Subject: WOStrip to Yakima Training Center - 2 December 2000
Date: Dec 3 22:07:12 2000
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


Tweetsand Yaks!

Here's news of aWashington Ornithological Society fieldtrip to the Yakima
Training Center Saturday, posted here below and as an attachment:

YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER WOS TRIP
2 DECEMBER 2000

Dennis Paulson's memorable line "there are few terrestrial habitats in
Washington as birdless as the shrub-steppe habitat in winter" didn't deter
me from organizing aWOS trip to share the wonderland of landscapes on the
Yakima Training Center. To be sure, we saw relatively few species of birds,
but we had some great walks, saw beautiful vistas, and, even saw some
exciting birds.

Freezing rain was in the forecast, but didn't materialize. Fog, however,
did. The drive east along the Cold Creek Rd. yielded difficult views of one
each of Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, and Northern Shrike, and 10-15
of the expected Black-billed Magpies. Sage Grouse, the main target species
for some on the trip, were not flushed from the roadside until east of
Taylor Pond along the road, which is unusual. We then had brief views of
this endangered grouse blasting away from us into the fog, like torpedos on
a straight-line trajectory.

Next we birded the riparian groves around Greely Pond, again in the fog. We
picked up two more Rough-legged Hawks, two Great Horned Owls,one Marsh Wren
and several Song Sparrows here.

We had a brief respite from the fog by ascending the south flanks of Hog
Ranch Buttes (Umtanum Ridge). The bare, stony landscape atop a knoll here
has proven to be a place for Lapland Longspur and Snow Bunting, but none
showed themselves or called, not even a Horned Lark! However, a Golden Eagle
soaring over the ridge top in the distance - seen through a scope, seemed to
prove there might be something living in this desolate and forbidding place.
A walk down into the nearby sage-filled ravines yielded significant negative
data and further confirmation of Dennis' hypothesis: there were virtually no
birds here! We noted one more Northern Shrike, a bird hovering over the
snowy ravine, and one Song Sparrow in the dense tussocks of Giant Wild Rye.

Steadily clearing conditions were encountered as we headed east over 3,000'
Cold Creek Divide, but an new challenge arose: wind, though not too bad. The
small cattail marsh here had some more Marsh Wrens and Song Sparrows, and
one lone male Brewer's Blackbird, seemingly lost. I was so surprised by this
bird here that I initially refused to call it a Brewer's, feeling it might
be a male Rusty that had worn off its rufous-edged plumage prematurely,
thus appearing similar to a Brewer's. As it took flight, however, it called
a perfect Brewer's call. A pretty flock of American Goldfinch were also new
for the day here.

We then again ascended Umtanum Ridge, flushing three more Sage Grouse just
south of the ridge and lunched on the ridge. The fog parted at times,
allowing a hazy view down to Priest Rapids Lake; shortly we were once again
enveloped in the cold, swirling mists. Some stayed in the car, others braved
the cold and even noted a few Horned Larks passing over, a surprisingly
scarce species on the YTC this fall.

Farther down and east along Cold Creek, we walked alongside an ancient apple
orchard and riparian which had more birds, including a Yellow-shafted
Flicker, the third I've noted along Cold Creek (the others in fall - 28
September 1996 and 6 October 1996). Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin,
Varied Thrush, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco White-crowned Sparrow, and House
Finch, were new additions to the trip list here.

Another Golden Eagle was studied overhead here, this time a well-marked
immature; I never tire of admiring this regal bird!

I swung back into the riparian of Upper Cold Creek, where, as we were
admiring a distant perched Rough-legged Hawk, another raptor, about
Red-tailed Hawk in size suddenly emerged from the cottonwoods making its way
swiftly past us, affording beautiful, close views: flap...flap...flap glide,
flap...flap...flap glide. Heavily streaked below, somewhat tapered wings,
brownish above. An immature Northern Goshawk! Now this got my adrenaline
going! Moments later, we spied on a Porcupine just above us in a
cottonwood, noting how cute a facial expression these guys really have.

It was getting to be mid-afternoon as we headed west over the divide again;
the entire Selah Creek Valley was now clear. The fog gone, we could now
appreciate the landscape; we were in a wide valley between Yakima and
Umtanum Ridge, two prominent anticlines of the "Yakima Fold Belt," with Mt.
Rainier looming far off on the western horizon. Various shrub-steppe
communities revealed themselves because of the snowcover. Deep-soiled basins
especially, were mantled in Big Sagebrush/Bluebunch Wheatgrass, upper
north-facing slopes in Threetip Sagebrush/Idaho Fescue. South-facing
shallow-soiled communities such as Thyme-leaved Buckwheat/Sandberg'
sBluegrass appear as depauperate alpine habitats. How beautiful and
inspiring a scene!

It suddenly occurred to me this entire installation deserves much more
careful stewardship as an environmental treasure than that afforded by the
Department of the Army. I hereby propose careful consideration for the
needs to national security and then transfer of this crucial cog to
Washington's shrub-steppe ecosystem to the Department of the Interior as the
"Yakima Folds National Monument." An outlandish proposal? I don't believe
so, after all The Nature Conservancy of Washington, after exhaustive study,
determined the Yakima Training Center to be critical to maintenance of
viable shrub-steppe populations of a significant number of key shrub-steppe
plants and animals in the Columbia Basin.

At one lucky stop in the upper Selah Creek basin, we were treated to a
Short-eared Owl dive-bombing a Rough-legged Hawk that was perched on a fence
post out in the snowy sagelands. Shortly, another Short-ear appeared and the
two owls briefly engaged in an aerial skirmish (or...was it lovemaking?),
calling harshly to one another.

Once again heading west to the training center entrance, we kept pace (~ 35
miles per hour) with two more Golden Eagles flying steadily westward,
presumably heading to their nightly roost (on a cliff?), an exciting finale
to our day on the Yakima Training Center!

The Bird List:

Canada Goose - 16, flyovers from Priest Rapids Lake, heading southwest
Northern Harrier - 5
Northern Goshawk - 1 imm.
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Rough-legged Hawk - 5
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 3
Sage Grouse - 11
California Quail - 7
Great Horned Owl - 2
Short-eared Owl - 2
Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker - 1
Horned Lark - 4
Black-billed Magpie - 18
Common Raven - 6
Marsh Wren - 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3, in ancient apple trees on Cold Creek
American Robin - 3, in ancient apple trees on Cold Creek
Varied Thrush - 3, in ancient apple trees on Cold Creek
Northern Shrike - 3
European Starling - 2
Song Sparrow - 12
White-crowned Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco - 8
Brewer's Blackbird - 1 male, Cold Creek riparian, a surprise!
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 10

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA steppie at nwinfo.net