Today at the River S Unit of Ridgefield NWR, I saw a PALM WARBLER around
12:30 pm in the wooded area near the Rest Lake observation blind. I was
afforded excellent views of the supercilium and yellow undertail coverts. I
last saw the bird as it flew off to the north.

Also at the River S Unit was an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE, which briefly landed
on the road and perched on the cattails along the road in the early part of
the auto-tour route (just before the gate where the hunters go straight and
the non-hunters turn left). A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was near the Rest Lake
observation blind, as was a beautiful dark-morph RED-TAILED HAWK which I've
seen there several times. Once again, the RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was in the
woods south of the Kiwa Trail parking lot. A light-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
was along the road in the southeast portion of the auto-tour route. As
darkness approached, two AMERICAN BITTERNS appeared, and one was kind enough
to capture a vole just feet from my car. At least two SHORT-EARED OWLS also
appeared at dusk, as they have been doing lately.

On the non-bird front, a NORTHERN RIVER OTTER was in the water along the
road just south of the woods.

Scott Carpenter
Portland, Oregon