Today Tom Mansfield, Matt Bartels, and I birded Wahkiakum Co. Areas covered were Cathlamet Marina and sewer ponds, Little Puget Island, Puget Island, Julia Butler Hansen NWR, Covered Bridge Rd., Altoona, and Elochoman River Valley for Dipper.

Highlights included: Tom found a Eurasian Collared-Dove just east of Aegerter Dairy on Welcome Slough Rd. for a first for the county.

Altoona was tough in the rain and high water: lots of Brown Pelicans and White-winged Scoters were west and south of us, not in Wahkiakum Co. waters. We did find 1 Common Loon, 1 Pacific Loon, 1 Pelagic Cormorant, and 3 Herring gulls. The NWR produced 3 White-tailed Kites together and took off when a crow flew over with something in it's beak. One Kite showed some aggressive behavior towards the crow. Also found 1 Townsend's Warbler, several flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese. It was odd to see a large flock of Violet-green Swallows not far from the Eurasian Collared-Dove on Puget Island. A Merlin, again found by Tom on Little Puget Island along with a Peregrine Falcon and Spotted Sandpipers responding to the I-Pod.

On the way back home Tom and I hit Mint Farm mitigation Ponds in Longview. 3 Greater White-fronted Geese, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Least Sandpipers, 5 Baird's Sandpipers, 6 Long-billed Dowitchers, and a Pipit.

Ken KnittleVancouver WA 98665 mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com Washington Birder online http://www.wabirder.com/