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

Date: July 28, 2002
Location: Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge, Yakima County, Washington

Low temperature: 80 degrees fahrenheit High temperature: 90 degrees fahrenheit
Prevailing wind speed: 1-5 km/h
Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 0%
Precipitation: none

I spent a couple of hours at the refuge today, mostly around the
headquarters area and first pond North of the HQ. Interestingly the
coyotes were singing around 8:00AM this morning, I usually only hear
them in the early hours or at dusk. The heat has not diminished the
population of ticks at all, in fact they seem to be thriving on it.
Bird activity was not bad for it being the time of the "July
duldrums". No shore bird activity to note as yet, mainly for a lack
of open mud. Notes on individual birds will follow.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Pied-billed Grebe [1]
American White Pelican [2]
American Bittern [3]
Great Blue Heron [4]
Black-crowned Night-Heron [5]
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
California Quail
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper [6]
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Western Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Black-billed Magpie
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Footnotes:

[1] Around 6 adults with lots of young
[2] 4 adults - no immatures
[3] 1 flushed from North pond
[4] Large goups of these, one group had 18 birds in it. This is the
largest gathering I've seen other than around a Heronry.
[5] 1 flushed from Toppenish creek at the headquarters bridge.
[6] one with one chick

Total number of species seen: 37