Fellow Tweets,

A recent post bemoaned the lack of bird news on Tweeters as if no one is
checking out the bird action. Well, I've been holed up out on the Yakima
Training Center every weekend and thoroughly enjoying it. There's dust,
fires, extreme heat, wind...and birds!

Migration is steadily gearing up. My censuses on 3 August revealed 27
species, 11 August had 39, 18 August 46! Basically the same habitat and area
coverage which includes no waterbirds save the odd Mallard and no shorebirds
except an errant Killdeer or two. I'm refraining from one of my true loves:
shorebirding! Even the Curlew Sandpiper didn't rouse me (heat of Bartlett
pear harvest and shipping was another factor I guess).

The riparian areas are truly exciting! Those at higher elevation the most
productive. I have especially found the willow groves at the headwaters of
Selah Creek (alt 2,700') productive and those nearby at the head of Cold
Creek even more so as there are hawthorns, blue and red elderberry and rose
at the later. I'm eagerly anticipating the coming weeks, gaining a better
feel for the "fall" migration, its species composition and age/sex movements.

I certainly sense migration is a protracted affair and more intense at these
higher elevation riparian thickets than in the adjacent lowlands - starting
in mid-July. I wonder if the bulk of the passerine migration is passing
right over our us with relatively few bird "touching down" in the lowlands?
Hmmm...


You want bird news, well here goes. Herewith my list for 18 August:

Northern Harrier-10, mostly immatures
Cooper's Hawk-2 imm.
Swainson's Hawk-4
Red-tailed Hawk-21, mostly immatures
American Kestrel-6, ridges especially with their many grasshoppers
Chukar-3
Sage Grouse-13, 1 covey of 7, 1 of 4 + 2 cocks off to themselves
California Quail-1
Mourning Dove-1, surprisingly scarce
Great Horned Owl-4
Western Wood-Pewee-5
Willow Flycatcher-1+
Hammond's Flycatcher-3, interesting looks at worn birds, called "Beek"
"Western" Flycatcher-2
Empidonax sp.-10
Say's Phoebe-1
Eastern Kingbird-7, 2 family groups, ready to take off for South America
Horned Lark-77
Tree Swallow-3
Violet-green Swallow-30+
Bank Swallow-2
Barn Swallow-45
Black-billed Magpie-5
Common Raven-3
Red-breasted Nuthatch-1
House Wren-4
American Robin-38
Sage Thrasher-22, amazing 15 + in diffuse knapweed!!!
Cedar Waxwing-7
Warbling Vireo-8, all thought to be immatures
Orange-crowned Warbler-5, seemingly all immatures
Nashville Warbler-12, seemed to be mostly immatures
Yellow Warbler-1 adult male
Townsend's Warbler-1 immature?>
MacGillivray's Warbler-2
Wilson's Warbler-11, mostly adult males
Western Tanager-1
Spotted Towhee-2
Chipping Sparrow-20, mostly in hawthorns or near these trees
Brewer's Sparrow-5+
(Greatest challenge of the day was separating the Chipping/Brewer's
Sparrow complex, mostly immatures!)
Vesper Sparrow-158 (yeah thats right - 158!)
Sage Sparrow-1
Western Meadowlark-53, almost all in Elymus grasslands, the sagelands
deserted. Pronounced resurgence of song last week or so. Trainee males?!
Bullock's Oriole-1 immature
House Finch-2
Pine Siskin-3
American Goldfinch-5

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA