Author: Bruce McCammon

Chelan HawkWatch – 09.25.22

Posted on by
This group saw 20 raptors heading south on September 25, 2022

This video shows HawkWatch International’s lead raptor bander, Amanda Hancock, releasing a first year Sharp-shinned hawk up at Chelan Ridge. Captured birds are measured, banded and released.

This was during an NCW Audubon field trip on September 25, 2022, when we visited this particular HawkWatch site. Our group saw several raptors from the observation deck that day and 5 different species, one of which was a very dark-morphed Merlin that flew directly above us before soaring down the ridge to the South.

Crew leader Gary Palmer noted that this has been a good year for sighting raptors up at the Ridge as the total counts are running slightly higher than usual. Counts per season typically range between 2,000-3,000 migrants and up to 17 species.

Cooper’s Hawk; credit Pat Leigh

HawkWatch International, in partnership with the USFS Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, began annual standardized counts at the site in 1998 to monitor and learn more about raptors migrating through the east Cascades of Washington within the Pacific Coast Flyway.

The Chelan Ridge HawkWatch station will stay open barring bad weather until October 27th and they welcome visitors. At: Hawkwatch International – Home you can get directions to the site and learn much more about the organization.

eBird Insights – Investigating the Birds of North Central Washington (Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, and Okanogan counties)

Posted on by

eBird (www.ebird.org), a global bird sighting database holds over 1 BILLION bird sightings around the globe. The NCWAS four-county area has contributed over 1.3 million bird sightings to the global total.

A new report by Bruce McCammon looks at the NCWAS eBird data between 2015 and June 2022 to describe the “Who?”, “When?”, “How Many”?, and “Where” aspects of the 306 bird species that have been reported to eBird from the NCWAS area. You can view or download the report here.

Graphs, charts, and text take a taxonomic approach to describe the North Central Washington bird species. The report concentrates on taxonomic Order, Family, and Species levels.

The report is provided in PDF format to allow you to download for use on your local device or, should you wish, print it. If you decide to print, the paper is set up to print as an 8.5×11 inch booklet using 11×17″ paper. The report uses color in many of the charts and graphs. Color printing can be expensive but the report should print reasonably well in black-and-white to reduce costs.

When you view the report in the free Acrobat Reader, please make sure that you set Reader to show a two-page display with “show cover page” selected as shown below.

How to set up Acrobat Reader for this report

A set of preliminary observations is provided at the end of the paper. If you discover patterns or have interesting observations of your own, please let us know by sending an email to ncwaudubon@gmailcom. You can send any questions about the report to NCW Audubon as well.

Comment on protecting America’s Western Arctic

Posted on by

Mary Gallagher provided the following material.

Worried about the decline in bird populations? Climate Concerns? Act Now! YOUR Voice Matters!           

On July 8, 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) addressing the implications of ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project for America’s Western Arctic. This project poses a potential disaster for this fragile Arctic region, home to Indigenous communities and bountiful wildlife including caribou, fish and migratory birds. This project will have additional impacts on our current climate issues. Please submit a public comment to prevent this project from moving forward before AUGUST 19, 2022.

The SEIS documents are now available at this BLM site.


For more information: https://alaskawild.org/blog/conocophillips-willow-oil-development-proposal-threatens-landscapes-communities-and-our-climate/

Animating eBird data

Posted on by

eBird use is increasing in North Central Washington. That’s a good thing. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching your checklist count grow over time or knowing that your observations are used in the background science that researchers employ.

But what about our local use? Can we use eBird to answer questions that we may have? For instance, “what is the pattern of Anna’s Hummingbirds observations over time”? Or “how do Anna’s Hummingbird eBird entries in Chelan county stack up against a big, westside county like King county”?

The short (51 second) video shows the timeline for Anna’s Hummingbirds over time. The data values used have been normalized to make the data from the highly populated King county comparable to the smaller population Chelan county.

How does this match up with your expectations? Is it surprising to see that King county has a much greater population of Anna’s than Chelan county? Did it surprise you to see the first eBird Anna’s entry in Chelan county show up in 2008?

I believe that the North Central Washington Audubon Society chapter becomes better informed and more interested and connected to our birds if we see our data used. That’s a long way to say “more to come”.

Stay tuned and let us know what you think about this type of presentation. Thanks.

2022 Collaborative eBird Species List

Posted on by

The use of eBird to document bird species seen in the NCWAS four-county area (Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Okanogan) continues to grow. The list below contains the 206 species seen and documented in eBird between January 2022 and April 2022. How many of the 206 species have you seen this year?

A downloadable list that is sorted by taxonomic family can be accessed by clicking here.

The bird species added to the collaborative list in April 2022 are:

Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Harlequin Duck
Greater Sage-Grouse
American White Pelican
Swainson’s Hawk
Sora
American Avocet
Black-necked Stilt
Long-billed Curlew
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Caspian Tern
Band-tailed Pigeon
Vaux’s Swift
Calliope Hummingbird
Lewis’s Woodpecker

Dusky Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Western Wood-Pewee
Bank Swallow
House Wren
Common Yellowthroat
Nashville Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Western Tanager
Brown-headed Cowbird

All of the 206 species seen so far in 2022 are listed below

American Wigeon
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Blue-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cinnamon Teal
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Eurasian Wigeon
Gadwall
Greater Scaup
Greater White-fronted Goose
Green-winged Teal
Harlequin Duck
Hooded Merganser
Lesser Scaup
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Red-breasted Merganser
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Snow Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
White-winged Scoter
Wood Duck
California Quail
Chukar
Dusky Grouse
Gray Partridge
Greater Sage-Grouse
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Sooty Grouse
Wild Turkey
Common Loon
Pacific Loon
Eared Grebe
Horned Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Cooper’s Hawk
Golden Eagle
Northern Goshawk
Northern Harrier
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
Turkey Vulture
American Coot
Sora
Virginia Rail
Sandhill Crane
American Avocet
Black-necked Stilt
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Curlew
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe
California Gull
Caspian Tern
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Barn Owl
Barred Owl
Great Horned Owl
Long-eared Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Short-eared Owl
Snowy Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Vaux’s Swift
White-throated Swift
Anna’s Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
White-headed Woodpecker
Williamson’s Sapsucker

American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
Dusky Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Say’s Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Western Wood-Pewee
Loggerhead Shrike
Northern Shrike
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
American Crow
Black-billed Magpie
Blue Jay
California Scrub-Jay
Canada Jay
Clark’s Nutcracker
Common Raven
Steller’s Jay
Horned Lark
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Pygmy Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Treecreepers
Brown Creeper
Bewick’s Wren
Canyon Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Pacific Wren
Rock Wren
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Hermit Thrush
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend’s Solitaire
Varied Thrush
Western Bluebird
Sage Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Common Yellowthroat
Nashville Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Fox Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Sagebrush Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Swamp Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Western Tanager
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
American Goldfinch
Cassin’s Finch
Common Redpoll
Evening Grosbeak
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Pine Grosbeak
Pine Siskin
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
House Sparrow

NCWAS Collaborative Bird List – 2022 First Quarter Report

Posted on by

There are numerous people in the NCWAS four-county area who submit bird sightings to eBird. 1,061 eBirders submitted 18,023 checklists to eBird in 2021. A total of 277 bird species were reported. Aggregating all the species seen in Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, and Okanogan counties into a collaborative list that contains all sightings by the many eBirders in our area allows us to see how this year’s bird species counts compare with previous years. Are more people using eBird? Are more species being reported than in previous years?

Those of you who receive our newsletter, the Wild Phlox, will notice a new graphic on page two. The graphic is a thermometer display that will show the progress of the total species documented in eBird over the course of a year. This type of graphic is used to show progress for many fundraising or membership drives. Why not use it to show the accumulation of bird sightings in our area?

For some, more detail may be useful. This post provides a listing of all the bird species found in eBird for the NCWAS area between January 1 and the end of March 2022. The list does not include hybrid species sightings (e.g., Greater/Lesser Scaup) or generic entries (e.g., gull, sp.)

January 2022 eBird data contains 140 distinct bird species seen in the NCWAS four-county area. February 2022 added eleven new species to the January total, bringing the collaborative total to 151 species at the end of February 2022. The eleven species added in February are:

  • Barn Swallow
  • Black-crowned Night-Heron
  • Blue Jan
  • Long-eared Owl
  • Red-breasted Merganser
  • Rock Wren
  • Sooty Grouse
  • Tree Swallow
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Violet-green Swallow
  • Western Screech-Owl

March marks the gradual beginning of the much-anticipated migrant arrival. By the end of March, the collaborative list for the four-county area contains 171 distinct species. The 20 species added in March are:

  • American Pipit
  • Brewer’s Sparrow
  • Cliff Swallow
  • Dusky Grouse
  • Greater White-fronted Goose
  • Greater Yellowlegs
  • Lincoln’s Sparrow
  • Loggerhead Shrike
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Red-naped Sapsucker
  • Rufous Hummingbird
  • Sage Thrasher
  • Sagebrush Sparrow
  • Sandhill Crane
  • Savannah Sparrow
  • Snow Goose
  • Vesper Sparrow
  • White-throated Swift
  • Williamson’s Sapsucker
  • Yellow-headed Blackbird

We can safely assume that there will be many new species added to this list by the end of April and May. Please make sure to enter your bird sightings into eBird so scientists have access to your information.

A list of all species seen by the end of March 2022 follows. If you would like to see this list organized by taxonomic groups, click here. You can view or download this PDF file for your own use.

  • American Coot
  • American Crow
  • American Dipper
  • American Goldfinch
  • American Kestrel
  • American Pipit
  • American Robin
  • American Three-toed Woodpecker
  • American Tree Sparrow
  • American Wigeon
  • Anna’s Hummingbird
  • Bald Eagle
  • Barn Owl
  • Barn Swallow
  • Barred Owl
  • Barrow’s Goldeneye
  • Belted Kingfisher
  • Bewick’s Wren
  • Black-backed Woodpecker
  • Black-billed Magpie
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Black-crowned Night-Heron
  • Blue Jay
  • Bohemian Waxwing
  • Brewer’s Blackbird
  • Brewer’s Sparrow
  • Brown Creeper
  • Bufflehead
  • Cackling Goose
  • California Gull
  • California Quail
  • California Scrub-Jay
  • Canada Goose
  • Canada Jay
  • Canvasback
  • Canyon Wren
  • Cassin’s Finch
  • Cedar Waxwing
  • Chestnut-backed Chickadee
  • Chukar
  • Clark’s Nutcracker
  • Cliff Swallow
  • Common Goldeneye
  • Common Loon
  • Common Merganser
  • Common Raven
  • Common Redpoll
  • Cooper’s Hawk
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Dusky Grouse
  • Eared Grebe
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • Eurasian Wigeon
  • European Starling
  • Evening Grosbeak
  • Fox Sparrow
  • Gadwall
  • Golden Eagle
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet
  • Golden-crowned Sparrow
  • Gray Partridge
  • Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Greater Scaup
  • Greater White-fronted Goose
  • Greater Yellowlegs
  • Green-winged Teal
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Harris’s Sparrow
  • Hermit Thrush
  • Herring Gull
  • Hooded Merganser
  • Horned Grebe
  • Horned Lark
  • House Finch
  • House Sparrow
  • Killdeer
  • Lapland Longspur
  • Lesser Goldfinch
  • Lesser Scaup
  • Lincoln’s Sparrow
  • Loggerhead Shrike
  • Long-eared Owl
  • Mallard
  • Marsh Wren
  • Merlin
  • Mountain Bluebird
  • Mountain Chickadee
  • Mourning Dove
  • Northern Flicker
  • Northern Goshawk
  • Northern Harrier
  • Northern Pintail
  • Northern Pygmy-Owl
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Northern Saw-whet Owl
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Northern Shrike
  • Osprey
  • Pacific Loon
  • Pacific Wren
  • Peregrine Falcon
  • Pied-billed Grebe
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Pine Grosbeak
  • Pine Siskin
  • Prairie Falcon
  • Purple Finch
  • Pygmy Nuthatch
  • Red Crossbill
  • Red-breasted Merganser
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch
  • Red-breasted Sapsucker
  • Redhead
  • Red-naped Sapsucker
  • Red-necked Grebe
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Ring-billed Gull
  • Ring-necked Duck
  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • Rock Wren
  • Rough-legged Hawk
  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  • Ruddy Duck
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Rufous Hummingbird
  • Sage Thrasher
  • Sagebrush Sparrow
  • Sandhill Crane
  • Savannah Sparrow
  • Say’s Phoebe
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse
  • Short-eared Owl
  • Snow Bunting
  • Snow Goose
  • Snowy Owl
  • Song Sparrow
  • Sooty Grouse
  • Spotted Towhee
  • Steller’s Jay
  • Swamp Sparrow
  • Townsend’s Solitaire
  • Tree Swallow
  • Trumpeter Swan
  • Tundra Swan
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Varied Thrush
  • Vesper Sparrow
  • Violet-green Swallow
  • Virginia Rail
  • Western Bluebird
  • Western Grebe
  • Western Meadowlark
  • Western Screech-Owl
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • White-headed Woodpecker
  • White-throated Swift
  • White-winged Crossbill
  • White-winged Scoter
  • Wild Turkey
  • Williamson’s Sapsucker
  • Wilson’s Snipe
  • Wood Duck
  • Yellow-headed Blackbird
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler

April 23 (Saturday) and April 25 (Monday) -Upper Wenatchee Watershed birding

Posted on by

Join Sarah Smith, Mary, and Tim Gallagher for Spring birding in the Upper Wenatchee
Watershed.

Tim Gallagher


We will start at Lake Wenatchee State Park (South Beach) and walk a dirt trail along the
Wenatchee River to the confluence of Nason Creek and return via an old road in a mixed pine
forest. This area typically has several Osprey nests to observe. It may be a little early, but
perhaps we will see migrating American Pipits and/or Harlequin Ducks.
We will then drive over to Fish Lake, a 500-acre spring-fed lake, that is stocked for fishing. There
we will walk along an old dirt road that borders the southern edge of the lake and into a mixed
pine forest.


We will be looking and listening for resident and migrant species passing by or settling in such
as woodpeckers, waterfowl, warblers and flycatchers. If time permits, we may visit the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust property along the White River to check for Cliff Swallows and American Dippers.


Dress for the weather, bring binoculars and lunch, snacks, water, etc. There will be at least 2.5 miles of walking, mostly on dirt trails and roads. Surfaces may be uneven and in a few places steep. Hopefully, the infamous mosquitoes will not have hatched yet.


We will meet at 7 am at Lake Wenatchee South State Park by the park store/bathrooms and
expect to be done by 1 pm. A Discover Pass is needed at the State Park. Each trip is limited to ten participants.

Tim Gallagher


To reserve your space, email trip leader Mary Gallagher at marywillardgallagher@live.com by
April 20th.


NOTE: Participants must be fully vaccinated (two shots plus a booster) and practice social
distancing in the field. Thank you for your cooperation.

February 2022 cumulative bird list

Posted on by

151 species were recorded in eBird in the January-February, 2022 period. 11 new species (boldface in the list below) were added in February 2022. You can download a PDF file of this list if you click here.

  • American Wigeon
  • Barrow’s Goldeneye
  • Bufflehead
  • Cackling Goose
  • Canada Goose
  • Canvasback
  • Common Goldeneye
  • Common Merganser
  • Eurasian Wigeon
  • Gadwall
  • Greater Scaup
  • Green-winged Teal
  • Hooded Merganser
  • Lesser Scaup
  • Mallard
  • Northern Pintail
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Red-breasted Merganser
  • Redhead
  • Ring-necked Duck
  • Ruddy Duck
  • Trumpeter Swan
  • Tundra Swan
  • White-winged Scoter
  • Wood Duck
  • California Quail
  • Chukar
  • Gray Partridge
  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse
  • Sooty Grouse
  • Wild Turkey
  • Common Loon
  • Pacific Loon
  • Eared Grebe
  • Horned Grebe
  • Pied-billed Grebe
  • Red-necked Grebe
  • Western Grebe
  • Belted Kingfisher
  • American Three-toed Woodpecker
  • Black-backed Woodpecker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Northern Flicker
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Red-breasted Sapsucker
  • White-headed Woodpecker
  • American Kestrel
  • Merlin
  • Peregrine Falcon
  • Prairie Falcon
  • Say’s Phoebe
  • Northern Shrike
  • American Crow
  • Black-billed Magpie
  • Blue Jay
  • California Scrub-Jay
  • Canada Jay
  • Clark’s Nutcracker
  • Common Raven
  • Steller’s Jay
  • Barn Swallow
  • Tree Swallow
  • Violet-green Swallow
  • Pygmy Nuthatch
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Black-crowned Night-Heron
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Bald Eagle
  • Cooper’s Hawk
  • Golden Eagle
  • Northern Goshawk
  • Northern Harrier
  • Osprey
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Rough-legged Hawk
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • American Coot
  • Virginia Rail
  • Killdeer
  • Wilson’s Snipe
  • California Gull
  • Herring Gull
  • Ring-billed Gull
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • Mourning Dove
  • Barn Owl
  • Barred Owl
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Long-eared Owl
  • Northern Pygmy-Owl
  • Northern Saw-whet Owl
  • Short-eared Owl
  • Snowy Owl
  • Western Screech-Owl
  • Anna’s Hummingbird
  • Brown Creeper
  • Bewick’s Wren
  • Canyon Wren
  • Marsh Wren
  • Pacific Wren
  • Rock Wren
  • American Dipper
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet
  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  • American Robin
  • Hermit Thrush
  • Mountain Bluebird
  • Townsend’s Solitaire
  • Varied Thrush
  • Western Bluebird
  • European Starling
  • Bohemian Waxwing
  • Cedar Waxwing
  • Lapland Longspur
  • Snow Bunting
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
  • American Tree Sparrow
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Fox Sparrow
  • Golden-crowned Sparrow
  • Harris’s Sparrow
  • Song Sparrow
  • Spotted Towhee
  • Swamp Sparrow
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • Brewer’s Blackbird
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Western Meadowlark
  • American Goldfinch
  • Cassin’s Finch
  • Common Redpoll
  • Evening Grosbeak
  • Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
  • House Finch
  • Lesser Goldfinch
  • Pine Grosbeak
  • Pine Siskin
  • Purple Finch
  • Red Crossbill
  • White-winged Crossbill
  • House Sparrow

Beebe Springs bird walk – March 16, 2022

Posted on by

This blog post was submitted by Virginia Palumbo

Wednesday was opening day at Beebe Springs Natural Area, and Virginia Palumbo and Meredith Spencer had a beautiful blue day for the first Beebe Springs survey for this year. Although the numbers of individual birds were not high, we spotted 31 species. Highlights of the day included 7 Trumpeter Swans swimming close by in one of the inlets, and a Virginia Rail that flushed from the side of the trail. We were happy to have both a great view of a Bewick’s Wren singing, and heard a Canyon Wren’s beautiful descending song. . Robins, Flickers, and Black-capped Chickadees were abundant, and the usual Great Blue Herons and Belted Kingfishers made an appearance. A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Downy Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk, and Violet-green Swallows rounded out the day’s excitement.

The Beebe Springs surveys will continue on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. The start time varies according to when the sun comes over the Plateau, so please contact Virginia for start times and to register, at 509-682-5969 or vwpalumbo@gmail.com. We’d love to see you at Beebe!

Trumpeter Swans, Beebe Springs. Photo: Virginia Palumbo

March 5, 2022 Birding Porter’s Pond

Posted on by

This blog entry was submitted by Joe Veverka, NCWAS

We had 17 birders meet at the 19th St Trailhead at 08:00 Saturday morning for 2 (turned into 2.5) hours of birding at Porter’s Pond in East Wenatchee.  The weather was gorgeous – sunny, light breeze, and cool.  Birding started off fairly slow as we walked north along a dirt path paralleling the Apple Capital Loop Trail (ACLT).  We had nice looks at four Barrow’sGoldeneye and later found several Common Goldeneye for comparison.  Mallards were the most abundant identifiable waterfowl.  We had good views of a Belted Kingfisher and a Double-crested Cormorant in the scopes.  Most of the waterfowl were far across the river, many in the lagoon at Walla Walla Point Park.

Heading south down the ACLT we found a pair of Downy Woodpeckers and re-found a gregarious band of a half-dozen Black-capped Chickadees.  One of the highlights, as we moved south of the trailhead connector, was seeing our first violet-green swallow of the year.  We also had nice views of an adult bald eagle while trying to get binoculars on a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers.  The southern half of our walk was more productive than the northern half.  We had great looks at Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, and Buffleheads.  We managed to pick out a few Canvasbacks among a raft of scaup along the west bank of the river.

Time management while birding has always been an issue for me.  Most of us finished a half-hour after the scheduled time enjoying the nice weather, sun, and company.  By all accounts, it was a successful outing!  And, we identified 40 species of birds!