Hi Tweets,

I spent a few hours at Potholes State Park yesterday.
Late migrants were quite plentiful, with Yellow-rumped Warblers making up
the lions share of birds working the trees in the park. Most of the
Yellow-rumped were of the Audubon race (about 200 or so), but there were
many Myrtle race (15-20) mixed in. The only other warblers observed were
several Orange-crowned Warblers, which also gleaned aphids from the foliage.

Red-breasted Nuthatches, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden-crowned Kinglets
were also gorging on the plentiful aphids.

Northern Flickers were also feeding in the trees with over a dozen observed,
including one Yellow-shafted race which posed for one picture before moving
into the thick poplars. A Downy Woodpecker also worked the smaller limbs.

Thrushes were also well represented as well. Several Hermit Thrush drank
from puddles created by the sprinkler system as well as the seasons first
Varied Thrush. American Robins were very plentiful and were gorging on
Russian-olives.

The delta at the mouth of Frenchman's Wasteway has grown and the shorebirds
have multiplied. The diversity, however, has waned somewhat. Five or six
Western Sandpipers remain, along with 14 Long-billed Dowitchers. Over 150
Least Sandpipers are now working the delta. One Semipalmated Plover pecked
amongst the sandpipers, as did several Lesser Yellowlegs.

Ring-billed and California Gulls rested on the sand bars, as did a single
American White Pelican. Bonaparte's Gulls were again present, with 14
resting among the larger gulls.

All in all it was a fine day.

Doug Schonewald
Moses Lake, WA
dschone8 at donobi.net