[obol] Ridgefield NWR: Cancasback, Redhead, Eared Grebe +

[Bill Clemons]

My mother (Olive) and I birded Ridgefield NWR (~4mi W
of I-5 at Exit 14 in SW Washington;
http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ ) today from
about 7:30a to 2:30p when it began to get too hot for
me.

Highlights:

EARED GREBE:  A pair is still hanging around on Rest
Lake.  Today we saw them from the Blind as well as
from the E side of Rest Lake.

BLUE-WINGED TEAL:  Folks say there are several there,
but I only saw one.  It was on Swartz Lake and was in
a swim line with a Green-winged Teal and a Cinnamon
Teal, all three Teal were drakes and in the same
binocular view. Nice!

CANVASBACK:  One drake was seen on Rest Lake, actively
diving.

REDHEAD:  While others saw several, I only had one
Pair on Rest Lake.  Always nice!  It was also the
first time in a few months that I have seen both
CANVASBACK and REDHEAD at the same time.

SORA & VIRGINIA RAIL:  These species are still hanging
around the Blind.  Today we saw 2 SORA in the open
there, but only heard the RAIL.

NEST Being Built:  There was a Western Wood-Pewee
actively building a nest and furnishing the inside
with "mosses" up about 40 feet high in an Oregon Ash
on the right side of the trail leading to the Blind.  

BABIES:  
Coot - 10
Pied-billed Grebe - 14; one set of parents were
tending 6
Mallard - 8
Gadwall - 7
Canada Goose - 4
White-brested Nuthatch - 2 seen poking their heads out
of a nest
Tree Swallow - 1 seen poking its head out of a nest

COYOTES;  Three were seen hunting out on the E edge of
Ruddy Lake.  They were in and out of the water looking
for nestlings I suspect.

Although today was much too hot for me, it was lovely
to be out of doors at Ridgefield.

Bill Clemons
SW of Portland in Mtn Park
Willclemons AT Yahoo dot com

Complete list of 63 SPECIES seen heard

Pied-billed Grebe	
EARED GREBE	
American Bittern	
Great Blue Heron	
Great Egret	
Canada Goose	
Wood Duck	
Gadwall	
American Wigeon	
Mallard	
BLUE-WINGED TEAL	
Cinnamon Teal	
Northern Shoveler	
Green-winged Teal	
CANVASBACK	
REDHEAD	
Ring-necked Duck	
Lesser Scaup	
Bufflehead	
Ruddy Duck	
Osprey	
Bald Eagle	
Northern Harrier	
Red-tailed Hawk	
American Kestrel	
Virginia Rail	
Sora	
American Coot	
Killdeer	
Wilson's Snipe	
Rock Pigeon	
Mourning Dove	
Downy Woodpecker	
Northern Flicker	
Western Wood-Pewee	
Willow Flycatcher	
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	
Steller's Jay	
Western Scrub-Jay	
American Crow	
Tree Swallow	
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	
Barn Swallow	
Black-capped Chickadee	
White-breasted Nuthatch	
Bewick's Wren	
House Wren	
Marsh Wren	
Swainson's Thrush	
American Robin	
European Starling	
Cedar Waxwing	
Yellow Warbler	
Common Yellowthroat	
Savannah Sparrow	
Song Sparrow	
Black-headed Grosbeak	
Red-winged Blackbird	
Yellow-headed Blackbird	
Brown-headed Cowbird	
Bullock's Oriole	
Purple Finch	
American Goldfinch	


 
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