Mud and Shorebirds at Bennington Lake

The Corp is starting another draw down of the lake this fall.  The timing is perfect for shorebird migration.  Today on our walk we already noticed the difference in the water level, and so did the shorebirds.  Besides the usual killdeer and spotted sandpipers we had a greater yellowlegs, a long-billed dowitcher and a solitary sandpiper.  As the banks get more mud, there should be more shorebirds so I would recommend checking it, especially the side down from the parking lot, in the coming weeks.

 

We saw lots of birds today including a pair of western tanagers feeding a young bird.  This is the first record we have of western tanagers nesting at the lake.  We didn't hear or see any Bullock's orioles or yellow-breasted chats today, but the rest of the summer birds are still around.

 

Evening is a good time to check out the birds at Bennington Lake because the sun is behind you so the light is better for identifying birds.   Ginger

Bennington Lake this morning

There were LOTS of birds on our walk this morning. Many young birds have fledged and are being generally very noisy.  We saw more birds today than in weeks past when we could hear them, but not always see them.  Some of the species that had young birds were American kestrel, black-headed grosbeak, gray catbird, black-chinned hummingbird, cedar waxwing, yellow warbler, eastern kingbird, chipping sparrow, downy woodpecker and great horned owl.  There are still swallows, Vaux's swifts, and one osprey flying above the water.  We saw one spotted sandpiper and a couple killdeer, a belted kingfisher, a great blue heron and two mallards along the bank.  A big river otter was also swimming around the lake.  There isn't much mud along the shoreline yet, so there weren't any migrating shorebirds.  We got out early so the heat wasn't too bad - all in all it was a very successful morning of birding.     Ginger

 

Pelicans over Bennington Lake

We watched eleven American white pelicans circling over Bennington Lake on our walk this morning.  They seem to be coming further east from the Columbia River all the time - first the Walla Walla River, and now Bennington Lake.  Forty-two canada geese also circled and landed on the lake.  We were surprised to find six western tanagers, mostly males.  All the birds were enjoying the serviceberries and the hawthorn berries - especially the tanagers, black-headed grosbeaks, robins and cedar waxwings.  Two red-crossbills flew over and landed in the trees on the north side of the lake.  The swallows are pretty much done nesting and will be leaving before long.  Last week there were over 200 bank swallows enjoying the insects over the water.  Many of the birds are feeding young - summer is going by too fast.  Better get out and enjoy them while they are still around!     Ginger

Barn Owls

I received this email from Peter and Barbara Castle about their resident barn owl.  They live on the Walla Walla River Road so are fortunate to have some wonderful birds in their yard. I hope you enjoy their story.    Ginger

 

"For several years we have had a lovely barn owl occupying a walnut in front of my shop in the small pasture for most of the late Spring and Summer.  "Barney" has kept us amused with sightings in his habitat and evening and early morning flights.  This morning one of my chores took me under the walnut and back.  I experienced an explosion of owls.  "Barney" and two fledglings.  Apparently "Barney" has all this time been "Barnette".  I had thought it strange that there was so much whitewash under the walnut this year. 

 

We also have in residence a pair of black headed grosbeaks that frequent the sunflower seed feeder, as well as Bullock's orioles, yellow warblers, and western tanagers."

Bennington Lake today

Summer is officially here, and the weather is finally cooperating.  Birds were very busy singing, building nests and feeding young this morning on our walk.  We watched house wrens and downy woodpeckers taking food to young.  There was one western tanager and a western flycatcher calling from the cottonwoods.  Gray catbirds are plentiful this year - we counted 8 of them.  Other summer birds are present in about the same numbers as in previous years - Bullock's orioles, black-headed grosbeaks, yellow warblers, western wood peewees, cedar waxwings, and eastern kingbirds.  A male northern harrier hunted low along the hillside to the east of the lake and the osprey successfully caught a fish.  The trail is a little easier to walk now that the hemlock has been cut back somewhat. However, it is still over eight feet high along the sides of the trail, making it hard to find birds, especially the chats.  It's always fun to hear so many different birds singing along the trail.  I recommend you find time to go out an enjoy the sounds and the sights.  Just a short walk from the parking lot on the lower trail to the beginning of the hemlock is sure to reward you with a nice variety of birds.   Ginger

Field Trip - Wildflowers in the Blues

Fifteen of us spent Saturday in the Blue Mountains near Tollgate searching for wildflowers.  We discovered that the season is late this year.  Many of the early flowers were still blooming, and most of the early summer flowers were yet to appear.  We finally found penstemons at the Lick Creek Trailhead after looking for them everywhere else.  The scenery overlooking Lick Creek and at the Coyote Ridge Trailhead were spectacular - small meadows that were blanketed in wildflowers of every color and mountain overlooks at made me realize why I love the Blue Mountains!  We identified over 60 different types of wildflowers and shrubs. The weather was marginal, but we didn't have any rain so that was a bonus.  Although we weren't looking for birds on this trip, we did see and hear many of the mountain birds.  A hermit thrush seranaded us while we ate lunch at Coyote Ridge and we found two nesting pairs of Williamson's sapsuckers along the trail.  It was a treat to be able to enjoy the mountains and all of their beauty so close to home.  A nice finish to another season of field trips.   Ginger

Olive-sided Flycatcher at Bennington Lake

The best bird on our Tuesday morning walk today was an olive-sided flycatcher.  The willow flycatchers have returned to the lake - we had two today.  Other nice birds were several gray catbirds, black-headed grosbeaks, Bullock's orioles, western wood peewees and several yellow-breasted chats.  Of course yellow warblers and house wrens were abundant.  There weren't as many western tanagers today, so perhaps they are moving out of the lowlands.  A black-crowned night heron was along the canal, and there were downy woodpeckers nesting in three different places.  All of the birds were very vocal today.  The sunny, warm weather probably is as welcome to them as it is to us.    Ginger