Subject: [Tweeters] PBG and GBH take Marsh critters to lunch
Date: Mar 22 21:58:11 2008
From: Bill Clemons - willclemons at yahoo.com
Today, Carol Ledford, My Dear old mother (Olive) and I birded the River "S" Unit at Ridgefield NWR (~4mi W of I-5 at Exit 14 in SW Washington; http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ ).
Highlights:
PIED-BILLED GREBE: We watched at Canvasback Lake as a PIED-BILLED GREBE swallowed an adult BULLFROG whole. It was followed by another PBG that seemed to really want to share in the meal, but to the victor went the spoils. After swimming around with the wriggler for a while and unsuccessfully attempting to kill it, the PBG took several neck stretches toward the sky and the BULLFROG finally went slowly down until only wiggling legs could be seen hanging out the sides of the PBG's mouth. Another gulp or two and lunch was over.
GREAT BLUE HERON: We saw 2 different GBH's catch and gobble up a GARTER SNAKE each. The Snake was unhappy with the swallowing, and managed to turn and get back out only to be pinched a few more times before it was swallowed for the last time.
Bill Clemons
SW of Portland in Mtn Park
Willclemons AT Yahoo dot com
Complete list of 62 species seen / heard:
Pied-billed Grebe
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
TUNDRA SWAN (only 4 today)
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
CINNAMON TEAL (a pair each on S Quigly and Rest Lakes)
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
CANVASBACK (a pair on Rest Lake)
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead (at least 50 on Rest Lake)
HOODED MERGANSER (several seen: Long Lake, and water control canals)
COMMON MERGANSER (1 hen seen on Lake River)
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
DARK PHASE RED-TAILED HAWK (NE of The Blind)
American Kestrel
American Coot
Killdeer (on road near entrance booth)
Wilson's Snipe (winnowing and seen on Canvasback and Rest Lakes)
Gull (Species)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker (seen and heard drumming in entrance canyon)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (dozens)
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch (heard and seen in entrance canyon)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren (heard and seen in entrance canyon)
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
HERMIT THRUSH (seen near top of entrance canyon)
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin (heard and seen in entrance canyon)
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