Bennington Lake on Tuesday

Summer birds continued to arrive at the lake.  New birds we saw were eastern kingbirds, gray catbirds, and a western tanager.  They joined those who arrived in the past two weeks – lazuli bunting, black-headed grosbeak, Bullock's oriole, western wood peewee, yellow-breasted chat, and more.  The chats were noisy and visible as was the male calliope hummingbird that we always look for on the west side of the canal.  The fuzzy young great horned owls are always fun to watch, and we saw two.  The sights and the sounds at the lake are what make the walk so interesting in the summer.  Soon it will be hot, and we will be scurrying from shade to shade, but Tuesday it was a pleasant walk – looking at birds and enjoying the wildflowers and butterflies along the way.

Chats Return to Bennington Lake

On our Tuesday morning walk this morning, we heard the unmistakable calls of a yellow-breasted chat along the north end of the canal.  After much searching we finally saw it!  Not a long look, but enough to get that first glimpse of the season.  Bullock's orioles and western kingbirds were  more cooperative, allowing us great looks.  There were eight young tree swallows sitting on a branch near one of our nest boxes on the south end of the lake.  It was cold and windy so there were not a lot of other swallows over the lake.  The only waterfowl we saw were a pair of mallards and four coots.  Raptors included an osprey, a red-tailed hawk, a northern harrier and an American kestrel.  One young great horned owl was snoozing in a cottonwood along the trail.  Yellow warblers and house wrens were busy singing and a calliope hummingbird perched on a dead tree.  There were probably 50 chipping sparrows flying around on the west side of the canal with a few white-crowned sparrows mixed in.  Another fun day of birding!

Summer Birds at Bennington

The Tuesday walk started off almost birdless – and very windy.  There were just a few ducks on the water – American wigeons, mallards, redheads and northern shovelers, plus a double crested cormorant.  One osprey was patrolling the lake and we saw two northern harriers.   Two ravens were flying low through the trees, no doubt looking for nests to rob.  House wrens and yellow warblers were very vocal and a few brown headed cowbirds flitted here and there. However, things picked up when we got to the east side of the lake. First we heard a Bullock's oriole.  After much searching we found it in the trees along with several more and a western kingbird.  Then we watched a dusky flycatcher in the shrubs, and while watching it, saw a Hammond's flycatcher.  Further along the trail two beautiful male lazuli buntings posed for us on a tree snag.  Calliope hummingbirds perched in their usual places on the west side of the canal.  Back in the trees we flushed a great horned owl adult, but couldn't find the young.  Another Hammond's flycatcher flitted around in a nearby shrub and we got great looks at it.  The female red-tailed hawk was on the nest high in a cottonwood, and the male was letting us know to stay away. We also got nice looks at a pair of yellow-rumped warblers, and watched flickers at two snags poke their heads out of their nest holes.  It's always fun to see the summer birds return.  Next week there will be more.....

Bluebird Field Trip

With Tom Scribner leading the way, 18 people ventured south of Pomeroy to check bluebird boxes and see birds, beautiful scenery and wildflowers galore.  Mountain bluebirds were present at many of the boxes we visited although tree swallows also found them a nice place to nest at several places. We saw a Lewis's woodpecker at a burn area and several red-tailed hawks. We wound around the high open areas where wheat is the main crop.  However, several large fields were planted to canola and the yellow fields were a beautiful sight with the mountains as a backdrop.  We dropped down to the Tucannon River on Blind Grade and had lunch at a small park at the bottom of the grade.  Then it was up Hartsock Grade where we stopped to look for warblers. We heard lots of yellow warblers, house wrens, and one car saw a lazuli bunting. We went up Payne Hollow out of Dayton to connect with Jasper Mountain Road where we saw several western bluebirds and chipping sparrows.  At the bottom of Jasper Mountain Road we saw a black-chinned hummingbird and a rufous hummingbird. Total number of species for the day was 35.  Thanks Tom – it was a great day!

Bennington Lake Today

There were lots of birds today as we walked around the lake.  The water was teeming with swallows – mostly cliff swallows although there were a few tree swallows. The only ducks were a few mallards and three northern shovelers.  A lone double crested cormorant made its way around the lake and there were three ospreys today – and they were successfully fishing!  Ruby crowned kinglets were everywhere and they were displaying their pretty "ruby crowns".  We saw three baby great horned owls and one adult.  Migrants included 3 Nashville warblers, several orange-crowned warblers and yellow-rumped warblers, chipping sparrows, a Lincoln's sparrow and a western kingbird.  We didn't hear or see any house wrens today (there was one last week), but the Bewick's wrens were loud and plentiful.  Things should pick up each week now as the summer birds start to return.

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.

Field Trip

The trip was lead by Paul and Judy Treman and we all want to thank them for showing us some wonderful birds. 

Wild Goose Chase Field Trip - February 14

Wow, did we see the birds!!!  We had close-up views of about 7500 snow geese in a corn field along Hanson Loop Road.  There were also canada geese, greater white-fronted geese and cackling geese in the mob of snow geese so the 22 field trip participants got to study them up close.  On Iverson Road we saw more than 30 great egrets and several great blue herons.  The ponds at McNary NWR were teeming with many varieties of ducks and tundra swans.  We enjoyed the Open House at McNary NWR Headquarters and had a pleasant lunch outside in the warm sunshine.  The frosting on the cake, was getting to see a northern saw-whet owl at Hood Park (thanks MerryLynn for the tip!)  It was a great field trip with a fun bunch of people!

Snowy Owls

There are two snowy owls in the Weston area on York Road.  Many of us saw and photographed them on January 31.

Pelican and Evening Grosbeaks at Bennington Lake

There was a single American white pelican on the lake when we arrived for our Tuesday walk.  Soon it was joined by a ring-billed gull and several canada geese.  The only other birds on the water were three common mergansers, a female common goldeneye and a great blue heron.  The little birds were pretty quiet with the exception of a singing Bewick's wren that was perched on top of a shrub.  We saw numerous dark eyed juncos and white-crowned sparrows, several black capped chickadees, Townsend's solitaires, ruby-crowned kinglets, downy woodpeckers and two great horned owls along the trail.  However, the best surprise was seeing a flock of about 50 evening grosbeaks fly into a pine tree above the parking lot as we were returning to our cars.  The sunshine was a welcome change and although it made the trails pretty mucky, it was nice being outside.

Red-tailed Hawk Bonanza

Today was the Raptor Field Trip, and we saw oodles of raptors despite the fog and rain.  Highlights of the trip were 91 red-tailed hawks (with over 70 in the vicinity of Frog Hollow Road and McDonald Road), 23 American kestrels, 5 northern harriers and 2 rough-legged hawks.  We also saw 2 northern shrikes and 3 great horned owls.  The red-tails came in every color phase, including several rufous morph and dark morph birds.  Our total species count for the day was 27.

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.