[obol] Ridgefield: MTN BLUEBIRD & N SHRIKE -Yes; SAY'S PHOEBE -No

[Bill Clemons]

Ridgefield: MTN BLUEBIRD & NORTHERN SHRIKE -Yes; SAY'S PHOEBE -No

My dear old nonagenarian Mom (Olive) and I birded the River "S" Unit at Ridgefield NWR today from about 8:15a to 2:45p. (~4mi W of I-5 at Exit 14 in SW Washington; http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ ).

Highlights:

AMERICAN BITTERN:  We saw 3 today including a presumed pair seen together (w/in 5 feet of each other).  "Mr. Green Legs" as Olive calls "him" was quite visible for her today.  The pair was on the driver's side of the road about 150 feet prior to the 90 degree right turn toward the S side of Rest Lake.  The other was on the water control canal along the E side of Rest Lake.

MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD:  This stunning little male was again seen actively hunting and in excellent light.  The closest we got was about 100 feet with a window-mounted scope.  Mom was again impressed with her binocular views from about the same distance. It has been seen most often on the driver's side of the car, after the "Three Trees" at the NE side of Rest Lake, and the large turnout with 2 signs on the "home stretch".  Look on short weeds and blackberry starts and such that are between 6 inches and 2 feet or so tall.  Occasionally it has also been seen on the passenger side of the road.

NORTHERN SHRIKE:  This pretty loner has been hanging around for quite a while now.  I should think it will head N soon, though what's not to like at RNWR.   Look for it on the E side "home stretch".  Today it was within 100 yards of the entrance station.

RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER:  Three were seen today.  While parked near the R/R tracks, 2 RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS flew in and landed on the gate structures.  One drummed first on the red & white gate on the W side, then moved to the E side structure and began drumming on the aluminum ladder that leads to the overhead catwalk.

What better day to fool around at the wetlands than on April 1st.

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


Complete list of 61 species seen / heard:

Pied-billed Grebe
AMERICAN BITTERN  (3 seen)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
CANVASBACK  (on Rest Lake)
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser  
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle  (maybe a dozen)
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Killdeer
Wilson's Snipe  (11 seen together before Bachelor Is. Wetlands Tree)
Gull (Species)  (too far off to ID)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER  (3 seen)
Northern Flicker
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren  (heard only - entrance canyon)
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
     Audubon's Warbler
     Myrtle Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow  (1 on road - E side of Rest Lake)
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Pine Siskin  (entrance canyon)


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