Tweeters,

Denny Granstrand submitted the following report of a January 1 1999 trip in
south-central Washington.

> Andy Stepniewski and I traveled south to bird in Benton County Sunday
> morning to start our birding year off with a bang. It wasn't to be,
there
> anyway, as it was completely fogged in from the Tri-cities clear down to
the
> Walla Walla Delta. We did find a Eurasian Wigeon in the Columbia River
Park
> and a Thayer's Gull at the McNary NWR. We decided to go up to the south
> side of Rattlesnake Mountain, going up just west of Benton City on
Rothrock
> Road. The area looked quite like the Waterville Plateau. We found a
> Prairie Falcon, about ten Lapland Longspurs, many Horned Larks and twelve
> Chukars.
>
> On the way home for an early nap, we decided instead to hit the Toppenish
> NWR and Medicine Valley, straight west of Wapato. On the refuge we found
> one Loggerhead Shrike, five Greater Yellowlegs and one immature Trumpeter
> Swan. There are so many duck on the refuge, mostly Mallards, that it is
> hard to believe.

I would like to add that we also went to Fort Simcoe State Park west of
Toppenish. There were at least 75, possibly more than 100 Lewis's
Woodpeckers plus Steller's Jay, Varied Thrush and many Spotted Towhees.
These charismatic woodpeckers are not always here in winter, probably due
to crop failure of acorn mast in some years. The numbers of Lewis's
Woodpeckers at Fort Simcoe now are less than the 200+ in these oaks in
October (fide Fred Bird).

As Fort Simcoe is (or was) on the hit list of state parks to be closed due
to state budget woes, I feel it's important that birders and naturalists
recognize this important area for Garry oaks (and for its historical
values) so that it continues as a park.


Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA