Margaret and I fumbled our way for first time into Ridgefield NWR today on
return from visit with daughter and fiance in Salem. Our visit was in
mid-afternoon, full cloudcover of moderate height, no precip, relatively calm. We
settled for driving circuit of "S" unit , given time constraints. We probably
saw at least a dozen other vehicles during our visit.

Our tour was brief. Doubtless we missed seeing and identifying many
species. Coots were the most commonly seen spp., if not necessarily the highest in
numbers seen. Nuance there is that coots were visible almost anytime we saw
any bird at all. But most common bird in total numbers, to our unpracticed
eyes, was Tundra Swan, at least many hundred being present. We were initially
thrilled to see a couple dozen in the air at a distance (the strokes of
those huge yet graceful wings had me totally agog), but shortly after realized to
our joy that the large pond at south end of loop was lousy with them.

Red-winged blackbirds were playing out on the ice. Northern Shovelers were
fairly common, Mallards less so, and (probable) Buffleheads infrequent.
Raptors were common but tough for an amateur to distinguish. Two modest-sized
ones (very low-flying to the point of dropping into marsh grass - Harriers?)
came within 20' of car. Later we saw two perched at a distance that seemed
huge by comparison, more or less eagle-sized.

Incidentally, generic raptors were a theme of the weekend. Once you started
watching roadside trees they seemed almost commonplace. I'd say I spotted a
perched one at least once per five miles on average whenever conditions
(driving and perch availability) allowed, and there were a couple stretches along
I-5 where we saw one every half-mile or so.

Of geese at Ridgefield, I can only confirm Canadian, and actually in pretty
limited numbers, compared, say, to what we saw on Saturday in municipal
Salem. There seemed to be many hundreds if not thousands there, together with a
number of Greater White-Fronts and lots of other smaller geese and ducks that
drive-bys did not allow for identification.

(Back at Ridgefield) I'm fairly certain we saw several Sandhill Cranes,
although at first we thought they were merely ungainly GBHs. But SO ungainly!
Where'd they get those stilts! Sibley does not appear to make any territory
distinction between Greater and Lesser Sandhills - is that the going wisdom,
that they are wholly coincident in territory? Those same Herons were quite
common, too, even out in the relative dry, apparently paid off to decoy for
Cranes, at least for rubes like us. Halloween "Lesser" costumes would fit them
pretty well - though I am convinced we saw "Greaters," wandering in one case
amongst a crowd of a hundred Canadian Geese.

And almost as fascinating to us as the birds (ok, that's a stretch) were the
rodents. We saw no fewer than eight of these dudes, ranging in size from
large (swimming) squirrel to full standard beaver - i.e., almost intimidating.
All were totally unflapped by autos. All very dark and quite furry, but we
have not researched appearance of muskrat, mountain beaver, and apparent
recent invader nutria. Is latter relatively hairless like opossum?

Paul Johanson
North Beach (N. Ballard)