After noting Wilson Cady's post of Monday last regarding his birding
excursion on the eastern border of Klickitat County, Glenda and I decided to
sample his route yesterday morning and see if we could add a few species to
our Klickitat County Life Lists.
Shortly after turning off Alderdale Rd. onto Six Prong Rd. we were
surprised by both CANYON WRENS (particularly close and cooperative) and a
ROCK WREN within less than 100 yards of each other. Numerous LARK SPARROWS
were present along the creek in this area and here we also found our first
CHUKAR of the day. Before reaching Sand Ridge Rd we finally found Glenda
her life ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and also counted 7 GRAY PARTRIDGE. At the
small muddy pond below the road just south of the large empty feed lot we
found what I considered the biggest surprise of the morning - a lone adult
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. After that we experienced a bit of temporary
"DeLorme Confusion" on our way to find the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, but we
finally realized, after several laps up and down Sand Ridge Rd, that once
page 28 gave way to page 27 and it, in turn, gave way to page 37, Sand Ridge
Rd and Alder Creek Rd intersect twice! and we needed to go to the
northernmost intersection to find the NOMO. En route we were treated to
great views of a PRAIRIE FALCON perched on a fence post. At the abandoned
homestead the SAGE SPARROWS and SAGE THRASHERS were almost too easy. Here
we also found two mule deer does with fawns loafing in the shade of the old
cattle shed - the last of a total of six we saw this day. At the ranchhouse
near the northernmost intersection of Sand Ridge Rd and Alder Creek Rd the
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was heard to sing once and then seen to fly into the
dead pine to be observed briefly before flying west down into Spring Canyon.
Last observation of the morning before highballing it up to the
Bickleton-Mabton Rd for the return to the Tri-Cities - A juvenile
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD in the company of a pair of HORNED LARKS.


Dennis Rockwell Kennewick, WA dennis.rockwell at gte.net

There's an old saying which goes:
Once the last tree is cut and the last river poisoned,
you will find you cannot eat your money.
Joyce McLean