[obol] Vaux's Swifts in Ranier

[Shawneen Finnegan]

Three of us spent the day birding the Astoria area.  Jay Withgott,  
myself and our mutual friend from Oklahoma, Jeri McMahon.

On our way back along HWY 30 we passed through Ranier about 5:30.   
Right along the road, directly across the street from City Hall is a  
commercial building with a teensy bump of a chimney sticking up from  
its flat roof.  But it was very attractive to many hundreds of Vaux's  
Swifts that were buzzing the chimney, a number of which were entering  
and either flying out or going to roost of said chimney.  The chimney  
is probably 25' in along the roof line from the cross street.  It was  
an unexpected pleasure to see them so close in such numbers.

While in the Astoria area (Wireless Road, Ft Steven's etc.) we saw  
numbers of Western Sandpipers, Dunlin, and Whimbrel migrating past.   
Along Wireless Road we had about 15-20 Whimbrel with two Marbled  
Godwits mixed in.

While windy and cool it was a very nice day to be out and about.

Shawneen Finnegan
Portland, Oregon