Gardiner Dam, July 13/14

Ray drove across the dam a couple of days ago and thought he saw Common Loons, so today we checked it out at a slower pace and sure enough. There are loons there, we counted 9 easily visible from the highway, as well as 3 Western Grebes. 

When we saw the Hudsonian Godwit someone said it was a sign that the shorebird migration was beginning.  Does this mean the waterbird migration has begun as well? For us after our cool June, it feels like summer has just got started. How can it be time for a fall migration?

The other reason for visiting Gardiner Dam was to see the Osprey nest.  We were there two weeks ago, but it was so windy I couldn't get a clear photo.  It was slightly better today, but only slightly as my Canon SX30 is not prepared to take bird closeups at the distance we were dealing with.

Godwits in our fields

Ray reported a flock of Godwits in a field yesterday. Needless to say, there is a brand new slough or seven in the same field.  We drove over there today (in the midst of our farming duties) and noticed that one of the godwits was smaller than the others and darker.  When it flew, there was a very obvious white patch on the rump.  A quick glance in the guide book suggests this bird just may be a Hudsonian Godwit.