On the hottest day, Wednesday, Sharon Aagaard and I, did the monthly survey
of the China Creek Course at Newcastle. We started at 0620 to beat the heat
and were done by 0915 with the temperature already up to 80. We had 28
species and a total of 381 birds seen and/or heard. Our most common species
were 36 AMERICAN CROW, 35 BARN SWALLOW, 35 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW and 56
SAVANNAH SPARROW. We saw 10 KILLDEER with nine feeding in one fairway. In
the best wetland on the course, we got one VIRGINIA RAIL to respond and
then just as we were leaving a juvenile Virginia Rail came into view and
gave us excellent looks for a minute. We had remained frozen still, but
when I slowly tried to get my camera out it scurried off into the reeds. We
had two flycatcher species - 2 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and 3 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS.
The Western Wood-Pewee was new for the year. The only other new species was
the COMMON RAVEN. There were four of them in a fir tree causing a noisy
ruckus about something. A female HOODED MERGANSER with 5 young was in one
pond and one in another pond. Other numerous species were 27 AMERICAN
ROBIN, 34 EUROPEAN STARLING, 20 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, 23 HOUSE FINCH, 14
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. We also enjoyed 4 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder AT earthlink.ne