Subject: [Tweeters] Ridgefield NWR niceties + (Last weekend to be out of
Date: Sep 27 17:28:04 2008
From: Will Clemons - willclemons at yahoo.com


My Mom (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/ ).

A lot of folks were out enjoying the Refuge today, and for good reason. This is the Last weekend to be out of your car at RNWR. September 30 is the actual last day. From October 1 through April 30 the Kiwa Trail is closed, and folks must remain in their vehicle except at the Entrance Station and at The Blind.

Highlights:

TURKEY VULTURE: A couple kettles totaling about 110 TURKEY VULTURES were seen today moving S. Several birders saw the first 50 or so from the Parking lot at The Blind before we walked out to The Blind. Some of us missed the second kettle of 60 or so that was seen by Diane (last name?) as she returned to the parking area.

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: I saw one lone GWF Goose flying NE about a half mile after the Hunters Gate.

YELLOWLEGS: Both GREATER & LESSER were seen today on Rest Lake. Occasionally they were right next to each other making for nice comparisons.

REST LAKE WATER LEVEL: The water has finally been lowered such that Rest Lake was loaded with Dozens of Yellowlegs and over a hundred Long Billed Dowitchers.

PEREGRINE FALCON: This fellow made a very fast run N to S along the E shoreline of Rest Lake. The PEREGRINE scared up nearly all the Shorebirds under its flight path, and while it zigged and zagged after some fleeing Dowitchers, we never saw it succeed, and it did not turn and return for a second sortie.

SANDHILL CRANE: Good views an sounds now and then through the day, which is always a treat.

VARIED THRUSH: I heard several (maybe 5) today in the entrance canyon and also from the woodland between the Hunters Gate and The Blind. Nice to hear them again. Another nice sign of Autumn.

Birders loosely forming a group today from time to time with several vehicles were:
Carol Ledford
Sumner Sharpe
Diane (last name?)
Clay Davis
John Notis
Bob Flores

Species seen by one or more of the above, but not seen by me were:
Hooded Merganser
American Bittern
Green Heron
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
Phalarope sp.
Hummingbird sp.
Piliated Woodpecker
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Golden-crowned Sparrow

Will Clemons
SW of Portland
willclemons AT Yahoo dot com

Birding:
The best excuse for getting outdoors
And avoiding chores

Complete list of 53 species seen / heard by me:

Pied-billed Grebe
EARED GREBE
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
TURKEY VULTURE
Greater White-fronted Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
PEREGRINE FALCON
American Coot
SANDHILL CRANE
Killdeer
GREATER YELLOWLEGS
LESSER YELLOWLEGS
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Long-billed Dowitcher
Downy Woodpecker
HAIRY WOODPECKER
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
MARSH WREN
SWAINSON'S THRUSH
American Robin
VARIED THRUSH
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
Common Yellowthroat
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird