Subject: [Tweeters] White-rumped Sandpiper near Wallula 6-19-05
Date: Jun 19 21:47:26 2005
From: Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets and NW Inlanders,

This morning between 5am-6am my mother and I relocated the adult White-rumped Sandpiper previously reported and found yesterday afternoon by Steve Mlodinow at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd."ponds" in western Walla Walla Co. The bird was nearly immediately located soon after we arrived from our 5 hour drive from Tacoma at the southern most(largest)pond,where it foraged loosely amongst a flock of 4 Killdeer and clearly showed most of the major field marks within the species. It was truly exciting to locate the bird so quickly and we felt very fortunate in seeing the bird,despite not getting any photographs of it. Our initial observation of the bird was approximately 15 minutes,where the bird foraged along the immediate shoreline near a large resting group of waterfowl and it seemed very nervous,as we watched it in our spotting scope. The bird clearly showed a long winged appearance similar to that of a Baird's Sandpiper,but its overall plumage was much darker and it still showed some breeding plumage. The mantle and back were quite dark at a distance,as we watched the bird from the gravel road,but at closer inspection yielded a slight indication of rusty tones on the cap and back similar to that of a Western Sandpiper,but not as extreme. The breast streaking was very limited to the breast and extended partially along the sides and the legs which were clearly black,as was the nearly evenly straight bill. After several minutes of our initial observation we lost the bird for 15 minutes,but then it was later relocated at the nearby neighboring pond just north of the southernmost pond,where we watched it for another 10 minutes until it and a lone Killdeer were flushed by a low-flying helicopter. During this observation the White-rumped Sandpiper showed more distinctive viewing with great lighting conditions,as it foraged with a small loose flock of Wilson's Phalaropes and Killdeer. The most distinctive feature was what we have been waiting for and that was seeing the white rump,which the bird yielded immediately upon lifting after being flushed off. The rump was very distinctive and we could see this field mark only briefly until if lifted higher in the sky,as it and the lone Killdeer flew in a northwesterly direction and could not be relocated upon more extensive searching of all the ponds at this location and "sludge"ponds along nearby Dodd Rd. We returned to the location soon after checking along Dodd Rd.,as more observers arrive to help in the search then we continued to other locations. We returned to the Dodd Rd.-Iowa Beef"ponds" at 11:30am,where we exchanged our sightings to a group of birders that had assembled along the gravel road as they scanned the ponds for the bird. Conditions at this time decreased due to heat waves,etc so viewing of the ponds was slightly poor,but still manageable. Despite not relocating the White-rumped Sandpiper again we enjoyed seeing several other migrant shorebird species,of which a few were not encountered at this location in previous visits. It is still very possible the White-rumped Sandpiper could be in the immediate area with more searching to be made upon upcoming days,but it could have moved to another location.

Other key highlights at the Dodd Rd.-Iowa Beef"ponds" included the following noteworthy species:

9 Black-crowned Night Herons
8 Ring-necked Ducks
1 pair of Greater Scaup
1 Bufflehead
1 Osprey
37 Am.Avocets
21 Black-necked Stilts
3 Greater Yellowlegs
5 Lesser Yellowlegs
2 Spotted Sandpipers
3 Western Sandpipers
1 Red-necked Phalarope

A check of the nearby Walla Walla River Delta produced the following species:

23+ Western Grebes
1 Clark's Grebe
15 Am.White Pelicans
3 Black-crowned Night Herons
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
2 immature Glaucous-winged Gulls
3 Common Nighthawks

A single Great Egret was observed near the Yakima River near Kennewick along with a single Peregrine Falcon observed flying over the I82/12 bridge over the Columbia River near Pasco,where it was being harassed by 4 Caspian Terns. Further west at the Horn Rapids Park along the Yakima River in Benton Co. a pair of Northern Mockingbirds were observed,as they foraged near the boat launch and scattered trees surrounding the picnic/parking lot area just north of the camping area within that park. These are most likely the same individual birds than reported by Bill and Nancy LaFramboise in late May and they could well be nesting at this location. The bird observed during our afternoon visit at 3pm were very vocal and elusive,but were at times very cooperative. Both birds seemed to visit a large clump of Cottonwood immediately north of the main parking lot just south of the boat launch area. Other noteworthy species encountered at this park included the following:

2 Black-crowned Night Herons
1 Osprey
2 Eastern Kingbirds
2 Gray Catbirds

Horn Rapids Park can be accessed off of S.R.240 along Horn Rd/S.R.225(just south of the Horn Rapids Dam).



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit at worldnet.att.net