Zoology 464, The Natural History of Birds
Field trip number three

Birds seen on Saturday, 18 April 1998, on a day-long road trip to
the Crab Creek/Potholes areas. The trip began at 630am and ended
at 730pm. Weather was cool and cloudy (but pleasant enough), with
occasional sprinkles, breezes were light to none.

Total species: 83 (seen or heard).

Western Grebe, Aechmorphorus occidentalis, Columbia River

Pied-billed Grebe, Podylumbus podiceps, Crab Creek

Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, spotted flying
over pastureland as we were returning to Seattle in highway 26

Black-crowned Night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, a single
individual in beautiful breeding plumage standing on a rock
overlooking a small creek in the Columbia Wildlife Refuge

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias

Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis, at least three hundred were seen
as they flew in to the lower Crab Creek area to feed. Some birds
were dancing while others merely preened or foraged alongside
the water's edge.

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

Mallard, Anas platyrhincos

Gadwall, Anas strepera

Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca

American Wigeon, Anas americana

Northern Pintail, Anas acuta

Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata

Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera

Wood Duck, Aix sponsa

Canvasback, Aythya valisineria

Redhead, Aythya americana

Lesser Scaup, Aythya affinis

Barrow's Goldeneye, Bucephala islandica

Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula

Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola

Common Merganser, Mergus merganser

Virginia Rail, Rallus limicola (heard only, in the Columbia
National Wildlife Refuge)

American Coot, Fulica americana, everywhere there was water

American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana, stunning and elegant
birds! i never get tired of looking at this species

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus, three individuals
taking baths in a pond by the freeway, just outside of
ellensberg

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, many many many and quite
vociferous, too!

Long-billed Curlew, Numenius madagascariensis, calmly foraging in
an overgrazed cattle pasture in the lower Crab Creek area

Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia (heard only), Vantage reststop

Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago, (heard only) "whoo-whoo-WHOOOing"
near the Sandhill cranes as they arrived at Crab Creek

Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis

California Gull, Larus californicus

Caspian Tern, Sterna caspia, two sitting on a sandbar in Crab
Creek

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, at least three flying over or near
to my van as i drove back to Seattle

Golden Eagle, Aquila chysaetos, one soaring in the distance while
we were at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, both males and females

Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, several birds, including one pair working
an active nest on top of a pwer pole at the Cle Elum exit

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, many

Prairie Falcon, Falco mexicanus, one soaring into and out of view
over the cliffs near the Vantage Bridge

California Quail, Callipepla californica, two males sitting on the
top of sage brush in plain view next to lower Crab Creek road,
calling

Chukar, Alectoris chukar, heard several calling from the brush in
the Crab Creek area

Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus

Rock Dove, Columba livia

Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura

White-throated Swift, Aeronautes saxatalis, two soaring among the
swallows over the cliffs near the Vantage Bridge

Northern (red-shafted) Flicker, Colaptes auratus

Red-breasted Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber, one flying among the
trees at the Columbia Wildlife Refuge

Western Kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis, at the Vantage campground

Say's Phoebe, Sayornis saya, one hawking insects in the middle of
lower Crab Creek road

Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris, several, including one foraging
at the chipmunk feeder at Ryegrass Hill rest stop

Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor

Violet-green Swallow, Tachycineta thalassina

Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Stegidopteryx serripennis

Cliff Swallow, Hirundo pyrrhonota, hundreds. they were building
nests under the low concrete bridge that runs over Crab Creek, as
my students and i discovered when we crawled under the bridge for
a peek. (a family of humans spent some time taking good long looks
at all of us while we were crammed under the bridge and perched
precariously on pointy boulders. i wonder what they thought we
were doing?)

Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica

Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri

Black-billed Magpie, Pica pica, many, and we also saw their large
untidy nests

American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos

Common Raven, Corvus corax

Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris

Canyon Wren, Catherpes mexicanus (heard only)

Rock Wren, Salpinctes obsoletus (heard only)

Golden-crowned Kinglet, Regulus satrapa, mostly heard while at the
Vantage campground (especially)

American Robin, Turdus migratorius, many

Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, saw several individuals
at various times during our trip, especially easy to spot in the
Crab Creek area and near ellensberg

Sage Thrasher, Oreoscoptes montanus, heard their song and had many
good long looks while at the Ryegrass Hill rest stop

European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, many many many

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica magnolia, Vantage campground/
reststop

Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia

Sage Sparrow, Amphispiza belli, heard and at the Ryegrass Hill
reststop

Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri, Ryegrass reststop

White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's), Zonotrichia leucophrys, Ryegrass
and Crab Creek

Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, Ryegrass

Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, many many many and in full
glorious song, too!

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, the males
showed great variation in their yellow plumages. it was not
unusual to see males that were orange at the black-yellow juncture.

Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, many

Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, many roaming in large
glossy, gleaming flocks

Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater

House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, many

American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis, heard singing and calling at
the Vantage rest stop

House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, paler than the birds i see around
here

other animals and plants seen, in no particular order ....

Homo sapiens yahooensis
ticks
western white butterflies
a bright yellow butterfly species, slightly smaller than the western
whites
marmots
yellow pine chipmunks (these cuties betrayed their presence by
sticking their little tails straight up above the tops of the
dried grasses as they scurried around)
ticks
Phlox
Delphinium sp. (larkspur?)
Amsinkin spp.
bluebells
balsam root
elk
ticks




Deborah Wisti-Peterson email:nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
Visit me on the web: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~nyneve/
^~^~^~Graduate School: it's not just a job, it's an indenture!~^~^~