---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Russ Koppendrayer <russkope at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 8:04 PM
Subject: WOS Fieldtrip: Late Fall in Cowlitz County
To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>


Hi Tweeters,

Eight of us met in Kelso this morning (10/27/13) to find a mist that soon
changed to a serious rain. Our 1st stop at the Longview STP was a washout
as we got wet without being able to see much.

Undaunted we headed to Willow Grove and before we were half way around the
loop there was a rain free window. At the little wooded pond at the west
end a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK flew overhead across the road calling. Not a
great look, but a neat experience. A bit later at the county park we found
a HEERMAN'S GULL roosting on a row of pilings with a mixed gull flock. A
very unusual find this far upriver and a county first for me.

The rain began in earnest again so we headed to Woodland Bottoms to bird
from our cars. A field along Dike Access Road hosted over 100 AMERICAN
PIPITS with other species to keep us entertained for a while. Turning south
on Dike Road we soon encountered a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, that was first of
season for most of us. Heading east on Caples Road we stopped to enjoy a
field of CACKLING GEESE and SANDHILL CRANES and found a WESTERN MEADOWLARK
teed up in a tree. After lunch the rain had stopped, but the wind had
picked up considerably. There was a lone GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE in a
flock of Cacklers at the south end of Dike Road. Later we watched a
COOPER'S HAWK cross in front of us and be swiftly carried off by the
wind acroos the Columbia toward Oregon.

Going back north on I-5 we exited at the Kalama River Road and went
upstream to where Hatchery Creek enters the Kalama and were rewarded with 2
active and vocal AMERICAN DIPPERS. Back downstream a THAYER'S GULL was at
the Kalama River mouth and 2 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS were in a mixed species
flock along Sportsmen Road. In their usual spot on the dredge spoils at
North Beach we found 6 HORNED LARKS a couple of which were very cooperative
for scope studies.

At this point half the group decided to call it a day while the other 4
opted to return west of Longview in better weather. Across from the Willow
Grove County Park we were rewarded with up close looks at two stunning
adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS sitting on neighboring fence posts just a bit
out in the field. A return trip to the Longview STP yielded a RUDDY DUCK
and an EARED GREBE right below the pull out for a nice finale.

If my count is correct we had 68 species for the day, a total kept down by
the weather, but we all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the special birds a
views we had.

Russ Koppendrayer
Longview, WA
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