Tracee,

By now you've probably gotten the message that the swifts
you saw from I-82 near the Selah rest stop were probably White-
throated Swifts but I thought I'd chime in with the note that I
did see positively ID'd White-throats along the same stretch be-
tween the rest stop and Squaw Creek to the north. Several zipped
over the car close enough that I could see the black and white
pattern underneath. The I-82 bridge at the Selah rest stop is
a classic spot for these birds; they reportedly nest in crevices
underneath the bridge. Also visible from the rest stop are nesting
Red-tails, Prairie Falcons (more distant) and usually Kestrels
(nesting?).
Black Swifts are evidently rare in Yakima County; I seem
to remember Andy Stepniewski mentioning a while back that Black
Swifts he observed last summer/fall on the Yakima Training Center
were among the first 5 0r 10 county records.
I'd like to repeat the cheers and thanks to Bill and nancy
La Framboise and all the other organizers of the WOS conference.
Everyone had a grand time! It was a great introduction to birding
the Tri-cities, even for a native Washingtonian who didn't realize
it was only a three hour trip via the 70 mph I-90.

Jim Flynn
Renton, WA
bf519 at scn.org