A bird I swear was a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (imm.) was at Ridgefield NWR this morning (7/31/09). It flew out of one of the Oregon Ash trees lining the water channel between Markers 9 and 10, on the west side of Canvasback Lake. It lighted in an ash on the opposite side of the channel before flying off several minutes later. It showed prominent light round spots at the base of the primaries in flight. It had the smallish head and bill of the Red-shouldered. It had long legs and a narrowly banded tail (the bands not nearly as prominent as in the adult). I never got a good look at its undersides.

DOWITCHERS were the shorebird of the day on the refuge (although the "peeps" also were numerous). The distinctly reddish underparts suggested the 46 birds I counted in the middle of Rest Lake were all LONG-BILLED. (I'm sure more Dows were there.)

An AMERICAN BITTERN (ad.) stood with its bill angled skyward in the channel across the road from Sora Marsh - where not a concealing reed was in sight.

GEORGE NEAVOLL
S.W. Portland