Baker sewage ponds & China Ranch

Observers: Mary & Nick Freeman
Email: mnfreeman@earthlink.net
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 68.164.61.62
Date: 05/26/2008
Time: 07:47 PM -0400

Sighting

Hi Birders. On Friday, 5/23/08, we stopped at the Baker Sewage Ponds. We had a female Common Goldeneye, 1 Willet, 2 American Avocet, 1 Black-necked Stilt, 1 Red-necked and 2 Wilson's Phalaropes, 3 Green-winged Teal. Lots of Western Wood Pewees, a Western Tanager, Willow Flycatcher and about a dozen Spotted Sandpipers. We were treated to Bank Swallows mixed in the groups of swallows preening on the wire fence. We stayed the night at China Ranch B&B and I still couldn't get a Western Screech Owl!! The familiar western migrants were present, no eastern vagrants but the birding was great - no empids but lots of Western Wood Pewee and a single Olive-sided Flycatcher. A single Vaux's Swift was seen Friday afternoon. The lovely Summer Tanager was singing away in the cottonwoods by the B&B both days. 2 Cedar Waxwings and 2 Townsend's Warblers were still present. We saw the spectacular melanistic (wow!) Brown-crested Flycatcher a few minutes after Debbie found it. We watched brancher Bell's Vireos chasing after their parents in the mesquite near the B&B. As we departed China Ranch, we stopped at Tecopa and also encountered the male Common Goldeneye. The day before, a single American Avocet was in the small lake near town. We had lunch in Shoshone (Sunday) and at the museum's bird feeders, a beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was feeding as it was getting crowded out by the House Sparrows. We had sprinkles and cloudy skies which made for wonderful photography. Happy migrant finding!! Mary & Nick Freeman