Subject: [Tweeters] Skamania County birds
Date: Dec 12 20:51:08 2010
From: Wilson Cady - gorgebirds at juno.com


Today, I checked a few of my usual areas close to home in Skamania County. It started to rain almost as soon as I loaded my gear into the truck and it made finding passerines very difficult.There are a large number of waterfowl on the Franz Lake NWR, several hundred TUNDRA SWANS are feeding on Wapato root there and I heard then saw at least one TRUMPETER SWAN in the flock. The swans are able to reach the Wapato tubers with their long necks while the smaller dabbling ducks can't reach the bottom of the pond in the rising waters. Because of this every feeding swan is surround by a group of WOOD DUCKS, MALLARDS, GADWALL and AMERICAN WIGEON, Interspersed on the pond there are the many AMERICAN COOTS and a vin the county in 2010. variety of diving ducks including both scaup, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD and at least 75 CANVASBACK. Among these birds I found one female RUDDY DUCK, my first in the county since 2004. Wilson Cady
Skamania County, WA