The trip to the pepper gardens in Wapato, WA turned out to be a birding heaven
for me - more black-billed magpies than you could shake a stick at!

While out in the field, picking the hot peppers, I had expected to see a
typical field assortment of birds. But nothing was stirring. "Strange", I
thought. And then a shadow passed overhead, and another, and another - 3
hawks (unidentifed - the sun was in my eyes!) cruised the area for about half
an hour, and even the house sparrows hopped meekly about only underneath the
vegetable stand awning.

The magpies, though, were incredible. We saw them picking at roadkill on I90,
darting across 82, and numerous pairs of them frolicking about in the back
roads. I was quite astonished by the white flashes as they flew, and those
tails! They kept us entertained on our breaks from the dusty, hot (in more
ways than one!), tiring work of picking 35 pounds of peppers. By the end of
the trip, even the non-birders agreed that it was fascinating to watch them.

At a stop to pick up a few pounds of tomatillos, I saw one magpie steal some
food from another 'pie, and boy - did the feathers fly! Quite a chase scene.

We came back via the Yakima Canyon, spotting a number of coots on small ponds,
and sparrows in the sagebrush. We saw more coots in ponds along I90, and by
the time we started up to Summit, the non-birders were spotting them and
making coot noises. I think I may have finally converted a few of my friends
into bird watching.

I highly reccomend Krueger's Pepper Gardens, in Wapato WA. There are no
habeneros left, but plenty of other hot hot hot peppers left - and very good
sweet peppers (the bell peppers are deeeelicious). Take exit 37 off 82, to
Wapato (about 7 miles). Take a right at the first stoplight in Wapato, which
is West Wapato Road. Go ~1/4 mile and turn left on Cambell Road. Turn right
on Knight Lane, and the farm is at the end of the short road. Park by the
pepper fields, grab a bucket from the vegetable stand, and pick until you
"can't pick no more". I reccomend gloves for the hotter peppers - the
'bulgarian carrot' peppers started to burn my hands after about the 3rd bush.

Susan Collicott
camel at serv.net
Seattle, WA