Drove the Umtanum Road today (Tuesday). Western Wood Pewees were indeed
everywhere! We observed a great deal of feeding activity by the Bluebirds.
Also saw a White-Breasted Nuthatch occupying one of the Bluebird boxes and
busily feeding young. Saw a beautiful Purple Finch, Eastern and Western
Kingbirds, Chipping Sparrow, and many Cowbirds.

Tried to find a White-Headed Woodpecker at Wenas Campground without success.

Grant Hendrickson
Redmond,WA


----------
>From: Maureen Ellis <me2 at u.washington.edu>
>To: Tweeters News Group <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Cc: Mom <JJECEmert at aol.com>, Florida LindaLeeBaker <Llbaker at aol.com>
>Subject: Sunday, June 07, 99/Umtanum area/Yakima Canyon
>Date: Tue, Jun 8, 1999, 3:04 PM
>

>Folks,
>WESTERN WOOD Peewees were EVERYWHERE, especially along the 'Bluebird'
>road. The temperature was still quite cool with an icy wind along Umtanum
>Road out of Ellensburg all the way to the Maloy and N Wenas Road junction.
>Nesting LEWIS Woodpeckers were noted (near Bluebird box #24), and
>encountered a feller doing the weekly survey of the nesting boxes.......95
>are now occupied with MOUNTAIN or WESTERN Bluebird eggs; only 6 boxes have
>Wren eggs rather than Bluebird's. The surveyor also mentioned there were
>no hatchlings yet (LATE!), but later did see one male WESTERN Bluebird
>carrying food;so, maybe some boxes are just starting to hatch.
>
>Also, viewed a beautiful, adult, male, fieldguide-perfect GOSHAWK
>sitting on a branch over the Umtanum Creek (odd location!) in Yakima
>Canyon, i.e., Canyon Road, not far up the footpath from the railroad track
>and the swinging bridge across the Yakima River (WA Delorme, pages 50-51.)
>A Prairie Falcon was also soaring around, and a small flock of EVENING
>Grosbeaks were seen plus BLACK-HEADED Grosbeaks, YELLOW-BREASTED
>Chats and a single CEDAR Waxwing. An apparent migration (way-late!?) of
>BROWN-HEADED Cowbirds was in progress through the area with many males
>seen.
>
>Cheers,
>Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu U of WA & Burien-Seahurst Park, WA
>
>"Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of
>confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage."
> -Carl Sagan-
>
>"We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities." -Pogo-
>