The rain had us birding from the car nearly all day with just an hour or so of sunlight Saturday afternoon. It knocked our total by a dozen birds or so with us finding only 60 species. Areas covered were Ridgefield (both units), Vancouver Lake and Lower River Road to Post Office Lake. Highlights of the day were 1 Greater White-fronted Goose, 1 odd Cackling Goose with a pure white chest, lots of Canvasbacks on Post Office Lake, many Great Egrets which is normal, but all were around Vancouver Lake with none on the refuge, 1 Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk, 30+ Sandhill Cranes, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Anna's Hummingbird, 1 Red-breasted Sapsucker, 2 White-breasted Nuthatches at the Carty Unit, 1 Hermit Thrush, 1 heard Swamp Sparrow at the Carty Unit across the water just past the new wooden building. Pishing was not close enough to be effective to talk the Swamp Sparrow into showing itself.

Lots of high water with less than normal waterfowl. Post Office Lake was the heaviest concentration of ducks.

Ken Knittle
Washington Birder
2604 NE 80th Street
Vancouver, WA 98665
360.574.2590
email to: washingtonbirder at hotmail.com<mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com>