Spencer Island Field Trip (9/27/03) Highlights

It was a sunny, warm day. We could not park at the usual place and instead of a 3/8 mile walk to the island, we had to walk 1-1/2 miles.

We got good scope looks at a flock of Long-billed Dowitchers swimming in shallow water, an Osprey trying to cope with a large fish, Hairy Woodpeckers, a female Western Tanager, a Horned Grebe, and an American Pipit walking on the edge of the mudflats.

We saw one female Northern Pintail, a few Green-winged Teal, a number of Northern Harrier and Red-tailed Hawks. Playing a recording got both a Virginia Rail and a Sora to respond.

We saw number of Yellow-rumped Warblers including some taking a bath in a small rivulet. We also saw some river otters and a harbor seal in the river at Langus Park.

The complete list of birds follows: Pied-billed Grebe - Eared Grebe - Double-crested Cormorant - Canada Goose - Gadwall - Green-winged Teal - Mallard - Northern Pintail - Great Blue Heron - Turkey Vulture - Osprey - Northern Harrier - Red-tailed Hawk - American Kestrel - Virginia Rail - Sora - American Coot - Long-billed Dowitcher - Killdeer - Ring-billed Gull - Glaucous-winged Gull - Rock Dove - Vaux's Swift - Belted Kingfisher - Downy Woodpecker - Hairy Woodpecker - Northern Flicker - Steller's Jay - American Crow - Cedar Waxwing - American Robin - European Starling - Marsh Wren - Barn Swallow - Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Black-capped Chickadee - American Pipit - House Finch - Yellow-rumped Warbler - Song Sparrow - White-crowned Sparrow - Savannah Sparrow - Spotted Towhee - Western Tanager - Red-winged Blackbird.

There were 15 birders and 45 species sighted.