Tom's Turkey Trot Field Trip

 

November 20 was the Turkey Trot led by our President, Tom Scribner.  We always have a great time on this trip and this year was no exception as 17 enthusiastic birders spent the day searching for wild turkeys.  We found lots of them - in Walla Walla and Columbia counties.  Our total count was 291!  Other highlights included 10 great horned owls, a barn owl, a northern shrike, 5 varied thrushes, several huge covey of quail,  and over fifty  red-tailed hawks.  Watching the full moon come up over the wheat fields north of town was a perfect ending to a great day.  Ginger

 

Bennington Lake today

The birds were happy to see the sun this morning.  The robins, white-crowned sparrows and Townsend's solitaires were all singing.  Juncos, song sparrows, and flickers were numerous and visible.  There was a beautiful young red-tailed hawk that had a dark belly-band very dark brown and white coloring.  Twelve canada geese flew in and landed on the lake (the only waterfowl on the water).  30 killdeer, 4 long-billed dowitchers and a great blue heron were working the mud.  There was a great horned owl at the north end of the lake and a downy woodpecker so busy pecking at a gall on a rose bush that it allowed us to walk right by and get a very close up look.  On her way out of the parking lot, MerryLynn found an adult chipping sparrow (very late for them to be here).  Carolyn saw a great egret on her bicycle ride up to the lake along Mill Creek. Another great morning of birding.  Ginger

 

On another note, there are at least two eastern blue jays in Walla Walla in the area south of Bryant Street between Sturm and Durant Streets.