![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.windemuths.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/MG_5695.jpg\" "\\"_MG_5695\\"")
<\/a>Observation Blind<\/p><\/div>\n
For BirdFest that circle centered on the Observation Blind at the River \u201cS\u201d Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.\u00a0 Randy Hill, Deputy Project Leader for the Ridgefield NWR, hosted the event at the blind. He reports that 113 people participated through the day with 46 different species being seen.\u00a0 He says that nearly twice as many people came this year to participate but the total number of species seen was down from the upper 50\u2019s last year.\u00a0 All in all, though, it was a good, fun day looking and listening for birds.\u00a0 For those who would like to know more about the Big Sit! and check out the statistics, go to the website http:\/\/www.birdwatchersdigest.com\/bwdsite\/connect\/bigsit\/index.php<\/a>.<\/p>\n On another note–I have been writing the Refuge Ramblings for the Friends\u2019 Newsletters for five years now and I have covered many topics about the refuge and the wildlife that is found there.\u00a0 For those who would like to check through the archives of these ramblings, especially the ones about wildlife, you now have a chance to do that by going to a blog that I have created called \u201cRamblings.\u201d\u00a0 This is a blog that will not only have most of the Refuge Ramblings but many of the ramblings will have photographs of the wildlife that is the focus of the article.\u00a0 This blog will also host several Galleries with photographs primarily of the wildlife of the refuge, but also from some of the other places I have visited.\u00a0 If interested please go to blog.windemuths.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vermilian Flycatcher at the Refuge<\/p><\/div>\n Some of the interesting, unusual, and rare birds that have been seen at the refuge these past six weeks are: Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Brant<\/strong>, Eurasian Wigeon, Horned Grebe, Green Heron, White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper\u2019s Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-Plover<\/strong>, Lesser Yellowlegs, Baird\u2019s Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Eurasian Collared Dove, Rufous and Anna\u2019s Hummingbirds, Lewis\u2019s Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Vermilion Flycatcher!<\/strong>, Black Phoebe, & Townsend\u2019s Warbler.<\/p>\n Vermilion Flycatcher Note:\u00a0 Most people who think about the Vermilion Flycatcher visualize a red and dark brown bird. This unmistakable coloration is the coloration of an adult male.\u00a0 The bird that I photographed at\u00a0 the refuge is a first year female.\u00a0 As the female gets older, the yellow wash on the bottom part of the breast and belly turns pinkish.\u00a0 The Vermilion Flycatcher is a rare bird in the Northwest and at the refuge it is listed as accidental.\u00a0 The last one seen was over 10 years ago.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BirdFest is over for another year. Those of you who were there for either or both of the two days, October 8 & 9, were, I\u2019m sure, impressed with all of the many varied, fun, and instructive activities that were … Continue reading <\/a>