I spent a good part of the day at Umtanum Creek, SW of Ellensburg, on 16
Aug, expecting at least a small variety of migrant birds. In fact, all I
saw was one immature Rufous Hummingbird, presumably fledged farther north
or higher up in the mountains. Not a single other migrant, even though
there had been unsettled weather for a few days previously. There weren't
even very many of the breeding birds; most had apparently flown the coop.
There were families of Lewis' Woodpeckers and Rufous-sided Towhees, a few
Cedar Waxwings and Black-headed Grosbeaks among the summer birds; flickers,
magpies, and goldfinches among the residents. I had last been there on 18
May, when a wave of hundreds of migrants was passing through (literally a
Wilson's Warbler in every bush); the contrast was striking.

It's somewhat anticlimactic to visit eastern WA after the breeding birds
leave. However, the sagebrush habitat, which we usually think of as
emptying out pretty early, still supported Sage Thrashers, Brewer & Vesper
sparrows, and a Loggerhead Shrike on Umtanum Ridge above the creek, making
the relative lack of birds in the creek bottom even more surprising. A
female with 10 or so half-grown young Gray Partridges rounded out the list.

Although not much fun, it's still interesting to note the absence of birds
in places at times.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416