Subject: [Tweeters] Saturday at Vancouver Lake/Shillapoo Bottoms
Date: Feb 19 14:42:16 2007
From: SGMlod at aol.com - SGMlod at aol.com


Greetings All

Sorry for the delayed report. After battles with fog in the AM, both my head
and the skies cleared around Vancouver Lake.

I was trying to study Cackling Geese, but found my attentions frequently
diverted.

At the inlet to Vancouver Lake (along Lower River Rd just before it splits
(left hand turn goes to Post Office Lake; straight goes past a park and then
dead ends):
1) and apparent Clarks x Western Grebe hybrid. Been there all winter. Bill
looks mostly like a WEGR (except a bit bright) and the face pattern looks all
CLGR.
2) a pair of Long-tailed Ducks.

Go straight past Vancouver Lake until road almost ends. On left there is a
large wetland packed with birds
1) 935 Dunlin
2) a flock of 59 yellowlegs flew silently in. Stood about for about 10
minutes and silently departed. 58 Greaters and 1 Lesser. There silent entrance and
departure, not to mention the number of birds, makes me wonder if they were
early migrants.
3) 2 G White-fronted Geese x minima Cackling Geese hybrids. Looked very much
like the pic in Sibley's book, except tiny (smaller than taverneri Cackling
Geese) with tiny little bills and dark bodies. Cute blighters. With parents,
apparently, as a minima and a GWFG were in close attendance. This particular
flock was almost entirely taverneri Cacklers and Dusky Canadas.
4) weird hybrid goose. Size of Snow Goose. Very dark body. Blackish neck,
with much white flecking anteriorly and a mostly white head. Bill pink and
somewhat Canada Goose like in shape. Looked very much like a bird Bill Tweit, Bruce
LaBar and I had hear in March a couple years back (may be same bird!). Shape
etc would suggest Snow Goose x Canada (or Cackling). In a broad sense, similar
to hybrids recently found in Columbia Basin.
5) 52 Great Egret.

Water Treatment Ponds. These are on right side of road as one is headed out
towards Vancouver Lake from I-5. Oddly, not a single RN Duck, though hundreds
of Lesser Scaup (in past, have seen 600+ RNDU here.
1) full "breeding" male RNDU x scaup. Bill with black tip and white band.
Hint of white at base of bill. Head RNDU like in shape. Back medium gray. Clearly
not black. Clearly darker than scaup. Sides even and whitish. Would have
called sides white, but a shade grayer than those of full "breeding" Lesser Scaup.
No white slash at "front" of "sides". Head with greenish gloss, similar to
bird I recently saw in Colorado. Interesting, because Lesser Scaups' heads
looked purple in same lighting (as many of you know, Lessers can sometimes look
green glossed at certain angles of light). Also, eye yellow not orange or red.

Beginning of Old Lower River Road. This is turnoff that goes past aluminum
plant. Was standing here looking at a few geese and had a Red-shouldered Hawk
calling persistently from willow forest.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow
Everett Washington