Subject: Ridgefield NWR May 4, 2003
Date: May 4 14:13:14 2003
From: washingtonbirder. Knittle - washingtonbirder at hotmail.com


Spent about 3 hours in the rain birding Ridgefield NWR this morning. Total species listed 63. Highlights included 1 Canvasback, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Bank Swallow, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Brown Creeper, 2 Black-headed Grosbeaks, and 1 singing Purple Finch.

Places stopped and highlighted species were:

Wooded ravine leading into refuge:
I expected a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, but heard none. Birds of note were a small flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees and a small flock of Bushtits. Also saw 1 Brown Creeper--not calling. However Winter Wrens, 2 Black-headed Grosbeaks, 1 Purple Finch, Steller's Jays and American Robins were vocal.

North half of loop before photo blind:
Water was high and no shorebirds except a few winnowing Wilson's Snipe, and Killdeer. Tons of Swallows mainly Barn, Violet-green, and Cliff. Still 8 Bufflehead which in a week or two will be heading north.

Photo Blind:
Yellow-headed Blackbirds vocalizing sounding like something needed oiled. Both Sora and Virginia Rails calling. 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Bewick's Wren, both Myrtle's and Audubon's type Yellow-rumped Warblers. No House Wrens as I had not long ago here.

South end of loop:
Tons of swallow which included at least 1 Bank, which I heard first then saw. A drab Canvasback. And both white-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows.

Ken Knittle, Vancouver, WA
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