Subject: [Tweeters] Ridgefield NWR: GOLDEN-PLOVER & BONAPARTE'S GULL--NO But
Date: Jun 18 22:20:26 2007
From: Bill Clemons - willclemons at yahoo.com


Today from about 9:30am until around 5pm, I birded at
Ridgefield NWR (~4mi W of I-5 at Exit 14 in SW
Washington; http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ ).
It was clouded and cool until mid afternoon when it
became mostly sunny. I did not walk the Kiwa Trail
today.

Notably ABSENT today, were: PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER,
BONAPARTE'S GULLS, both species of YELLOWLEGS,
REDHEAD, and BLUE-WINGED TEAL, all of which I saw on
Saturday.

Highlights for the day:

* EARED GREBES NESTING: The previously reported pair
is about finished building a "floating" nest in open
water on Rest Lake. Actually it looks as if one is
already sitting while the other is finishing dressing
the nest. They are quite a ways off from whichever
vantage is used:
a) From the Blind: Only visible out the front
windows, and even then the nest is just to the left of
the first distant tree that blocks your view of the
lake to the South (right).
b) From the S side of Rest Lake: At the only turnout
on the S side, stand at the E edge of the turnout and
look toward the "three trees" on the E side of the
lake. Then move field glasses or scope to the Left,
counting two small white "boundary" signs off in the
distance beyond the lake. The nest is in open water
below the second sign.
c) From the E side: Clock a tad over 2 tenths of a
mile beyond the "Speed Limit 15" sign. On your right
(Easterly) side is Schwartz Lake, and in the mud out
about 70 feet or so is a Lone "willow tree/shrub" that
is about 8-10 feet tall. From here the nest is to
your left (Westerly) almost straight out in Rest Lake
about 250 yards.

* Also on Rest Lake there was a EURASIAN WIGEON drake
(it looked like a hen was hanging out with him), and a
CANVASBACK drake.

* YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD: Not many were seen on
territory today as many have fledged. As usual at
Ridgefield once this occurs, the kids can be seen on
Long Lake, begging from the parents. I saw and heard
several juveniles begging and chasing moms around. A
few dads were feeding them also and another "watching
over" the family.

* CEDAR WAXWING NESTING: While this species is
abundant, there is now one sitting on a nest on the
Left side the trail Returning from the Blind. The
nest is above the large "Bush" that dominates part of
the trail edge so that some folks duck to pass under
it. It is about 3-5 feet in on the end of the lowest
branch of an Oregon Ash that touches the top of the
bush. This "Bush" is about 15 feet in diameter and
about 15 feet tall and dense. Some large leaves have
been "draped" over the nest to add cover.

* I visited with Al Larrabee this morning and he had
seen a SORA Chick in the open on the right side of the
Blind. I did not see Sora or Rail today but heard
both near the Blind and elsewhere.


Bill Clemons
SW of Portland in Mtn Park
Willclemons AT Yahoo dot com


Complete list of 63 species seen / heard:

Pied-billed Grebe (+ babies)
EARED GREBE (pair building nest)
American Bittern (a few seen flying)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret (8 seen)
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck (+ babies)
Gadwall (+ babies)
American Wigeon
EURASIAN WIGEON
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal (+ babies)
Northern Shoveler
CANVASBACK
Ring-necked Duck
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk (adult and juvenile)
American Kestrel (using a flicker nest
box)
Virginia Rail (heard only)
Sora (heard only)
American Coot (+ babies)
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker (feeding at nest hole)
Hairy Woodpecker (near Kiwa Trail
entrance)
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee (seen and heard)
Willow Flycatcher (seen and heard)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (heard only)
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Tree Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (heard only)
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren (heard on entrance
canyon road)
Marsh Wren
Swainson's Thrush (heard only)
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (sitting in nest)
Common Yellowthroat
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD (males/females and
begging juveniles)
Brewer's Blackbird (feeding begging
juvenile)
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch



____________________________________________________________________________________
Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's
Comedy with an Edge to see what's on, when.
http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/222