Hello all,
On Thursday the 27th while Mike was doing Audubon Adopt a road cleanup I ran
up to McNary NWR HQ. Walked out to the Russian Olive that will be known as
the "Prothonotary Tree" and pished and out jumped a 1st winter Swamp Sparrow
and a late Common Yellowthroat along with the usual Song & WC Sparrows.
Plenty of Yellow-rumps and a couple of Orange-crowns still in the area.
Walked on west and in the first clump of Russian Olives was a White-throated
Sparrow in with the White-crowns.
On the Walla Walla river delta were 12 Dunlin and a Black-bellied Plover.
The Tyson ponds were empty - hunted?probably. The "Poop piles" along hwy 12
are covered with gulls already - and the piles this year are right along the
pull-out which will make it easier to stop and look those gulls over. Lots
of Herring and Glaucous-wings in with the Ring-billed and California.
In the afternoon Mike had White Creek Wind Turbine meetings in Goldendale
and I birded Ekone Park while he was busy. Scrub Jays and Lesser
Goldfinches were the most active birds. Pished out Bewick's and Winter Wren.
Driving back to the Klickatit PUD to pick Mike up I saw a very leucistic
(white) Crow fly over the courthouse.
Yesterday afternoon (the 28th) we birded Maryhill State Park. There were 2+
Scrub Jays and 2 Steller's Jays (Cascades race) visiting the Pin Oaks and
carrying off acorns to places unknown. Many robins and waxwings visiting the
Hackberry trees. A Black-crowned Night-Heron was in the gravel pond. Looked
through the Yellow-rumps and found 1 Orange-crowned but nothing else. Lots
of White & Golden-crowned and 1 Fox Sparrow.
Stopped at Sundale Park (3 Lesser Goldfinches) and Roosevelt park (four
Lesser Goldfinches) - getting real close to Benton County!!!
Good Birding, MerryLynn

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Mike & MerryLynn Denny
1354 S. E. Central Ave.
College Place, WA 99324
509.529.0080 (h)

IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BIRDING, YOU HAVEN'T LIVED!
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