[obol] RNWR: A Phoomwhatie of WESTERN TANAGERS (per Al Larrabee)

[Bill Clemons]

Al Larrabee, my lovely nonagenarian Mother (Olive) and I birded the River "S" Unit at Ridgefield NWR (~4mi W of I-5 at Exit 14 in SW Washington; http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ ).

Highlights:

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON:  
Just after the left turn at the Hunters Gate, we saw a juvenile BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON.  I think this is the first one I have ever seen at Ridgefield.

WESTERN TANAGERS: (a phoomwhatie*)
Al Larrabee and I walked up and down the entrance canyon while Olive was near the R/R tracks hunting for pretty rocks to add to her garden.
When Al and I got up to the center of the entrance canyon, we began to see some WESTERN TANAGERS; first 3, then 8, then 6 more. "My god, there must be at least 20" I said.  No sooner had Al challenged that estimate, than we both began seeing more, and more, and more.  There are at least 20, 30, 35, no, at least 40!  There must be more!  "40 is criminally conservative" says ol' U of O Professor Larrabee.  I agree. Half stunned, was I, having never seen more than about 3-4 in any one spot.  We were standing there for at least 15 minutes with WESTERN TANAGERS flying all over the place no matter where in our 360 degrees of view we looked, and from 10 feet away at the nearest to 200 feet or so at the farthest.   I have never seen anything like that in my life.  
When we returned to the area by the R/R tracks to look and listen for ORIOLES and GROSBEAKS (both were there), I saw about 10 more WESTERN TANAGERS before we saw a single ORIOLE.  From the R/R tracks, Al & I sent other birders back up into the entrance canyon, and they returned with the same amazement.

*By the way, according to perfesser Al Larrabee, a "phoomwhatie" is any number that is too large or difficult count accurately.  Hey - he  has the PhD, who am I to question.

What a wonderful day at Ridgefield!


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

Complete list of 66 species seen / heard:


Pied-billed Grebe
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON 
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
REDHEAD
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
GREAT HORNED OWL
Vaux's Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
SWAINSON'S THRUSH
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
WESTERN TANAGER
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
Brown-headed Cowbird
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch


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