Hello Tweets,

Yesterday(July 1st)my mother and I birded the Vantage area, then continued east to Wilson Creek, then back west to Quincy. Weather was great with mostly sunny skies, and high temperatures in the upper 80's. We stared out in Vantage at 5:30 am, where we met Marv Breece at the previous BLACK-THROATED SPARROW location, located .08 miles S of the Wanapum State Park, but we were unlucky again as the bird could not be relocated, and the wind was apparent, but not extreme. We did encounter a couple families of CHUKAR along the hillside there containing 20 birds, and up to 9 Rock Wrens, as I walked the slope above the road.

Marv continued ENE with us to the Wilson Creek area with us, as we checked a few locations on the way. We stopped on the southside of Exit 151, off of I-90 at George, where a family of BURROWING OWLS that contained 10 immatures, and 1 adult was noted. The other adult was not seen but probably around. Just N of the exit along S.R 283 a SWAINSON'S HAWK was observed, our only one of the trip. We then continued to our next stop at Brook Lake, near Stratford, where 1 FORSTER'S TERN, 1 pair of WOOD DUCKS. , and 5 AM.WHITE PELICANS were scoped. At Wilson Creek, we checked and scoped an area where Crab Creek is very wide, and exposed shoreline is apparent, just east of town along Hwy.28. This location produced good numbers of waterbirds including the following highlights:

12 AM.WHITE PELICANS
4 GREAT EGRETS
all three teal species
1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
2 BLACK-NECKED STILTS
4 AM.AVOCETS
14 LEAST SANDPIPERS
2+ WESTERN SANDPIPERS
1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER
3 BONEAPATE'S GULLS(good record date)
1 adult FRANKLIN'S GULL
4 CASPIAN TERNS

Further east along Road 22 NE, we checked the TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD colony along Crab Creek, where up to 12 birds were noted, including 1 male feeding an apparent juvenile along the shoreline of the marsh. Another male was scoped well, as it came close to the hillside, as it flew to and from the possible nestsite with food, along with several females. The marsh is extensive, and more birds are probably here, as in previous reports, along with a few Yellow-headed Blackbirds, but any remaining birds are probably still close to the nest, or hiding. The marsh is overlooked from a cliff above, so viewing can be great, if the birds come in close.

After viewing the blackbirds, we headed back, just east of Wilson Creek, and west of where the FRANKLIN'S GULL was to another area, where the creek is wide. Here we were rewarded to more returning shorebirds, as noted before with the "peeps", and should continue to produce shorebirds throughout the remaining summer into fall. Here we observed the following highlights:

1 CANVASBACK
19 LESSER YELLOWLEGS
8 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
1 Wilson's Phalarope(nester)

Next, we checked the Wilson Creek area further for FERRUGINOUS HAWK, but were again unlucky, as with the Black-throated Sparrow, then my mother and I departed from Marv, as he planned to bird the area further, the head south. On our way back west, we checked the Quincy STP in late afternoon, where temperatures were the HOTTEST. No returning shorebirds were here, only nesters including: 6 pairs of BLACK-NECKED SLILTS, and 2 pair of AM.AVOCETS, with a few Spotted Sandpipers along the rocky shores. Good numbers of other waterbirds were noted on the main pond, closest to Road 9 NE. Among the highlights were:

2 EARED GREBE
78 LESSER SCAUPS
34 REDHEADS


Good Birding,

Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net