Evening Grosbeaks at Bennington Lake

There were over 30 evening grosbeaks in the trees above the parking lot this morning when we got to the lake for our weekly walk.  They were in the conifers and also in the Russian olives.  Robins and juncos were around in huge numbers as well as numerous song sparrows and white-crowned sparrows.  Other birds of note were 3 varied thrushes, a meadowlark, 4 Townsend's solitaires, an American pipit and a great horned owl. In addition to the usual red-tailed hawks, northern harriers and American kestrels, there was also a rough-legged hawk and a Cooper's hawk. A feeding flock of little birds along the trail near the parking lot included mountain and black-capped chickadees, ruby-crowned kinglets, Bewick's wrens, juncos and a spotted towhee.  On the water were 58 canada geese and 4 common mergansers.

It was foggy and cold, but still nice to be out enjoying the walk and the birds.  Ginger

Birding Bennington Lake in the Fog

When we arrived at the parking lot the fog was dense.  We could hear canada geese out on there someplace but couldn't find them (later we found 53 of them sitting on the mud along the canal).  On the east side of the lake we got a lesson in "bird mobbing".  There were several very upset ruby-crowned kinglets in the trees and MerryLynn's keen eyes soon found a northern saw-whet owl. What a treat!  A little further up the trail was a sharp-shinned hawk – one of two we saw today.  The second one flew across the trail right in front of us in hot pursuit of several juncos.  We saw and heard a varied thrush calling from the trees (in the fog it really was an eerie sound).  A Townsend's solitaire sat in the top of the junipers at the north end of the lake.  When we returned to the parking lot, the trees were full of cedar waxwings, robins, juncos, mountain and black-capped chickadees, ruby-crowned kinglets and a golden-crowned kinglet.  We had a total of 37 species today – a lot more than anticipated on a foggy day.  Ginger

Turkey Trot

Tom Scribner led another successful Field Trip searching for wild turkeys. Eleven diligent birders counted a total of 202 turkeys in Walla Walla and Columbia counties.  The weather changed as the day went on with a few sprinkles, a little sun but warm temperatures throughout the day.  The fall colors were spectacular! Although we dipped on owls this trip, we did see a total of 32 species.  We also saw a fox and many deer (both alive in the fields and dead by the side of the road).  It was a fun trip!  Ginger 

Birds at Bennington Lake and County List Record

What a beautiful fall day for birding – warm weather, gorgeous fall colors, and tons of birds!  We started out with a Pacific wren.  Not that unusual for the county, but not a bird we see that often at the lake.  Next we saw a great blue heron adorning a dead tree.  Killdeer, greater yellowlegs and dunlin were in the mud and buffleheads and a western grebe dotted the water (what water there is).  We found two great horned owls today – one was sitting in a cottonwood that was brilliant yellow making for a nice photo.  Flocks of pine siskins, robins, goldfinches, cedar waxwings, juncos, white-crowned sparrows and house finches seemed to be everywhere we looked.  The biggest surprise was a PURPLE FINCH sitting in the top of a bare tree – calling.  The finch put our Walla Walla County list for 2012 at 257 – a record!  In addition, it was the first time one had been reported at Bennington Lake.  A northern shrike was in the shrubs on the east side and we had all three chickadees – black-capped, mountain and chestnut-backed.  Ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets were mixed in with the chickadees.  We saw a total of 43 species today.  Days like today are what make birding so fun!  Ginger

Northern Shrike at Bennington Lake

We saw our first northern shrike of the season at the lake today on our walk.  Other birds of note were flocks of cedar waxwings, a varied thrush, common mergansers, western grebes, dunlin, a greater yellowlegs and a large mixed flock of pine siskins, mountain and black-capped chickadees, ruby-crowned and golden crowned kinglets and juncos. It was cold and little drizzly at first, but the colors are still beautiful at the lake.  The water level on the lake is VERY low.  Ginger

 

Rough-legged hawks

Rough-legged hawks are starting to show up in the Walla Walla area.  The best place to look for them is north of town.  They were spotted this weekend on Sudbury Road and on the Ayers Road just south of Clyde.  A Harlan's red-tailed hawk was also seen – another northern bird that comes down for the winter.  Ginger

Field Trip - October 20

It was a Winnie the Pooh "blustery day" for our Field Trip on Saturday.  Nine of us looked for raptors and other birds in the Lowden/Touchet area.  There were many northern harriers, kestrels, and red-tailed hawks.  It was fun watching them maneuvering in the wind. Other highlights included three long-billed dowitchers, a great horned owl and wild turkeys.  Ginger