Subject: Weekend birding
Date: Oct 20 19:41:37 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - GODWIT at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

On the 19th and 20th of October my mother and I birded a combined trip in
both Washington and Oregon with several key highlight species that were
noted to be listed below. We encountered fairly cloudy weather both days
with very foggy/drizzly weather on the 19th in the Chinook area of Pacific
Co.,but further south temperatures were much warmer in Oregon during our
visit to the Fernhill Wetlands at Forest Grove on the evening of the 19th
and the morning of the 20th. WE birded most of the day in Wahkiakum Co. on
the 19th,then after 2:30pm we headed south into Oregon over the Astoria
Bridge and continued to the Fernhill Wetland,where we arrived at 5:15pm and
birded the area until 6:30pm with the juvenile SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER being
the main highlight. The next day on the 20th we birded the Fernhill Wetlands
until 11:30am along with many other local birders,then checked the grounds
at Pacific University in Forest Grove with up to 5 Acorn Woodpeckers
observed before we continued east then north into Washington and checked the
River S Unit of the Ridgefield NWR on our way home between 2pm-3pm.

Our trip began on the 19th in Wahkiakum Co.,where we joined Roger Orness on
Ken Knittle's extended field trip beginning at the Julia Butler Hansen NWR
at 8:30am and continuing west to Altoona at Grays Bay. The main highlights
of the field trip(previously mentioned in Ken Knittle's Tweeters
posting)included the BLACK PHOEBE heard and well seen at the Julia Butler
Hansen NWR headquarters, 17 adult White-tailed Kites in Wahkiakum Co. at 4
locations(with 11 birds respectively counted at the Julia Butler Hansen
NWR),1 Greater Yellowlegs at the Julia Butler Hansen NWR,and 28 BROWN
PELICANS observed along the Columbia River at Altoona-Grays Bay. Also of
note in Grays Bay as mentioned in Ken Knittle's Tweeters posting were very
large numbers of Greater Scaup and Western Grebes with lesser numbers of
other waterbird and waterfowl species including both White-winged and Surf
Scoters,Ruddy Ducks,and up to 10 Pelagic Cormorants noted at this inland
location,where this species is quite local probably due to the mix of both
fresh and saltwater. After 2:30pm we departed from Ken and Roger and headed
south into Oregon to the Fernhill Wetlands at Forest Grove.We arrived at the
wetland at 5:15am birded the wetland and located and photographed the bright
juvenile SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER from 5:30pm-6:30pm.Today(October 20th)we
began our day at the Fernhill Wetlands until 11:30am along with many other
birders,as we again observed and photographed the juvenile SHARP-TAILED
SANDPIPER from 7:45am-9:45am. We had an enjoyable time both days at this
location,as we birded and walked the remainder of the entire Fernhill
Wetlands until we left at 11:30pm along with visiting with a few local
birders,while watching the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and other notable species
to be listed below during both days.

9 Great Egrets both days
1 pair of Wood Ducks on the 20th
2 Ruddy Shelducks on the 20th(presumed escapees)
1 Lesser Scaup on the 19th
2 Hooded Mergansers on the 19th,with 4 there on the 20th
2 Am.Kestrel on the 20th
1 Peregrine Falcon on the 20th
1 Virginia Rail(heard only)on the 20th
1 Greater Yellowlegs on the 19th,with 8 there on the 20th
1 Lesser Yellowlegs on the 19th with 2 there on the 20th
172 Least Sandpipers with 242 there on the 20th
1 Pectoral Sandpiper on the 20th
1 Dulin on the 19th
132 Long-billed Dowitchers both days
37 Wilson's Snipe
1 Varied Thrush on the 20th
6 Am.Pipits on the 19th with 32 there on the 20th
12 Lincoln's Sparrows on the 20th

Next, at the campus grounds at the Pacific University at Forest Grove within
the large stand of oak trees we located up to 5 Acorn Woodpeckers and a
single Red-breasted Sapsucker foraging loosely in additional stands of trees
before we continued east and north back into Washington to the River S Unit
of the Ridgefield NWR from 2pm-3pm. We drove the entire "loop" drive with a
few notable highlights along with running into Wilson Cady and his wife
along the south portion of the loop near Rest Lake. Good numbers of
"Cackling"Canada Geese and lesser numbers of Sandhill Cranes filled the
skies in the surrounding area,but we manged to locate a few highlights
during or stay including:

2 Great Egrets
23 "Dusky"Canada Geese
4 Cinnamon Teal
3 Canvasback
3 Buffleheads
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 RED-SHOULDERED HAWK(heard calling north of the "loop" drive near the Kiwi
Trail access)
1 dark-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
2 Am.Kestrels
2 Peregrine Falcons(harassing an adult Bald Eagle near Rest Lake that
pursued a single Northern Pintail)
22 Wilson's Snipe
18 Am.Pipits


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net