...............Visited River-S unit after work today---a cold wind and
cloudy, with snow covered hills across the Columbia on the Oregon side.
.................Zillions of CANADA GEESE. Quite a fair sized number of
TUNDRA SWANS still present. Several large rafts of RUDDY DUCKS on
Rest Lake (...never have seen so many at one time!!!!!!) . One juvenile
AM. BITTERN stalking around the edges of same lake(.........lacked the
black neck marking of adult.).
.................18-24 WILSONS SNIPES by the road in shallow lake left
side of road before getting to Rest Lake( Ruddy Lake I think....)
.................Lots of RING NECK DUCKS, COOTS, GREEN-WINGED TEALS,
CINNIMON TEALS,, AND OTHER COMMON DIPPING DUCKS.. Many winteer ducks
have appeared to have left, but a few numbers still remain.
.................1 HARLINS RED-TAILED HAWK,2 HARRIER HAWKS (female), but
no Rough-legged hawk seen as was reported earlier.
..................TREE SWALLOWS are arriving:. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS around.
.................Anyway....lots and lots of water around, so ducks are
spread out more. Didn't see or hear any Sandhill Cranes---maybe gone north.

.................Cheers......Gerald Hamilton
Brush Prairie, Wash.
gerald at e-z,net