Birds Here and There

If you are going to be out looking for birds in this heat, do it EARLY morning.  There are a lot of birds out there and lots of babies, but they hunker down just like we do when the temperatures rise.  Look for birds bathing and drinking in the puddles at Fort Walla Walla.  MerryLynn put a nice photo on our Facebook page of lesser goldfinches and house finches she saw there a few days ago.  

 

Bennington Lake has all the summer birds and their young flitting around.  Even the young great horned owls are seeking out the shade by the canal. 

 

Rooks Park is also very productive.  There is a pair of red-eyed vireos in the tall trees at the west end of the parking lot.  They are easy to hear, but very hard to see because they hide high up in the leaves.  There are also lots of western wood peewees flitting around.  If you search you'll find yellow-breasted chats, song sparrows, Bullock's orioles, gray catbirds, yellow warblers and more.  Young robins have taken over the grassy areas – you can't miss them!  There is a family of spotted sandpipers on Mill Creek at the diversion dam.

 

Don't forget to check our Facebook page to see photos people have sent in.

Happy birding and stay cool!

 

 

Bennington Lake in the Early Morning

Eleven hearty souls decided to see what birds were out and about at 5:30 this morning.  We were greeted by a cacophony of sounds.  Singing birds everywhere! The adult great horned owls were sunning on snags after a successful night of hunting (see our Facebook page for photos). Hundreds of
swallows were skimming over the lake - mostly bank and cliff with a few tree and rough-winged in the mix. Eleven baby wood ducks followed mom across the canal several times. Hummingbirds buzzed the feeders and two babies poked their beaks out of the nest on the east side.  All the summer birds that nest at the lake were busy this morning.  What fun!!! We tallied 47 species on our walk.  

Now that the temperatures are getting into the 90's the best time to see birds is early morning or evening. They seek out the shade during the day just like most of us do.  We will be walking at 6:30 during the hot weather so come join the fun.