Subject: No subject
Date: Apr 25 22:31:35 1999
From: lu&krk - xenops at email.msn.com


Sat. loop birding trip

Sat. I left home hoping to add 2 more birds to my Yakima Co. list which then
would give me 200 for that county. I went over Stevens Pass and Swauk Pass
with very few birds. South of Ellensburg along Canyon Rd. I stopped because
the hillside looked good for Grasshopper Sparrows. No luck as far as
Grasshopper Sparrows go, but heard a Lark Sparrow which was new for my
Kittitas Co. list, (#166). Also in the brush along the Yakima River was a
Hermit Thrush. Sounds like they are moving up both sides of the Cascades at
the same time.

My next stop was Toppenish NWR where I was looking for Black-necked Stilts
and Avocets that Denny Grandstand had found the week before. I headed up
Pumphouse Rd. and found 9 Stilts in two different groups along with 16
Greater Yellowlegs which are more abundant than the week before. The Stilts
were #199 for my Yakima Co. list. I went down to Mabton and across to the
Grandview Sewer Ponds, but the gate was locked. So no Avocets and still shy
of the 200 mark! Some other notable birds were: 2 Tundra Swans LATE! on
Lateral C a half mile north of Pumphouse Rd. and east of Lateral C., 1 imm.
Bald Eagle along Hwy. 97 just north of Pumphouse Rd., 1 Prairie Falcon
along Pumphouse Rd., 3 Long-billed Curlews and 1 Rough-winged Swallow at
Toppenish NWR.

Since it was warm and my arms and face were starting to sunburn I headed up
to White Pass where it was cooler, but dead birdwise. In Lewis Co. I tried
owling, but no answers. I stopped at Riffe Lake which was super low. There
was one Western Grebe. I couldn't even make it into a Clark's Grebe. Right
before dark I stopped for my first visit to Clay St. Marsh and found that
the Solitary Sandpiper was gone. All in all the day was an average birding
day with two county birds and 550 miles farther down the road.

Ken Knittle, Gold Bar, xenops at msn.com