Bennington Lake Today

The rain quit, and the birds came out for our walk around the lake this morning.  The western wood peewees have returned – we saw or heard 8 of them in various places around the lake.  One of the yellow-breasted chats gave us good looks which sent high fives around the group.  Black-headed grosbeaks were also very visible and vocal.  Three eastern kingbirds posed nicely, and Bullock's orioles cooperated as well.  We watched tree swallows stick their heads out of snags at two different locations, and a pair of downy woodpeckers exchanged nest sitting duties in a snag at the east end of the canal.  A female flicker glared at us from her nesting hole in a tree, while house wrens and yellow warblers serenaded us everywhere we walked.  All in all, it was another good morning of birding.  Ginger

Bird Sightings

I have received several reports in the past few days from people about bird sightings.  The Bennington Lake walkers saw a horned grebe in breeding plumage, killdeer babies and an eastern kingbird plus many more birds on May 21.  Diane Reed sent me a photo of a male lesser goldfinch at her feeder on May 21.  Pam Fisher reported baby house finches at her house on May 23.  Chris Howard saw 4 Wilson's phalaropes, a spotted sandpiper, and an American avocet on Mill Creek behind K-Mart this morning.  Thank you all for sharing your sightings!  Ginger

Sparrow Safari Field Trip - May 19

Here is a belated report on the Audubon field trip last Sunday led by Mike and MerryLynn Denny.  Sixteen people joined the Dennys for a trip north from Walla Walla to Lower Monumental Dam.  Highlights of the trip were grasshopper sparrows (everyone got a good look through a scope at one of them), lark sparrows, gray partridges, white-throated swifts,  black-headed grosbeaks and Bullock's orioles.

Bennington Lake

There were more summer birds on our walk today.  We spent a great deal of time trying to locate a very noisy yellow-breasted chat at the south end of the lake, but had to be satisfied with a very brief glimpse.  In the same general area, we did get very good looks at a dusky flycatcher and the back of a lazuli bunting.  We heard several more buntings along the trail, but never got a front view of one showing its bright blue color.  However, we did get crippling views of a male black-headed grosbeak.  There were many western kingbirds, yellow warblers and house wrens – all announcing their presence with their songs.  Swallows and Vaux's swifts dotted the sky above the water and along the canal, and flock of cedar waxwings flitted in and out of the trees.  We saw or heard a total of 50 species today.  Ginger

Mill Creek Today

I just had a report of some good birds between K-Mart and Rooks park along the trail this morning from Chris Howard.  Highlights included two black-necked stilts,  an American avocet, several spotted sandpipers, a black-headed grosbeak and a lazuli bunting.  Ginger

Northshore Millet Ponds

MerryLynn, Linda and I went out to the millet ponds this morning to see what might be there.  There is a lot of water, but it is starting to recede, and it will dry up in a month or so.  I highly recommend you take a trip out there – it's a wonderful opportunity to see some very nice birds.  To get there, drive east on Northshore Road off of Highway 12 just past Madame Dorian Park at Wallula Junction.  Stay on the road for about two miles.  You will pass the kiosk pond and go through some sage brush before you come to the ponds.  You can see them from the road, but the best thing to do is follow the road past the ponds and turn right on an unmarked road that takes you to a small parking lot.  Park and walk along the road to the west until you reach the water.  You get much better views of the ponds from this vantage, but it's still nice to have a scope with you.  Some of the birds were saw this morning were American avocets, black-necked stilts, cinnamon and green-winged teals, northern shovelers, great egrets, black-crowned night herons, dunlin, a Wilson's snipe, a Caspian tern, an adult bald eagle,a solitary sandpiper, a spotted sandpiper, a Bullock's oriole and MANY red-winged blackbirds. Ginger

Bennington Lake Today

Summer has returned!  I remember not too many days ago we were freezing and wondering if we would ever get warm weather!  There were two new arrivals at the lake this morning – Bullock's orioles and a Nashville warbler.  Lots of house wrens and yellow warblers were singing with the song sparrows, chipping sparrows and Bewick's wrens.  The rough-winged swallows are nesting in the canal, and in the parking lot as well as in the bank on the road into the lake.  Tree swallows are in the houses, and we found one in a snag along the canal at a spot we hadn't seen them nest before.   Cliff swallows are nesting on the cement structure in the lake. There was no osprey today which is surprising considering the number of fish and fishermen around.  Several male calliope hummingbirds posed for us along the canal.  It's the time of year when you hear a lot more birds than you actually see, but with a little patience they can be found so get out there and enjoy the birds!  Ginger

Interesting Birds Seen May 3-4

MAY 3

Walla Walla River Delta – Sabine's gull, Bonaparte's gulls, western gull 

Millet Pond – Willet, Baird's sandpiper, great egret, lesser yellowlegs, greater yellowlegs, long-billed dowitchers, western sandpipers, least sandpipers, American avocets, black-necked stilts, dunlins, white-fronted geese, cinnamon teals, black-crowned night heron, Virginia rails
College Place – western tanagers, Vaux's swifts

Bennington Lake – MacGillivray's warbler, yellow-rumped warblers, Nashville warbler, Townsend's warbler, orange-crowned warbler, yellow warblers

 

MAY 4

Two Rivers HMU – Franklin's gull, Forster's tern, semi-palmated plover, Bullock's orioles

Dodd Road Marsh – Sora

Tyson Ponds – Wilson's phalarope

Mill Creek – yellow warblers, barn swallows, violet-green swallows

Hummingbirds

MerryLynn and I stopped by Tom Lamb's place south of Dixie yesterday.  He has his feeders up and there were many calliope and rufous hummers already there.  Hopefully you can get up to see the hummingbird spectacle at his place this month.  Activity will be at a peak in another week or so, and evenings are the best time to see the most hummingbirds.  Ginger