Subject: [Tweeters] Tri-Cities -Long-tailed Duck, Wht-wngd. Scoter
Date: Nov 3 18:05:26 2012
From: Carol & Lynn Schulz - carol.schulz50 at gmail.com


Hi Tweeters:
My sister who lives in Kennewick saw a Long-tailed Duck and a White-winged Scoter there today at 10:00 AM. Both birds are listed as fairly rare, Code 4 in Benton County.
She was looking out at the Yakima River Delta from the gravel road west of Wye Park. The two birds were in the ponds along w/ other duck species such as N. Pintails. She said the river level was up, and the mud flats can't be seen now. She had driven quite far around on that gravel road to view the birds.
Here is the link to the local audubon society there: http://www.lowercolumbiabasinaudubon.org/ You can click on birding locations. Yakima River Delta. The gravel road she uses may be called Dike Road. Access it from Columbia Drive west of Wye Park (the park overlooking Bateman Island). She drives 2 blocks west from Wye Park, and turns down a road to a boat launch. The gravel road (it may be partially paved) starts from the boat launch and goes west.
The directs. on the audubon website say to access it from an area by the Benton-Franklin bus barns, but my sister prefers the boat launch road. Drive to the left (west) on the gravel road to areas for viewing. She went quite far on that road.
The website says the coordinates of the delta are 46.237966, -119.227839. Look on pg 344 and 347 in the book, A Birder's Guide to Washington for a map of the general area. Things have changed w/ the access since the BGW guide was published, but it's a great book w/ maps of the area.
Yours, Carol Schulz
Des Moines