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

Date: August 31, 2003
Location: Yakima County, Washington


I spent a few hours today looking for shorebirds along Marion Drain
Rd. which is near the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge. The only
shorebirds I could find were at the Zimmerman Ponds at Marion Dr. and
Lateral "A" Rd.

There were 5 GREATER YELLOWLEGS 4 were in juvenal plumage, very
crisp and bright 1 was an adult in very worn breeding plumage, with
them were 4 juvenile LESSER SANDPIPERS and 1 juvenile BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER. There was also a 1 GREAT EGRET on the pond. This was
notably the best stop of the day.

The pasture at Old Goldendale Rd. and Marion Drain Rd. is flooded but
only had a handful of KILLDEER and several dozen BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS,
but this field deserves watching as it sometimes produces good
shorebirds.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Northern Pintail
Green-Winged Teal
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Kingbird
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Total number of species seen: 37