of any addtional species for the day, with highlights that included:

1 pair of Blue-winged Teal
1 pair of Wood Ducks
6 WHIMBREL
1 MARBLED GODWIT
5 Dunlin

Mammals:

25 Elk at the Centralia Steam Plant(foraging in grassy fields, then resting
along a nearby hillside with 2 Black-tailed Deer)
9 Nutria at the River S Unit of Ridgefield NWR
1 Mink at Nisqually NWR
good numbers of Harbor Seals off Nisqually Delta, and Eastern Cottontails
along the east trail along the Nisqually River.


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net