Hello All,

This morning under cloudy skies and rain MerryLynn and I headed out to the
Walla Walla River delta to see what the inclement weather had brought down
onto the delta. The pool level was 338.5 which translates into exposed mud
for the delta. Upon our arrival we noticed a large assemblage of birds.
Birds of interest were:

*Marbled Godwit........................48 birds-this is the record number of
godwits for Walla Walla County. We have never seen this many inland in
eastern Washington.
Western Sandpiper..................32 adults
Bairds Sandpiper........................9 birds
Black-crowned Night-Heron.......6 adults
Bonapartes Gull...........................3 birds
Western Gull................................1 ad.-a pair has been at this
location since mid-April.
Great Egrets.................................2 adults
Spotted Sandpiper........................1 bird
Red-necked Phalarope..................1 bird
Tree Swallow.................................2 adults, nested on the delta
for the first time this year.
American White Pelican..................23 birds-500+ pelicans out on Badger
Island.
Northern Pintail...............................26 birds


Dodd Rd., Blood Ponds

Western Sandpiper.......................300+ all adult birds, 75% still in
beautiful alternate breeding plumage.
Pectoral Sandpiper........................3 adults
Bairds Sandpiper...........................2 adults
Least Sandpiper.............................30 birds
Semipalmated Sandpiper................3 birds
Black-necked Stilt..........................2 adults
Killdeer..........................................17 birds
Spotted Sandpiper..........................1 adult

* This is a highly irregular number of godwits for the Walla Walla River
delta. Our largest number we have ever observed on the WWRdelta to date was
9 birds on 10 July 2004. This is very exciting! We were joined by Craig and
Kathy Kemper as well as Bob Derting who all saw this large flock of
godwits.Yes we searched through these birds looking for other godwit
species.

Later Mike






........................................................................
Mike and MerryLynn Denny
Birding the beautiful Walla Walla Valley

If you have not birded, you have not lived