Hi Tweeters,

This afternoon (1/23/12) I decided to try to get above the fog that was
hanging on in the lowlands here and headed up SR 504 toward Coldwater Lake.
I succeeded in finding a bright blue sky, but the birding was slow until
just past the bridge at East Fork Elk Creek. Before I could open my door a
flock of small finches took flight and got very high and starting to go
away before I got a good look. They appeared to be very light colored from
below and I am nearly certain they were redpolls, but that county first
will have to wait for another day as I couldn't be certain. Some pishing
produced CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES along with
a PINE GROSBEAK calling. A little tape playback coaxed a female PINE
GROSBEAK to the foreground where it called from the top of a Noble Fir for
a number of minutes--long enough for me to get views with both binoculars
and scope. To the best of my knowledge this is only the 2nd record of Pine
Grosbeak for Cowlitz with the other being a heard bird above Merrill Lake
by Knittle and Mansfield in 2009.

The road was plowed to Coldwater Lake and the bathrooms were open and warm.
The lake was not frozen but I only saw RING-NECKED DUCK, COMMON GOLDENEYE,
and PIED-BILLED GREBE.

Russ Koppendrayer
Longview,WA
russkopeATgmailDOTcom
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