Turkey Trot Field Trip

Thirteen people joined Tom Scribner on November 22 for the Annual Turkey Trot.  The day started out bright and sunny and ended up pouring rain.  There were no turkeys found in Walla Walla County, but we able to find 93 of them in  Columbia County, mostly on Wolf Fork Road south of Dayton.  Interestingly, we almost saw more deer than turkeys, the final count for deer was 85.  We saw or heard a total of 27 species including northern shrike, great horned owl, varied thrush and hermit thrush.  It was a fun day despite the afternoon rain.  Thanks to Tom for another successful outing.

Red Phalarope at Bennington Lake

A birder from California found a red phalarope at Bennington lake this morning.  It was still there in the afternoon when several of us were able to get out there to look.  It seems to be spending most of its time on the east side of the canal near the end where it opens up into the lake.  It was actively eating along the mud when we left at 3:00.

 

Other nice birds today  - at McNary NWR Headquarters.  Bonaparte's gulls, Franklin's gulls, Sabine's gull and a flyover of about 500 sandhill cranes.  Many white fronted geese and 4 snow geese at the corner of Hanson Loop Road and Highway 12

 

Swainson's Hawks and More

The Swainson's hawks are gathering in the fields south of Walla Walla getting ready for their long trek south.  Look for them on Frog Hollow, Stateline and all the connecting roads out there.  They are soaring, sitting on poles, and on the ground.  It's a great opportunity to see the differences in immature and adult birds, also dark and light morphs. 

 

Other birds of note this weekend seen around Walla Walla:

 

Hundreds of Vaux's swifts at twilight coming into the chimney on 8th Street in College Place

Many, many yellow rumped warblers all over town and out in the countryside – especially in the Russian olives.

Savannah sparrow flocks on Stateline and Frog Hollow

White-fronted geese at Mile Post 300 along Highway 12 between Wallula and Hood Park

 

Time to get out and see migration!

 

Yellow-rumped warblers

On our walk this morning we watched yellow-rumped warbler migration in full swing.  We counted 27 of them, and I'm sure we missed several.  How fun to watch them darting here and there!  There were still lots of barn swallows over the water and 3 dunlin on the mud.  Three dark-eyed juncos were hopping around on the grass when we returned to our cars (winter birds coming back!)  The wind kept a lot of the birds down so our numbers weren't as high as they are some weeks.  Most of the summer birds have left though so species numbers were also lower (24 species today). 

A Birdy Bennington Lake

Tuesday walkers found lots of birds this morning on our trek around the lake.  And the nice thing was that we actually saw many of the birds!  Wilson's warblers were numerous.  There were also a few yellow warblers and one very striking Townsend's warbler.  Warbling vireos, house wrens and Bewick's wrens were also seen.  The most abundant species of the day was cedar waxwing.  They were everywhere!  There are still a few western wood peewees and lazuli buntings around, and we saw one black-headed grosbeak.  We all got a nice close-up look at a lesser goldfinch.  Swallows were swarming all over the lake.  There were also many Vaux's swifts.  The biggest surprise of the morning was finding a Townsend's solitaire.  It's very early for them to arrive at the lake.  Their normal arrival date is usually a month away.  There was a greater yellowlegs and a western sandpiper in with the usual killdeer and spotted sandpiper in the mud.  Migration is in full swing so get out there and enjoy the birds before they leave for the winter.

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.

Wildflower Field Trip

Fourteen wildflower enthusiasts enjoyed a beautiful day with Priscilla Dauble in the Blue Mountains on Saturday, June 21.  The air was clear, the skies blue and the wildflowers abundant.  At our first stop on Weston Mountain we were treated to mountain lady slippers, coral root, pine drops and phantom orchids.  On Summit Road we found several varieties and colors of penstemons, scarlet gila, several varieties of lupine including Sabin's lupine which is endemic to the Blue Mountains and white Blue Mountain lupine which is rare.  At Target Meadows we found elephant head figwort, camus, hellebore, bistort, white bog orchid and Douglas clover, another rare plant.  Coyote Ridge trail was a lush green with a nice variety of wildflowers and shrubs.  It was like walking into a magical forest!  I'm not sure of the total number of wildflower species we saw at the various stops during the day, but it was between 75 and 100.

 

A special treat was getting to watch a blond yearling bear foraging on Summit Road.  Although this wasn't a birding trip, most of us had our binoculars and saw or heard many of the mountain birds.  The most unusual sighting was watching about 20 American white pelicans at Coyote Ridge.  They were riding the thermals up to cross the mountains – probably going from the Umatilla River area to the LaGrande area.  Not a sight you would expect to see in the mountains.

 

There are some great photos of the day on the Blue Mountain Audubon Facebook page.  Check them out!

 

Foster Road Field Trip

Fifteen people enjoyed a leisurely walk along Foster Road this morning.  Yellow-breasted chats and gray catbirds were very accommodating.  They posed on the top of the shrubs, and serenaded us with their complete repertoire of songs and calls.  Rufous hummingbirds glowed in the sunlight and put on aerial shows.  Yellow warblers and black-headed grosbeaks flitted in and out of the trees and house wrens sang from the thickets.  Identifying willow flycatchers and western wood peewees was easy because of their distinctive calls.  A western flycatcher and warbling vireos were more of a challenge to find – but we finally were able to find them.  A lazuli bunting sat on a tree limb so we all could enjoy it's brilliant blue color.  It was a fun morning of birding. 39 total species were seen.

Black-headed grosbeaks at Bennington Lake

The first thing I heard when I got out of the car this morning at the lake for our Tuesday walk was a black-headed grosbeak.  It didn't take me very long to find it up in the treetop happily singing away. We heard three others on our walk, but only got a look at a couple of them.  There were lazuli buntings singing and posing nicely on dead branches in several places, and the Bullock's orioles were very noisy and visible.  I like it when I get to see the birds!  And today even the yellow warblers were easy to spot.  We got a good, but brief look at at Wilson's warbler and a very brief, not good look at a MacGillivrary's warbler.  Calliope hummingbirds were on their usual perches and the male black-chinned hummingbirds were doing their buzzy display sounds.  The young great horned owls have found shelter away from the bank in the parking lot.  We didn't see them today, but we did see one of the adults so know they were close by.  We watched the osprey catch a fish and a great blue heron had a stare down with us as we passed on the trail.  We got a brief view of an eastern kingbird and saw several western kingbirds.  It was a beautiful morning – almost hot in the sunny stretches of the trail; but the best part of the walk was not having to wade across the canal!

 

Here Come the Birds!

Bennington Lake was alive with birds this morning.  On the water were ruddy ducks, buffleheads, a ring-necked duck, mallards, coots and northern shovelers. A spotted sandpiper, several killdeer and a great blue heron were on the shore. The Bullock's orioles have returned – we heard them all around the lake and got good looks at a couple of them.  As we got to the bench on the east side of the canal we heard a yellow-breasted chat.  After much searching we found him right in the open where we could see him well.  Paul carries his scope with him, so we were able to really get a good look.  Thank you Paul!  We also saw a lazuli bunting and a beautiful male yellow-rumped warbler.  We saw western kingbirds in several places. Yellow warblers and house wrens were abundant.  There were two ospreys, a red-tailed hawk and two northern harriers soaring overhead.  Of course cliff, tree and rough-winged swallows were everywhere.  The young great horned owls were on the bank in the parking lot.  Next week will bring even more birds, so get out there and enjoy!

Bennington Lake Sounds

The yellow warblers are back! It was nice to hear the birds singing as we walked around the lake on a beautiful sunny morning.  Besides yellow warblers, we could hear house wrens, goldfinches, black-capped chickadees, a Cassin's vireo, chipping sparrows and more.  The great horned owl parents were hooting in the cottonwoods keeping an eye on the owlets in the hole.  We also saw a Townsend's warbler, several yellow-rumped warblers, and several ruby-crowned kinglets. The lake was full of bufflehead, northern shovelers, mallards, coots and a couple horned grebes.  The cliff swallows are building their nests on the concrete structure in the lake, the rough-winged swallows are doing the same in the parking lot bank, and the tree swallows are finding boxes and snags.  Kingfishers are nesting in the bank along the canal and in the cut along the road going to the parking lot. Every week will bring more birds!

 

 

Palouse Falls Field Trip

Joe Corvino sent me this report of the field trip on Saturday, April 19.  Sounds like a great trip – sorry I missed it.

 

"Thirteen birders joined Joe and Carolyn Corvino on a beautiful spring day for an all day trip birding the Palouse Hills and Palouse Falls State Park. We were fortunate to have Mike and Merry Lynn Denny join us and help us find those birds invisible to the rest of us. Mike took us up Donnelly road, which has been replanted in many places with native Blue bunch Grass. In addition to enjoying the singing meadowlarks and the Swainson's and Red-tailed Hawks, Mike treated us to a lecture on this unique ecosystem. As the native plants have returned, badgers and other wildlife have followed. Among the highlights of the trip were, of course, the Peregrine Falcons, White-throated Swifts, and Violet-Green Swallows at Palouse Falls.  But the real climax of a wonderful day was revisiting an active Ferruginous Hawk nest. There were three hawks around this nest, one of which treated us to a truly regal aerial display.  We rewarded ourselves with a visit to Ray's Diner in Dayton, home of the best soft-serve in the area. While the rest of us ate, Merry Lynn found several immature Purple Finch around the diner."

A Beautiful Morning At Bennington Lake

The Tuesday Walkers had a lovely stroll around the lake this morning. The trees are beginning to leaf out, the butterflies are returning, and of course the birds are getting more active.  There were tree swallows flying around the south end of the lake, Bewick's wrens and song sparrows singing everywhere, and the osprey was cruising the lake.  There were a large number of ducks on the water – northern shovelers, green-winged teal, bufflehead and mallards.  There was a yellow-rumped warbler in bright breeding plumage, a singing ruby-crowned kinglet and a early chipping sparrow.  MerryLynn spotted a Swainson's hawk far in the distance and a pair of northern harriers were cavorting overhead.  Several killdeer made a huge fuss as we crossed the dam – no doubt we were too close to a nest.  Many other people were enjoying the lake and trails this morning – fishermen, horseback riders, boaters, bicycle riders and kayakers.  Everyone was out on a beautiful day enjoying a place that is a real jewel so close to town.  Ginger

 

(I also had reports of Swainson's hawks south of Lowden this morning, so they definitely have returned).

The Osprey is Back!

This morning the Tuesday walkers were greeted by the osprey as we started out on our walk.  The Corp put fish in the lake a couple days ago, and like clockwork the osprey seems to know and it returns.  The lake was teaming with violet-green swallows plus a few cliff and tree swallows, all skimming across the water getting a new hatch of some tasty insect.  There was a breeding plumage double-crested cormorant on a snag.  Now we know why they are called "double-crested"  That plumage is only apparent when they are breeding.  A western meadowlark was chirping from a tree high up on the east side and there were still a few Townsend's solitaires around.  Every week will bring more birds in now.  The next couple months will be very exciting on our walks as the summer birds return.  Hope you will all get out there and enjoy their arrival.  Ginger 

Waterfowl Field Trip

George Jameson led a Blue Mountain Audubon field trip to the west side of the county to see what ducks and geese we could find.  Highlights included thousands of snow geese – in the fields eating, flying overhead, calling.... Such a wonderful sight!  There were also thousands of canada geese and several hundred cackling geese and white-fronted geese. The geese were seen along Hanson Loop Road, Humorist Road, and at McNary NWR Headquarters.  Also at Headquarters were over 20 tundra swans, a nice variety of ducks including redheads, canvasbacks and ring-necked ducks. We saw more ducks at Two Rivers HMU. A special treat was a great egret sitting by the side of Humorist Road just past the intersection with Highway 12.  Interesting though, when we returned through the same area an hour or so later there were no geese in the fields and no egret.Our timing was good!  There were several bald eagles scattered  along the Columbia River.  We came home via the back roads south of Touchet and Lowden looking for raptors, but found very few.  We did see several great horned owls.

A Slow Day at Bennington Lake

There were 23 tundra swans flying away from Bennington Lake as MerryLynn arrived for our Tuesday walk on February 18.  Even though the lake was open, there were only a few mallards on the water.  It was very quiet walking the trails.  We did see 2 great horned owls and heard a third one.  Near the parking lot we came across a small flock of black-capped chickadees that included a golden-crowned kinglet.  The wind didn't pick up until we were back in the parking lot and it didn't rain, so all in all it was a good walk. We saw or heard a total of 20 species. Ginger

 

 

Backyard Feeders Field Trip

Fifteen people braved the cold, damp morning to look at different types of backyard feeding habitats.  We saw everything from small yard feeding stations to a ten acre place that included two creeks, extensive habitat plantings and yard feeders.  We also visited South Wilbur ponds and were lucky to see over 80 wood ducks on the water.  Some of the other birds seen were sharp-shinned hawks, a great blue heron, juncos, black-capped chickadees, mallards, goldfinches and song sparrows.

Bennington Lake today

This is the slow time of the year at the lake, but the Tuesday walkers were able to find 4 great horned owls, a barn owl, 2 Cooper's hawks, a sharp-shinned hawk, a northern shrike and numerous small wintering passerines.  The lake is free of ice once again, but there was little on it – 6 green-winged teal, 2 mallards, 2 killdeer, a ring-billed gull and a great blue heron.  A beautiful morning for a walk.