Sunday, my wife Lauren and I started our birding at the Reformatory Farm
Pond north of Duvall around 9 AM. We saw about 100 SWANs of which some
appeared to be TRUMPETER out on the pond with numerous WIGEON, PINTAILS, and
SHOVELLERS. After a short stop we moved to the Crescent Lake Wildlife Area
mainly to walk our dogs, but also saw around 150 MALLARD in corn stubble and
50 RING-NECKED DUCKS in the slough (lake) as well as many common passerines.
Returning to the Reformatory Farm Pond around 10:30 we spotted a female
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in a flock of over 50 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDs in a
yard between the barns and pond. Other highlights were a pair of
CANVASBACKS, a single EURASIAN WIGEON, and a single RUDDY DUCK among 100s
of more common waterfowl. Interestingly the swans had all left to forage.



After lunch we searched hard for Westerns Bluebirds around Chinook Bend Park
and surrounding roads without success. We did find 2 beautiful male
HOODED-MERGANSERS at the small pond east of the river and some CACKLING
GOOSE and more distant SWANs near Camp Korey. Even though it got hazy, it
was a fine day.



Bob and Lauren Schmidt

Bothell, WA

bobs at world-wide dot com