Today, Carol Ledford 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/ ). I was there from about 7:15AM until about 5PM.

Highlights:

HARRIER versus COOT but BALD EAGLE gets the prize:
As we rounded the corner where Canvasback Lake abuts Rest Lake (near post #11), we spotted some large wing flapping in South Big Lake. When we got to the area near the turnout between Rest Lake and South Big Lake, we could see a female NORTHERN HARRIER flapping her wings, caping her prey, and standing in water. About twenty feet from her we saw a very agitated AMERICAN COOT. Since we did not see the spectacle from the beginning, it appeared that the HARRIER was attempting to drown something. We assumed it might be the COOT's mate. The COOT kept calling & fluttering its wings at the HARRIER, and it began 4-6 charges at the HARRIER but stopped each time it got within ten feet. The HARRIER could not fly off with her prize, as it was too heavy.

A BALD EAGLE flew over at about 75 feet or so, but made no attempt to steal from the HARRIER. It looked to us like the EAGLE continued on its way, but in hindsight it must have circled and waited for its chance.

Finally, the COOT made one last charge, and since the HARRIER refused to drop its catch, the COOT climbed right up on the HARRIER's breast (when she flopped onto her back) and the COOT began pecking at her in earnest. The HARRIER finally capitulated, dropped her noticeably partially eaten prey, defended herself against the COOT, and ultimately shook off the water and flew off to the W. Within a minute or two, the BALD EAGLE returned, snatched the now identified remains of a COOT, and flew off to its nest, with a juvenile Eagle following.

Will Clemons
SW of Portland
willclemons AT Yahoo dot com

Birding:
The best excuse for getting outdoors
And avoiding chores

Complete list of 77 species seen / heard:

Pied-billed Grebe
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN (6 seen on Rest Lake 4:30PM)
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture (5 seen)
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (1 seen on Kiwa Trail)
Canada Goose (some with goslings)
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
BLUE-WINGED TEAL (2 pair seen)
Cinnamon Teal ( ~ 30 on the day)
Northern Shoveler (~ 8 seen)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (3 piar)
Green-winged Teal
REDHEAD (4 pair)
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier (2f, 1m seen)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail (seen and heard)
Sora (lots heard)
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher (~ 6 seen)
Wilson's Snipe (seen and heard)
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker (near R/R tracks)
Northern Flicker
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (entrance canyon)
Steller's Jay (entrance canyon)
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
COMMON RAVEN (4 seen over R/R tracks & Lake River)
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (entrance canyon)
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch (entrance canyon)
White-breasted Nuthatch (Oregon Ash woodland)
Brown Creeper (entrance canyon)
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren (entrance canyon)
Marsh Wren
Hermit Thrush (entrance canyon)
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler (entrance canyon)
Nashville Warbler (entrance canyon)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (ubiquitous ~ Avogadro's number)
Audubon's Warbler
Myrtle Warbler
Townsend's Warbler (entrance canyon)
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler (entrance canyon)
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
LINCOLN'S SPARROW
Black-headed Grosbeak (R/R and on Kiwa Trail)
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird (6 males, 1 female seen)
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch