Subject: [Tweeters] WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS,on Hyway 8
Date: Mar 14 15:15:32 2009
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweeters,
This is the second day that I birdied in Sunshine.My Plan was to bird from
Mud Bay to Bottle Beach.As the tide was high on 3.49 PM what gives me plenty
time to birding up to Bottle Beach.Stopped at Mud Bay,where it was the wrong
tide way to low ,the only birds was many Buffleheads and 2 Greater
Yellowlegs and 1 Spotted Sandpiper.
Next stop was on my favorite place to use the bathroom on the" Green
Diamond Trail"which is between going West on Highway 8 milepost 12 and
11.There where quite few birds right close to the entree as of Kinglet's and
both Chickadees ,Towhees,I had plenty time and for some reason I decided to
walk a bit on the trail,maybe a 1/4 of a mile I heard some birds calling,I
was not sure what there where,but I saw this small group flying
closer,settling not to far where I was standing,(good that had my good heavy
Binoculars,the Swarovski 8x50B,there are next to a scope.This birds did not
mind my presence there where 5 White-winged Crossbills feeding on the large
cones,there where 3 males and 2 females.I was so surprised to seeing this
species here,where we missed them in Okanagon..I had very good looks at this
birds for about 5 minutes and the flying further up.The bad think is that
I did not bring my new Nikon D90 what I tried out the day before taken ALL
good photos.I always wanted to going hiking there,and I mention this area
before in my post where I found the Western Bluebirds,in the clear cut going
to the right.People going hiking there a lot,but I was never comfortable
going hiking alone.Now since I found something this impressive,there is a
all day hike coming up.
Coming to Vance Creek,I had a group of 4 Common Merganser,all males.A flock
of Yellow-rumped Warblers Steller's Jay, and lot's of Robin,what continue
all to the loop around 200 Robins ,there where everywhere.No Sparrows on the
loop.On Wenzel Slew Rd there where 30 AM.Wigeon,1 Glaucous first year
bird,4 Swans flying North and 30 Canada Geese.
Schauweiler 1 Red-tailed Hawk,a bright adult Soaring. 30 Bushtit's 3
Songsparrows,1 Downy Woodpecker,3 Snipes ,
5 Yellow-rumped Warblers.No Ducks or Swallows.
Next Bottle Beach:I usual so good to figure out the tide,but for the first
time I came to late,the tide was all the way up.This means that I supposed
to be there at 1.45 PM the latest when the high tide is at 3.45 PM.
The Park People working hard to fix this area up,and it looks good,but
talking to the people there have to plant a lot more plants,there is a
boardwalk from the Parking lot and toilet to the trail what lead you to the
beach.My first bird ever there was a male Varied Thrush,right in the parking
lot many Robins again.but the BEST BIRDING was on the trail going all the
way back where there having two overlooks,one to the beach and the other to
the slew.I was sitting on the bench ,when I heard a loud kip-kip kip
different that the White winged as chik-chik in flight,there came with a
lot of Pin Siskin and Yellow-rumped Warblers,right where I was sitting where
a bunch of treecut branches laying full of cones.This was a sight seeing all
this many birds so close.All the cuttings from trees or shrubs being used,
is also good for the nesting of birds.There also where both Chickadees
,Winter Wren, Bewick's Wren, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglet's
Golden -crowned Sparrows,Towhee 3.
On the front in the fields there where 150 Cackling Geese with 10 Canada
Geese.
Acosta Street many a Red-winged Blackbirds where singing while I played
tapes for the Rails,I had 4 Virginia Rail,so close,but there never showed.In
the ponds in the back where 4 male Gadwall.
Late around 6.30 PM I went to the back side of Brady and found in the wet
grassland 80 A.Wigeon with both male and female Eurasian Wigeon,with 75
Canada Geese an 150 Robin.
It was a good day but way to short

Cheers Ruth Sullivan