Subject: [Tweeters] Clark & Cowlitz Counties
Date: Dec 10 11:33:29 2005
From: Paul Webster - paul.webster at comcast.net
Hi Tweets,
Ann and Don Schaechtel joined Barbara and me for a trip to the Ridgefield NWR on Friday, December 9. We arrived at the Carty Unit at 9:15 am and spent 2? hours in bright sunshine with temps rising from 32 early into the mid 40s. At noon we moved to the River "S" Unit and birded the auto loop.
We found many of the usual suspects, plus a few others to make the morning interesting. Along with numerous Tundra Swans we saw and heard about 8 Trumpeters and watched a single White-fronted Goose overhead trying to catch up with a group of Canadas. The high point of the morning for us was a flock of 39 Sandhill Cranes bugling to each other as they left the refuge heading north - presumably for the bottomlands in Cowlitz County along the Columbia. Most of the ponds were at least partially ice-covered, and many ducks were content to stand or sit in the sun on the ice. Across from the plankhouse we watched 5 River Otters chasing each other about and sliding across the ice into the water, observed by a Great Blue Heron with wings widespread to catch the sun. Raptors included Bald Eagles, Harriers, a single first-winter Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawks, and Kestrels. We also had good views of a Cooper's Hawk near the photo blind and a short look at a Merlin at the base of the hill by the entrance to the River S Unit.
Before heading back to Seattle we drove around the dike road west of Woodland in Cowlitz County, surprising a lone Snow Goose in one of the fields and raising a large group of Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos at the side of Kuhnis Rd. More than 100 Sandhill Cranes foraged in groups about the agricultural fields, and there were good numbers of waterfowl in the Lewis River and the sloughs along the Columbia. This was our first birding visit to Cowlitz County, and the numbers of birds here will probably bring us back for another winter visit. Altogether we saw 58 species on a fine day for birding in Clark and Cowlitz Counties.
Pied-billed Grebe - 3 at Ridgefield, 4 along Dike Road
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret - 8 at Ridgefied
Trumpeter Swan - 8+ at Ridgefield
Tundra Swan - 200+ at Ridgefield
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose - 1 in Woodland Bottoms
Canada Goose - 200+ in ponds, rivers, and overhead
Cackling Goose - c 20 at Carty Unit
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup - 4 overhead at Carty Unit
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye - 1 male in Lewis River
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle - 4 seen
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1 first winter bird at Carty Unit
Red-tailed Hawk -- 50+
American Kestrel
Merlin - 1 at River S Unit
Sandhill Crane - about 150 total for both counties
American Coot
Killdeer
Wilson's Snipe - two birds at River S Unit
Mew Gull
Rock Pigeon
Red-breasted Sapsucker - 1 at Carty Unit
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub Jay
American Crow
European Starling
Spotted Towhee - at least 12 seen & heard at Ridgefield
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow -- more than 50 at the Carty Unit
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net