This report was mailed for Kerry Turley by http://birdnotes.net

Date: August 4, 2002
Location: Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge, Yakima County, Washington

Low temperature: 70 degrees fahrenheit High temperature: 80 degrees fahrenheit
Wind direction: Variable
Prevailing wind speed: 12-19 km/h
Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 10%

It was a beautiful day at the refuge today. When I arrived there was
a healthy Black-tailed Buck , with velvet covered forked horns,
walking through the yard of the refuge. The first place I went was
the small pond across the bridge and north of the refuge HQ. This
pond is drying fast and has lots of mud showing, which is attracting
some migrating shorebirds.

As the water decreases it is also concentrating the birds that depend
on it. Today it looked like family day at the refuge, with both
Virginia Rails and Soras feeding in the open along with their young
who were darting in and out of the catails and tules. Young Spotted
Sandpipers were stealthely stalking insects with their heads held low
and their tails held high they would spear an insect the instant it
would take flight, it reminded me of the foraging methods of the
Little Blue Heron, it was actually quite entertaining.

Another pleasant surprise was to have an American Pipit in with a
flock of Western Sandpipers, not a common bird for TWR in the summer.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Great Blue Heron [1]
Turkey Vulture [2]
American Wigeon [3]
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Virginia Rail [4]
Sora [5]
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs [6]
Spotted Sandpiper [7]
Western Sandpiper [8]
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Willow Flycatcher [9]
Eastern Kingbird
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
American Pipit [10]
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Footnotes:

[1] only 1, quite a drop from a week ago
[2] 2
[3] just starting to get it's color back
[4] 2 adults and 2 young
[5] 1 adult and 2 young
[6] 1 ea
[7] 1 adult with 4 young
[8] 14 ea.
[9] fitz-bew
[10] 1 ea in with the shorebirds

Total number of species seen: 33