Hey Tweets,

I went up to Hardy Canyon and Wenas today. I don't know about anyone else,
but my experience is that one year I can search and search for a particular
bird, not find hardly any and the next year be inundated with them. That
was my experience this year with Common Nighthawks. I was back in the
southern US last year, didn't see any, saw 3 up at Perrygin State Park last
July, and today must have seen at least 50. Yes, 50!!!! They should change
their name to Dayhawks. They were everywhere! We practically ran into a
couple by Lake Wenas. So much for looking for them at sunrise or sunset.
And in spite of forgetting to take the directions to find the Least
Flycatcher, we found it singing its little heart out. We counted 58 species
total. Besides the beautiful bluebirds everywhere, we saw several Western
Tanagers, Bullock's Orioles, Evening and Black-headed Grosbeaks, Western
Wood Peewees, an Olive-sided Flycatcher (is that now the Cordilleran
Flycatcher?), White-headed Woodpecker, Kestrels galore, an Osprey pull a
fish out of the river, Brewer's, Vesper, and Chipping Sparrows, a Sage
Thrasher, a Catbird, a Cassin's Finch, a Horned Lark, lots of Meadowlarks,
several House Wrens, a Yellow Warbler and several Lazuli Buntings. The
weather couldn't have been better. We did find a flycatcher on the nest on
the opposite side of the road from bluebird box #107 about 50-100 ft. down
the road. We saw several flycatchers that we weren't sure of an ID. They
could have been Peewees but without hearing them sing, I couldn't match a
description to anything in the guides--kind of like LBBs. But it was one of
those days where we were so close to so many of the birds I could have
almost touched them. It will be ingrained in my memory forever like so many
of the memorable days I've had in the past. Anyway, this was my second time
up in that area and if you've never been there I would highly recommend it.
Not only is the birding great, but the wildflowers are plentiful and
beautiful, and there is lots of other wildlife to see too.

Patti Brent, Monroe, WA. p.brent at worldnet.att.net