Paul Cozens and I censused migrants along upper Cold and upper Selah Creek
just south of and above Priest Rapids Dam in Yakima County today. Todays
totals of many species were the highest I've ever encountered here.

I'm going to propose a reason for the exceptional numbers of migrants which
concentrate along the willow/black cottonwood and hawthorn-lined upper Cold
Creek in fall. If you look at a map of Washington and focus on the eastern
slopes of the Cascades, you will see the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers flow
in a fairly direct southward fashion south from Canada. Where there are
significant bends eastward - as the one south of Wenatchee - high mountains
lie to the west in one such instance as at Mission Ridge. The second major
bend eastward in the otherwise south-flowing Columbia is at Priest Rapids Dam.

What do these eastward bends have to do with bird migration? If we suppose
the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers form a natural migration corridor for birds
- as there is abundant evidence - then the direct southward path of the
Okanogan and Columbia Rivers forms an unimpeded corridor for birds in
Washington except in two places: at the above-mentioned eastward bends.

I'll assume birds have a strong south or southwestward directional instinct
while traversing this region. Many waterfowl and possibly shorebirds follow
the river closely, following its every twist and turn. Eastward bends are
also followed; in both cases the river resumes a southerly course. For
passerines, however, when the river ceases to flow in the direction these
creatures are programmed to follow, I'm assuming they strike out overland.

However at the eastward bend of the Columbia south of Wenatchee, Mission
Ridge (> 1,800 meters of local relief) might be a sufficient deterrent and
they continue following the river or the ridges surrounding it southward.

At Priest Rapids, however, the ridges surrounding the great eastward bend in
the river (the beginning of the Hanford Reach) are much lower (<650 meters
mof local relief). Umptanum Ridge here may be readily surmounted by birds
and many - especially passerines - they seem to be departing from the river
and striking overland. A few minutes flight for most species will put the
along Cold Creek, a ribbon of green in the otherwise parched (in fall
anyways) shrub-steppe landscape of the Yakima Training Center.
The bird migration here in the early morning hours in fall is quite
astounding and seems to be consistent, regardless of winds of storms. I have
never seen anything like it passerine migration on this scale except in
spring along the trough extending north from the Salton Sea in California.

Here's the list for 29 September with some notes from 28 September:

N. Harrier-35
Sharp-shinned Hawk-19+, 2-4 at any one time in first 2 hours after dawn, a
real show!
Cooper's Hawk-1
Red-tailed Hawk-16, all immatures
Golden Eagle-1, imm.
American Kestrel-3
Prairie Falcon-1
Gray Partridge-3
Ring-necked Pheasant-1
Sage Grouse-1
Great Horned Owl-4
[Long-eared Owl-4, 9/28]
Short-eared Owl-1, 3 9/28
*Hairy Woodpecker-1*, flying east to west
*[N. (Yellow-shafted) Flicker-1, 9/28]*
Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker-12
*[Willow Flycatcher-1, 9/28], latest in fall for Yakima County*
Horned Lark-88
Barn Swallow-1
Black-billed Magpie-11
Common Raven-11
Red-breasted Nuthatch-7
Winter Wren-3
*Golden-crowned Kinglet-102*. tree to tree or bush to bush east to west
*Ruby-crowned Kinglet-625*, bush to bush or tree to tree east to west, truly
an amazing sight!
Mountain Bluebird-5
Townsend's Solitaire-20, down from 2 weeks ago, most overhead east to west
Hermit Thrush-11
*American Robin-611*, most overhead east to west
*Varied Thrush-104*, many overhead east to west
Cedar Waxwing-1, overhead east to west
European Starling-202, many overhead east to west
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler-2
Yellow-rumped (Audubon's Warbler-169, 325 9/28, flying overhead east to west
Townsend's Warbler-1
Spotted Towhee-3, way down from 2 weeks ago when 60+ seen!
Vesper Sparrow-1, 1st in 2+ weeks
Savannah Sparrow-1
Song Sparrow-2
Golden-crowned Sparrow-2
White-crowned Sparrow-5, way down from 2 weeks ago
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco-1
Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco-169, flying east to West
Red-winged Blackbird-7, flying overhead east to west
Wester Meadowlark-7
Brewer's Blackbird-14, flying overhead east to west
*Purple Finch-2*, also 1 9/28, Snoqualmie Pass or possibly Methow Valley birds?
Cassin's Finch-9
House Finch-4, flying east to west. Kind of surprising out here in the
middle of nowhere!
Pine Siskin-126, flying overhead east to west
American Goldfinch-10


Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA