[obol] Ridgefirld NWR: WHITE-FACED IBIS (16 minimum), LAZULI BUNTING +++

[Bill Clemons]

Today, Sunday May 20, 2007, my mom (Olive) and I
birded from ~ 7am to 3:30pm at Ridgefield NWR (~4mi W
of I-5 at Exit 14 in SW Washington;
http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ ).

We made 2 loops on the River "S" Unit.  It was rainy
and cool as well as windy from time to time.

Highlights:

1) WHITE-FACED IBIS:  
Nobody reported seeing IBIS until about Noonish.  We
were on our second loop and were in the parking lot at
the Blind chatting with Roger Windemuth and Al
Larrabee, when a woman with 2 toddlers and a husband
(Sorry I did not get her name) saw the WHITE-FACED
IBIS fly in and then alerted everyone.  They (at least
16 or more) landed about 400 yards away, on the far NE
edge of Ruddy Lake (N of the Blind parking lot).  They
fed there for about 15 minutes or so and then a flock
of them (10) flew SW toward the Kiwa Trail.  They flew
over the N edge of the parking lot at the Blind.  The
remaining IBIS had moved behind tall grasses and were
out of sight from then until we left.

2) LAZULI BUNTING:  
We bumped into Jim Danzenbaker on the loop road
between Long Lake and S Quigley Lake.  Just E of the
water control canal between these two Lakes, Jim heard
a LAZULI BUNTING singing.   After Jim located it,
together we got a reasonable look at the Singing Male
LAZULI BUNTING before it flew off.

3) PIED-BILLED GREBE (Piggy-Back-Riding Chick):  
About 60+ yards into Rest Lake from the Blind, and
unusual only because of the Activity; I was focusing
the scope so that my mom could see the Baby Grebe when
it vanished.  It took me a moment to realize what
might have happened, and when I focused on the parents
back, there was the Baby, hiding from the wind and
rain under the adults wing.  Sweet, Sweet, Sweet!  It
rode there for a few minutes until the wind died a
bit.  While I have seen other Back-Riding babies, I
have never seen this Touching, Sheltering activity in
Pied-billed Grebe before.  I am quite sure the cold
wind and the rain played a strong role in the scene.

4)  REDHEAD:  
Today we saw only one close pair (Friday I saw 2
drakes and 1 hen) on the E side of South Quigley Lake
where there were about a dozen Yellow-headed Blackbird
males protecting territory.

5)  VIRGINIA RAIL/SNIPE Followed Closely by SORA/
VIRGINIA RAIL Exciting Interactions:  
While my mom and I were at the Blind, we saw a calling
WILSON'S SNIPE flutter down on the Right side of the
Blind.  It landed quite near and startled a VIRGINIA
RAIL that had just at that moment decided to come out
into the open only to have the SNIPE almost land on
it!  It scurried back into the grasses.  The SNIPE
called and strutted & displayed (as if to call the
Rail back out) to no avail, whence it departed after
its fruitless amorous efforts. Within a minute of the
Snipe's departure, two bickering SORA flew (maybe a 20
foot flight) in to nearly the same spot but behind
some grasses.  As we watched for them to come out into
the open, there was a sudden burst of SORA and they
began a chase all over the open area (maybe 5seconds
max / 30 feet or so on the ground) before both
disappeared.  About a minute later one came out into
the open and crossed the open area and went into the
grasses where the VIRGINIA RAIL had earlier gone. 
Seconds later the VIRGINIA RAIL came scrambling out
into the open with the SORA in Hot Pursuit (Maybe 3
seconds / 20 feet).  AS Marsh viewing goes, I do not
think it gets much better.  Oh What a Beautiful Day!

Complete list of our 67 species for the day:

Pied-billed Grebe
American Bittern (3 seen, 1 Excellent = Thanks Jim
Cruce)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
WHITE-FACED IBIS
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (3 on Ruddy Lake)
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
EURASIAN WIGEON (S Mantrap Lake)
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
REDHEAD
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
 Wilson's Snipe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Downy Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch  (entering nest w/food)
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
LAZULI BUNTING
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch


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


       
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