..................Friday---JBL Whitetail Deer Refuge---Cathlamet, Wash.
Drove around the perimeter in the rain showers. 6
female COMMON MERGANSERS (where were the males???); PIED-BILLED GREBES;
CORMORANTS and RING-NECK DUCKS in the Elochoman River slough, ALONG WITH
1 greater yellowlegs 4 EURASIAN WIDGEONS (2 male and 2 female) midst
some 16 or so Am. WIDGEONS in the south ponds by the Columbia River.
SHOVELERS, BUFFLEHEADS, GREEN-WING TEALS, PINTAILS, AND MALLARDS there
also.
3 TURKEY VULTURES hovering over a deer carcass next to
Brooks Slough Rd on north end. HARRIER HAWKS; RED-WINGED and BREWERS
BLACKBIRDS and a SPOTTED TOWHEE flew past. Saw only 2 SWALLOWS though I
'm sure there were zillions more somewhere around. Still a few small
groups of smaller migratory CANADA GEESE around, though the bigger
yeararound residents were seen more often..
....................Sat.---Willapa Bay---Leadbetter Point on the Long
Beach Peninsula.
As the tide went out: 8 COMMON MERGANSERS; 1
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER; 1 WESTERN GREBE; PINTAILS; and BUFFLEHEADS.
As for shorebirds and long-legged waders: zillions
of DUNLIN ( in various stages of changing over into breeding
plumages); BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS ( many also in breeding attire);
WESTERN SANDPIPERS; a few LEAST SANDPIPERS; 5 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS; 1
WIMBREL; 6 GREATER YELLOWLEGS; and..........3 BLACK-NECKED STILTS in the
middle of all the Dunlin!!!! 14 GR. BLUE HERONS all in one area. L arge
flocks of BLACK BRANT settled far out in the middle of the bay. A mature
BALD EAGLE settled on a post; and a PEREGRINE FALCON made several passes
overhead. With all the Gulls were 3 CASPIAN TERNS.
A SONG SPARROW and a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER played
around above the grass marshlands; and a VARIED THRUSH flew through the
trees.
...................Ocean beach---north of Oysterville Rd: SANDERLINGS
everywhere; along with 4 SURF SCOTERS (4 males and 1 female) in the
water.. A few Dunlin present, but again, rain showers prevented me from
walking too far north.

...................And......then there was the pretty yellow Skunk
Cabbage everwhere!!!!!

...................Well, enough of this. Good night.......Gerald Hamilton

Brush Prairie, Wash.

gerald at e-z.net