Subject: Fri. eve. at Ridgefield NWR.............
Date: Jun 6 17:22:42 2004
From: gerald - gerald at e-z.net
...............Stayed and hiked 4 hours to 8:30 pm---weather was
sunny--in the upper 70's..
...............Quite a cornucopia of bird life---both on the trail and
along the road (.....River-S unit)., despite the early dried-out
wetlands in many areas. A good number of GREAT EGRETS with one smaller
egret( with black billl) flying overhead (....SNOWY EGRET????----rare
here!!!). BLUE HERONS, CINNAMON TEALS; MALLARDS. COOTS; and RED-WINGED
BLACKBIRDS everywhere.
...............Some less common species observed.:
6 RUDDY DUCKS
1 GADWALL
5 WIDGEONS
4 WOOD DUCKS (M&F)
1 LARGE RED-TAILED HAWK
4 CANADA GEESE
1 AM. KESTREL
1 AM. BITTERN
1 FOX SPARROW
5 SAVANNAH SPARROWS
1 MARSH WREN
2 WOOD PEEWEE
1 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER
1 PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER
1 WESTERN TANAGER ( M)
GOLDFINCH
1 SCRUB JAY
2 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS
1 SPOTTED TOWHEE
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES
3 CEDAR WAXWINGS
COMMON SNIPES (.........heard, but not seen)
.And..............zillions of "boring" STARLINGS,
CROWS, ROBINS, and a number of different species of SWALLOWS (
noticeably the 5 BARN SWALLOW nests(....all with hungry mouths gaping at
me) in the observation house at Rest Lake And.........to all the rest of
my winged friends that were present, I'm sure, but weren't seen by me..
..................Cheers
Gerald Hamilton---gerald at e-z.net
Brush Prairie, Wash.
..