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March
31, 2001
Avids
Stay Close to Home
by Doreene Linzell
During the
doldrums of March, birders are often puzzled as to
where conduct their routine adventures. It was no different this year
as Doreene,
the only leader available on March 31st, tried to determine a route for
this
late March excursion. Last minute updates and inclinations led her to
surmise
that close to home was the way to go for the trip. So, 14 eager Avids
enjoyed a
shorter car ride than normal as they ventured to their first stop,
Killdeer
Plains WA. Looking over the checklist, it seems that Killdeer was awash
with
waterfowl--a whopping 18 species of ducks and geese. Throwing in common
loon,
two grebes, and American coot brings the total to 22. A few shorebirds
were
around and other landbirds filled out the list as they leisurely
scoured the
area. The next stop was Big Island WA, where more waterfowl and
shorebirds
awaited. A mute swan, six tundra swans, and a lone lingering snow goose
brought
the day's waterfowl total to 25. No other surprises were noted and the
Avids
soon found themselves venturing back toward Columbus to Hoover
Reservoir. Not
your routine Avids trip, to say the least. At Hoover they were
expecting to find
the up-till-then reliable female surf scoter, but instead fell victim
to what
often happens in the birding world--no scoter. In fact, there were few
waterfowl
around at all. Undaunted, they continued their foray around the
reservoir and
were able to add a few birds to the list before returning to their
departure
point. Overall, the Avids tallied 76 species on this trip and a good,
fairly
relaxing time was enjoyed by all.
A =
Killdeer Plains WA
B = Big Island WA
C = Hoover Reservoir
Page
updated 04/04/05
©
Columbus Audubon 2005
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