Subject: [Tweeters] Mockingbird, swallows WWCo.
Date: Feb 25 17:24:47 2016
From: Mike & MerryLynn - m.denny at charter.net


Hello all from MerryLynn,
I couldn't resist the sunshine today and headed out to the river early.
The Ferruginous Hawk west of Touchet was sitting on the nest - so they
won out over the Ravens this year.
On Iverson road near Burbank I scoped probably 12000 Snow Geese - along
with 1800+ Great White-fronted Geese, Cacklers and Canada's too - the
cornfields were covered with them. Hundreds of blackbirds were very
noisy as well - many Red-wings, Brewer's and dozens of Yellow-headed.
The heron roost was still in use - 7 Black-crowned Night-Herons along
with several Egrets - the Great Blue Herons are already on nest.

At Penninsula HMU I scoped the river - many Horned Grebes, Common
Goldeneyes, Pintails and Wigeon. 3 Common Loons were nice to see. The
Cormorant/Heron rookery on Foundation Island is full of birds already.
I then walked through one of the last remaining patches of big Sage in
Walla Walla County - and one of them held a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. Very
happy to see this one as Mike and I had walked all over Hollebeke twice
looking for the one up there. Two in WWCo. this year after not seeing
any for 10 years!

The Tree Swallows were back at their nesting holes - another earlybird.

We had all three chickadee species in our yard yesterday - the
Chestnut-backed visited again - the second time this winter.

Happy spring birding, ML

--
Mike & MerryLynn Denny
Birding the Beautiful Walla Walla Valley
"If you haven't gone birding, you haven't lived"