Tweeters,

Yesterday, Denny Granstrand and I, enjoying very nice weather, birded the
lower east slopes of the Cascades out to the Columbia River. We began in
the Wenas Valley, then went north to Ellensburg. From there, we headed east
on the Old Vantage Highway to Sentinel Gap, south of I-90. Snow depth was
about 18 inches in the Wenas, about 6 inches in Ellensburg, and zilch at the
Columbia.

Just east of Ellensburg Pass on Umptanum Road, we noted the following in the
Ponderosa Pines:

White-headed Woodpecker - 1
Mountain Chickadee - 3
White-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Pygmy Nuthatch - 5+
Townsend's Solitaire - 1 (nearby brush-lined ravine)
Cassin's Finch - 1

In central Ellensburg, soaring side-by-side over the water tower was 1 very
obliging adult Harlan's and 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk. In the spruce
trees in that neighborhood were small flocks of Pine Siskins, 1 Steller's
Jay, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, and several robins, Song Sparrows, and juncos.

In the Kittitas Valley were a few harriers, Red-tailed and Rough-legged
Hawks (but no census was taken).

A Merlin perched on the talus at Sentinel Gap seemed unusual.

Along Priest Rapids, we had stunning views of a perched adult Northern
Goshawk, very nearby. It then flew out midriver and began soaring, providing
a very nice study. Overhead here also was 1 Common Redpoll.

Priest Rapids had several very large tight (hunting pressure or
concentration of milfoil?) flocks of waterbirds, totalling ~25,000 birds.
American Coots were most abundant (70%+). Other species noted at Priest
Rapids included:

Pacific Loon - 1 (below dam)
Common Loon - 5
Pied-billed Grebe - 100+
Horned Grebe - 3
Red-necked Grebe - 1
Western Grebe - 25
Double-crested Cormorant - 10 (below dam)
Great Blue Heron - 1
Canada Goose - 150+ (many foraging on pastures of Cheatgrass in "fall
greening" stage)
Green-winged Teal - 50
Mallard 1000
Northern Pintail - 2
Gadwall - 25
American Wigeon - 3,000
Canvasback - 200
Redhead - 1,000
Ring-necked Duck - 100
Lesser Scaup - 100
Common Goldeneye - 100
Bufflehead - 50
Hooded Merganser - 10
Common Merganser - 5
American Coot - 20,000
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 1
Glaucous-winged Gull - 8
Rock Dove
Northern Flicker - 2
Black-billed Magpie - 3
Common Raven - 2
Canyon Wren - 3
Northern Shrike - 2
Song Sparrow - 5
White-crowned Sparrow - 30
House Finch - 5

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA
steppie at nwinfo.net