I had a good weekend on the east side. At Umptaneum, just before the
road crosses the creek in the grove of tall pine trees on the west side of the
road, for the third year I have located a porcupine roosting 3/4 of the way up
the tree. I think it has displaced the horned owls which used to nest there.
Also present was a Lewis's Woodpecker, and excavating flickers and starlings.
At Wenas were white-headed woodpeckers, red crossbills, a yellow
warbler, and many yellow-rumps. The irruption of yellow-rumps this year is the
largest I have ever seen. They were everywhere, including sage habitat with the
mt. bluebirds and warbling sage thrashers. While I was photographing a sage
thrasher a praire falcon came down on a bluebird box before spotting me!
Bob Vandenbosch