hi ... Gene and I pulled in just as possibly the last folks of
Wilson's group were leaving ... just wanted to add we had a Great
Horned Owl visible from the first bridge !!! ...

Lyn


At 04:07 PM 10/3/2009, Wilson Cady wrote:
> On Saturday, I accompanied 21 participants on a Friends of the
> Columbia Gorge Family Hike on the Steigerwald Lake NWR, near
> Washougal, WA. The MUTE SWAN, which has been present since 2/6/06
> was in the first pond as you head south from the visitor's parking
> lot. I was able to set the spotting scope in front of a rock bench
> so that everyone could view this non-native invasive species and be
> able to note the differences when we viewed the TUNDRA SWAN in the
> next pond. While I was trying to explain the geology of the
> wetlands while standing next to a cattail patch we were serenaded
> by a VIRGINIA RAIL. Red-tail Lake, the second pond with the Tundra
> Swan is the best place on the public portion of the refuge to view
> AMERICAN BITTERN and one obliged us by standing in the open for
> scope views. For raptors we saw OSPREY, NORTHERN HARRIER,
> RED-TAILED HAWK, MERLIN, and AMERICAN KESTREL But not the
> Red-shouldered Hawk that is known to be in the area.
>
>Wilson Cady
>Washougal, WA

Lyn Topinka
http://EnglishRiverWebsite.com
http://ColumbiaRiverImages.com
http://RidgefieldBirds.com