Tweeters,

Yesterday (March 20), I led a "Beginning Raptor Identification" class for
the Yakima Valley Audubon Society. In the Yakima Canyon under stunning blue
skies and warm temperatures, we had good views of Northern Harrier, many
Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Prairie Falcons (Umtanum Creek), and several American
Kestrels. A female kestrel made a very impressive dive on a Red-tail, also
at Umtanum Creek.

At the Exit 115 on I-90 (Kittitas), there were hawks everywhere. Field
burning might have been attracting some of these birds. From this one spot,
we saw 2 Northern Harriers, 1 Bald Eagle, 5 Red-tailed and 10 Rough-legged
Hawks. East of Kittitas on the Old Vantage Highway, the Great Horned Owl
was on its nest at the Cariboo Road junction (north side of highway).

At the Gingko Interpretive Museum just north of Vantage on the Columbia
River, there were 5 White-throated Swifts with the more numerous
Violet-green Swallows.

I tried a new site on the east side of Sentinell Gap thinking migrant
raptors might hug the ridges high above the Columbia River. We made our way
to the summit of the Saddle Mountains by taking a public road north from
Mattawa 2 miles east of town. Spending one hour at the very scenic overlook
of the Columbia River, we saw no raptors. There were 2 ravens and 15 para
gliders, so we were entertained plenty. The lithosol landscape with rigid
sage, Eriogonoms, and other plants adapted to the rocky soils atop the
ridge interested many of us. On the way down, great views of a singing Sage
Sparrow was a highlight of the day.

East of Moxee on Highway 24 at milepost 25, an immature light morph
Ferruginous Hawk sat atop a roadside pole. Everyone got superb scope views
of this rare raptor. After that finale, it was homeward to Yakima


Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA