Here are some highlights from a very satisfying birding week end.

OVENBIRD Friday night (6/23) I camped near where this rarity had been seen. Saturday (6/24) at 4:30AM I was at the Ovenbird location. It started singing at 5:00AM. It took 20 minutes or so to find the bird. I found the song very difficult to locate. Finally I got lucky, found the bird and was able to enjoy the experience with Denny Grandstand. I was surprised that we were the only 2 people there. Follow Ken Knittle's excellent directions posted on 6/18.

BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER As Denny mentioned in a previous message, we found this bird on a trail near White Pass Campground.

TRI-COLORED BLACKBIRD I went to the Wilson Creek site Saturday late afternoon (6/24). It was extremely windy and no birds were to be seen. But I had come a long way, right? I waited and the wind began to subside. The birds rose to the top of the reeds and there they were. Great scope looks of several individuals. One male preened his epaulets and gave me a good view of those bright white feathers as well as the deep red ones. Three BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS flew over and landed. A LAZULI BUNTING sang and called in full view nearby.

BLACK-THROATED SPARROW I left Wilson Creek and headed for Vantage for a camp site. At 6:00 this morning (6/25) this bird was singing .8 miles south of the state park on Huntziger Rd. Had great scope looks of the bird and watched and listened for over an hour. The songs I heard varied, but mostly 2 notes followed by a trill. The bird worked the area where the plastic bag is on the fence north to the bend in the road. If you want to see/hear this bird get there early in the day when it is singing and before the wind picks up. The whole time I was there, a family of 4 ROCK WRENS entertained me. There were 2 LARK SPARROWS at the same location. I watched as a Beaver hauled out from the Columbia River below. Within .1 miles north was a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and a CHUKAR.

BLACK TERN Saw one bird at the intersection of Dodson Road and Frenchman Hills Rd (DeLorme pg 52 top right) today (6/25) at about noon. Could not locate any BURROWING OWLS in this area. (And I looked pretty hard.)

BANK SWALLOWS There is a breeding colony on Frenchman Hills Road west of the intersection with Dodson Rd. I didn't record the distance from the intersection, but it isn't far. It's on the south side on FH Rd.

Many many thanks to all the birders who located these birds, documented directions and shared information so that others may enjoy them.

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA
206-634-1725