Steve Dowlan's report of the westside (North Umpqua) Neotrop Point
Count Training was waved under the noses of the eastside (Ellensburg,
WA) Neotrop Point Count Training folks like a red flag before a bull - and
they smelled challenge! Final tally: westside 124 species, eastside 130
species. (Okay, it's not supposed to be a competition, but who can
resist?)

The eastside training took place May 12 - 15 and was based out of the
Lazy F ranch near Ellensburg, WA. Phil Mattocks and Mark Huff were
primary instructors, with Rex Sallabanks, Kent Woodruf, Mike Denny,
Karen Kronner, Barb Kott, Eddie Olmedo, Ralph Anderson and myself as
field instructors. As mentioned by Steve Dowlan, the training is
organized by the Forest Service and BLM and is aimed at anyone
planning to conduct point counts for neotropical migratory birds in
Oregon or Washington. The focus is on bird id by sight and sound, point
count protocol, and the vegetation monitoring protocol developed by the
Forest Service. This was the 5th year the training has been held. All
field trip locations were within 45 minutes of the ranch in Kittitas and
Yakima counties. Some highlights are listed below:

The ranch itself was located on Manastash Creek and had a nice riparian
area of cottonwoods and willows. YELLOW WARBLERS were thick
along the creek, and NASHVILLE WARBLERS equally abundant just
upslope in the drier brush. VAUX'S SWIFTS, BARN SWALLOWS, TREE
SWALLOWS, and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were all present at the
same time drinking and feeding over a small pond on the property. An
owling walk led by Mike Denny one evening found GREAT-HORNED and
NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL.

At 4800 feet, Buck Meadows (several miles up canyon along Manastash
Creek) was cold and even a bit snowy, but still yielded multiple
LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, SONG SPARROWS, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS
and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS in the open meadow and TOWNSEND'S
WARBLERS, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, RUBY-CROWNED
KINGLETS, WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKERS and HERMIT THRUSHES in the
forest. There were more singing Lincoln's sparrows in the willow/open
meadow riparian areas up this canyon than I have ever heard in one
place before. I believe this is the only area where VARIED THRUSH and
WINTER WREN were found.

The riparian area and associated uplands in Robinson Canyon gave us a
nesting PRAIRIE FALCON, CASSIN'S VIREOS, WESTERN TANAGERS,
SPOTTED TOWHEES, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS and WARBLING
VIREOS, as well as a good listen to RUFFED GROUSE and BLUE
GROUSE drumming/booming at the same time. Further up this canyon in
the Ainsley flats area we birded some beautiful old ponderosa stands,
adding WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH,
HAIRY WOODPECKER, RED CROSSBILL, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, and
CASSIN'S FINCH to the list.

Along Umptanum Creek (cottonwood/aspen with sage and ponderosa
uplands) we had good comparisons of singing/calling DARK-EYED
JUNCO and CHIPPING SPARROW, NASHVILLE and MACGILLIVRAY'S
WARBLER, BLACK-CAPPED and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, and MOUNTAIN
and WESTERN BLUEBIRD. HOUSE WRENS were incredibly abundant,
several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were present and we also found a nesting
LEWIS' WOODPECKER. We were treated to a migrating flock of about 10
male Townsend's warblers here, all singing and feeding at eye-level in
the vegetation. What a sight!

The highlight of the training session was being able to bird shrub-steppe
habitat on the Yakima Training Center with Jeff Kozma, a YTC biologist.
Species tallied there included HORNED LARK with fledged young, nesting
SWAINSON'S HAWK, BREWER'S SPARROW, GRASSHOPPER
SPARROW, SAGE THRASHER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, SAGE
SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW, CHUKAR, FERRUGINOUS HAWK,
SHORT-EARED OWL and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

The irrigated farm lands at the mouths of the canyons had
BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, RED-WINGED
BLACKBIRDS, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS,
KILLDEER, COMMON SNIPE, MOURNING DOVES, AMERICAN CROWS and
COMMON RAVENS.

In spite of the great riparian habitat covered, WARBLING VIREOS seemed
to be present in unusally low numbers. Flycatchers were hard to come
by as well. With the exception of the duskies at Buck Meadows, we
found just one PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER , one GRAY FLYCATCHER,
and no HAMMOND'S. Big miss --- GOLDEN EAGLE ---- not to be found
anywhere.

Some of the other interesting birds tallied by the group though I'm not
certain at which field trip location include ROCK WREN, CANYON WREN,
and BLACK-CHINNED HUMMER. I'm certain I've left much out - as with
the westside training there were five groups at five sites each day - I
never made it to the park and ponds in Ellensburg where all the
waterfowl were tallied. All in all it was a great week! I sort of consider
this trip my annual religious pilgramage - coming together with about 50
people equally crazy about birding and doing nothing but birds from 5
a.m. to 9 p.m. every day!

************************************
Kelly A. Bettinger
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Habitat Management Program
Species-Habitat Project
600 Capitol Way North
Olympia, WA 98501-1091
360-902-2604
bettikab at dfw.wa.gov
************************************