Snake River Birding Field Trip

Twenty-two people enjoyed a sunny but windy day of birding with Mike and MerryLynn Denny today.  Before heading north to the Snake River, we stopped along Detour Road to check out the gulls, sparrows and hawks in the fields.  There were several singing Savannah sparrows and a surprise find – a Harris's sparrow.  One field was full of raptors including two Harlan's red-tailed hawks and a rough-legged hawk.  Our first stop on the river was Hollebeke HMU where highlights were a merlin, great-horned owls and an immature bald eagle.  We next went to Fishhook Park where we saw another great horned owl, a golden-crowned kinglet, several yellow rumped warblers, a noisy belted kingfisher and the usual robins, juncos and flickers. We saw a total of 50 species. Thanks Mike and MerryLynn for a great trip.

Tree Swallows at Bennington Lake

Our Tuesday walk was rained out, so we walked this morning instead.  The "Surprise River" has returned and the concrete canal at "Cayuse Falls" had a little too much water to cross.  We went up to Rooks Park and crossed at the diversion dam.  There were several tree swallows flying around the nest box at the south end of the lake.  Unfortunately, there are only two of the boxes still standing so the swallows are competing for them.  Two more tree swallows were near the other nest box in the canal.  We watched a beaver swimming around the edge of the lake.  It looked like it was moving small tree branches that were floating in the water as the rising water level.  It was pretty quiet other than the swallows.  We did see one northern shrike and a Townsend's solitaire (two of the winter birds that will be leaving very soon).  A ruby crowned kinglet was singing it's melodic song along the trail, and the song sparrows and Bewick's wrens were happily singing their songs.  We only saw one great horned owl today.  It started out chilly, but ended up warm and sunny by the time we finished our walk.

Signs of Spring at Bennington Lake

We watched northern harriers displaying and calling this morning as we walked the trail at the lake. Spiraling high in the air and then diving – first the male and then the female.  How pretty to watch. Then we watched a singing northern shrike in the treetops.  Such a pretty song that we only hear in the spring.  One great horned owl was on the east side of the lake and another was on the north side of the lake, so it looks like we may have two nesting pairs again this year.  Bewick's wrens were singing and checking out nesting sites.  A clever person (or persons) created some very interesting rock formations at Cayuse Falls where the diversion water flows over the rocks.  The willows are beginning to turn colors and the honeysuckle is getting its leaves. A great place to visit on this beautiful day.