Ducks galore at Bennington Lake

We counted 183 ducks on the water on Tuesday morning.  Most of them were mallards, with a few American wigeons, northern shovelers and northern pintail sprinkled in. It's really hard to tell ducks this time of year when they are all in eclipse plumage.  Bill size and shape is probably the easiest way to differentiate them, but that gets a little tricky if you aren't an expert on ducks (which I am not!) In a separate group were 14 western grebes.  We only birded the south end of the lake and it was pretty quiet.  A small flycatcher, probably a Hammond's, and a MacGillivray's warbler were the only migrants we saw.  It's another hot week in Walla Walla.  Where is our cool fall weather?  Ginger