There was mud at the Yakima River Delta (Richland) today though many
shorebirds were so distant that they were difficult to identify. At the
west end of the delta I found 1 Spotted, 8 Least and 3 Western Sandpipers,
both yellowlegs, Killdeer, and a Wilson's Snipe. There was also a Sora.
Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons were unavoidable. Two dowitchers and 4
Red-necked Phalaropes were about mid-delta.

The birds on the farthest mudbar appeared to be mostly peeps but a few
slightly larger birds were present so I decided to scope another area from
the northwest edge of Bateman Island. From there I could see that there
were at least 2 Baird's and 6 Pectoral Sandpipers among many peeps and
Killdeer. At least 6 Red-necked Phalarope were swimming along the edges.
Tern numbers are way down. Most Forster's seem to have gone. I noted 2
Forster's and 1 Common Tern.

I did not spend a lot of time on land birds on Bateman but did note that at
least 2 Gray Catbirds were still there. Yellow-rumped Warbler numbers are
increasing. White-crowned Sparrows are back in healthy numbers. I heard 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch. An escaped Zebra Finch was heard and seen again.

Nancy

Bill and Nancy LaFramboise
Richland WA