Bennington Lake Walk

The Tuesday walkers were out early at Bennington Lake on August 13.  Nesting season is winding down, but we did find young birds: western wood-peewees, yellow warblers, eastern kingbirds, cedar waxwings and house wrens.  There were 3 greater yellowlegs with the killdeer and spotted sandpiper on the mud and the osprey was on his usual snag.  Other raptors included a Swainson's hawk, a northern harrier and a cooper's hawk. We saw or heard a total of 47 species.

 

Shorebirds

MerryLynn and I went to Tyson Pond and the Blood Ponds this morning looking for shorebirds.  We found several species: Baird's sandpiper, greater yellowlegs, lesser yellowlegs, semi-palmated sandpiper, western sandpiper, least sandpiper, solitary sandpiper, spotted sandpiper and of course killdeer.  MerryLynn flushed a barn owl in the trees across from the blood ponds while looking at a Wilson's warbler.

 

 

Shorebirds

It's that time of year when the shorebirds migrate south, which means it's time to start checking the Walla Walla River Delta, Bennington Lake and other areas where there is mud along the shore.  Long-billed dowitchers have already been seen at Tyson Ponds and Bennington Lake, and MerryLynn saw a greater yellowlegs at Bennington Lake on August 1.  Who knows what will show up this year.  Remember it was late August last year when the Wilson's plover made its appearance at Bennington Lake!