Bennington Lake Field Trip Results - October 19

Nine people participated in a walk around the lake on this crisp, clear morning.  The fall colors were beautiful and many nice birds were seen by the group.  The highlight of the walk was a flyover of seven tundra swans as we were returning to the parking lot.  They circled twice before heading off in a southerly direction.  We saw a total of 32 species with the highlights being:

    buffleheads

    western grebes

    greater yellowlegs

    fox sparrows

    Townsend's solitaires

    northern shrike

    yellow-rumped warblers

    ruby-crowned kinglets

    cedar waxwings

   

Bennington Lake

There were more winter arrivals at Bennington Lake on Tuesday, October 14.  We saw the first northern shrike of the fall, as well as a Wilson's snipe, three Townsend's solitaires, 37 white-fronted geese and a late common yellowthroat. 

 

Join us on Sunday for the field trip to see what else might be around.

Ginger

Bennington Lake birds

We watched and listened to a large flock of white-fronted geese circle and land on the lake as we were crossing the dam.  They were joined by 15 ring-necked ducks and the usual waterfowl - mallards, wigeons, green-winged teals and pintails.  Two western grebes continue to be present as well.  A turkey vulture circled the lake and red-tailed hawks seemed to be on the move - we saw eight of them.  The only shorebirds seen were five greater yellowlegs, one long-billed dowitcher and three killdeer.  Townsend's solitaires have returned - we saw and heard two of them singing at the north end of the lake.  It was another beautiful fall day - clear, crisp and colorful.

Ginger

Bennington Lake today

Migrants continue to move through.  Today we had several American pipits, a Townsend's warbler, a Lincoln's sparrow several yellow-rumped warblers and three greater yellowlegs. There were good numbers of downy woodpeckers and red-shafted flickers along with one yellow-shafted flicker.  The osprey made a few passes over the water and flew on.  Two western grebes and a ruddy duck joined the usual waterfowl.  About 80 canada geese were eating in the wheat stubble north of the lake and about half of them eventually came down to the lake.  A sharp-shinned hawk and a kestrel had a little altercation before the sharpie flew away.  Ruby-crowned kinglets and black-capped chickadees were busy eating berries.  It was a beautiful walk with fall colors, a crispness in the air and the sounds of birds everywhere.  Ginger

Bennington Lake Sept 16

Interesting birds seen on this week's Tuesday walk were Lincoln's sparrow, white-throated sparrow (both at the south end of the lake) and the first Townsend's solitaire of the fall.

Ginger

Sept. 6 Field Trip Results

Mike and MerryLynn Denny led us on another successful search for fall migrants during our first field trip of the fall. We found them on Detour Road, Byrnes Road, the Walla Walla River Delta, Two Rivers HMU and Hood Park.  The Delta was high so there were no shorebirds, but we were able to see 6 species of gulls and common terns.  We also got a quick look at a parasitic jaeger chasing a gull along the Columbia River.  At Hood Park we watched several very cooperative Nashville warblers and orange-crowned warblers.  On Byrnes Road they found us a clay-colored sparrow.  After the trip ended, our car drove out to McDonald Road where alfalfa seed cutting was in full swing. We watched 30+ Swainson's hawks and several red-tailed hawks soaring all around us in one field.  The Dennys left us and headed for Windust Park where they made their fantastic discovery of the variegated flycatcher.

 

Highlights of the trip:

Franklin's gull - Walla Walla River Delta

Western gull - Walla Walla River Delta

Common terns - Walla Walla River Delta

Parasitic jaeger - Columbia River north of Boise Cascade plant

Red-necked phalaropes - Mile Post 300 on Highway 12

Solitary sandpiper - Mill Post 300 on Highway 12

Greater and lesser yellowlegs - Mill Post 300 on Highway 12

Great egrets - Walla Walla River Delta

Swainson's hawks - Detour Road, McDonald Road

Eurasian collared doves - Touchet, WA

Olive-sided flycatcher - Lowden/Gardena Road, Hood Park

Nashville warblers - Hood Park

Orange-crowned warblers - Hood Park

Clay-colored sparrow - Byrnes Road

NOT Piratic but Variegated

Well the flycatcher at Windust Park has been positively id'd this am and it is in fact a Variegated Flycatcher - only the 2nd or 3rd record for North America - and the first in the Western USA. Get up there if you can for a look at this megararity!!

MerryLynn