Fair warning, this message is long and boring. I urge you to delete this
now.

Glutton for punishment, huh? Here goes.

I took a week off and birded Washington state, arriving home a little while
ago. Here is a summary.

6/2 Left Seattle about 2PM heading west on I90. First stop was north of
Cle Elum, looking For BLACK SWIFT. There were several with VAUX'S SWIFTS
along Cle Elum Lake about 5 miles south of Salmon la Sac. Still had
daylight when I arrived at Vantage, so I looked for BLACK-THROATED
SPARROWS. No luck.

6/3 I stopped at Lyon's Ferry State Park in Franklin Co. hoping to luck out
with a MOURNING WARBLER. No luck. But I did see a female AMERICAN REDSTART
on the peninsula. Nesting BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were agitated with the presence
of an adult GREAT-HORNED OWL. It was the first of several GHOW sightings
for the week. A BARN OWL flushed as I returned to the car. GREEN-TAILED
TOWHEES were easy to find at the Biscuit Ridge location south of Dixie in
Walla Walla Co. Saw 2 and heard others. Coppei Creek was productive in
spite of the stiff wind and cold temps. GRAY CATBIRDS, YELLOW-BREASTED
CHATS, singing VEERYS and SWAINSON'S THRUSHES were some of the birds I saw
and heard. On a branch down below by the creek sat 2 young GREAT-HORNED
OWLS.

6/4 I enjoyed Coppei Creek so much I returned for more. Still very windy
and cold the morning of 6/4. But I was happy to see a WILD TURKEY with 4
pretty new chicks by the stream. From there I headed for the Spokane River
at Harvard Road for a chance to see CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS. Nope.

6/5 Determined to see or hear the CCSP's I tried again in the AM. Still no
luck. GRAY CATBIRDS were numerous as were BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. 3 BLACK TERNS
worked the water, and that made missing the CCSP's OK. And yes, 2 more
GREAT-HORNED OWLS sat in the trees. I almost forgot to mention the 2 PYGMY
NUTHATCHES that flitted from tree top to tree top along the river. EASTERN
KINGBIRDS, CEDAR WAXWINGS and an OSPREY were some of the other birds I had
at this location. I then headed north intending to go into Little Pend
Oreilles. At Hanson Springs in Stevens Co. off S Fork Mill Creek Road NE of
Colville I heard NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES. It took a little time, but one
finally popped up for a good view. At this point I decided to shoot for the
Aeneas Valley and perhaps a BOBOLINK. They were there in spades. A light
rain didn't keep them down as I saw 11 birds, 8 of them adult males.

6/6 On to Tonasket and Loomis for some altitude birds. I took Toats Coulee
Road out of Loomis and journeyed FS 39 to Tiffany Spring CG. I heard BOREAL
CHICKADEES before I got out of the car at the CG. Jumped out and saw 2 or 3
of them. This was too easy. Then I parked the car and walked the trail to
the lake. Another BOCH came close and a few trees away was a THREE-TOED
WOODPECKER. On this short trail I saw 2 males and 2 females and heard many
more TTWO'S. Also on the trail I met a family from Wisconsin. They had
entered from Winthrop and I was the first person they had seen. And they
were mine. The roads were great with no snow. A few trees covered half the
road at spots, but they were easy to drive around. I drove down to Winthrop
and headed for Hart's Pass, not really expecting to get there. I made it to
the campground with no snow on the road, but all 3 roads from that point
were still snow covered in spots. The CG had large patches of snow; no
place to put a tent. So I headed back down, enjoying an incredible number
of deer along the way. One old buck, perhaps a year or two past his prime
stared at me as he walked deliberately and stately, in sharp contrast to the
others. There is one very scary stretch on the last 10 miles to Hart's
Pass. It's very narrrow, has large rocks on the road surface and the drop
is straight down. And you must drive it twice. Those who have driven this
road know the place. Near the bottom of this road I got a nice look at a
PILEATED WOODPECKER and a RUFFED GROUSE walked across the road.

6/7 Next stop was Colockum Road SE of Wenatchee, to try for an ASH-THROATED
FLYCATCHER. A long search of the canyon near the WSU Research Unit yielded
none of those, but I got a great look at a CHAT and other birds. Then I
recalled the sighting of the EASTERN PHOEBE in Leavenworth. I was not that
far away. And I had been gone from the city long enough by now that time
had started to slow down. Could I ever forgive myself if I didn't try, only
to find out later that the bird was still there? Even though this was 2
weeks after the initial report? Well, kiss my grits, I stepped onto the
bridge to Blackbird Island and heard it instantly. From 12:15 til 12:45 I
watched and listened to the EASTERN PHOEBE. It was exactly as Marcus
Roening had described it on 5/24. My thanks to Marcus and to Karen Haire
and Bobbie Lambert for finding this bird. The bird was very vocal and
active, but staying close to the bridge the whole time. Several times it
perched on the bridge railing. At this point the trip was a success even if
I dipped the rest of the way. Next I chose to look for BLACK-BACKED
WOODPECKERS where Hal Opperman and Brenda Senturia had them last year on
Naneum Ridge. Studying the DeLorme, I realized that I could probably get
there from Colockum Road, SE of Wenatchee. Soooooooo, back I went, again
looking for the ATFL along the way. Dipped again. But the road DID go thru
and I soon found myself at 4 corners and the Naneum Airstrip where Hal and
Brenda had the BBWO'S last June. A herd of 22 elk grazed at the south end
of the airstrip; a nice bonus and a healthy diversion from my week's
obsession. And then, I heard it, east of the airstrip. But once. Then
again, west of the airstrip. Again, once. A few minutes later the drumming
sounded again. This time repeated a few times. This was worth chasing.
And in a few minutes I found myself admiring a female BLACK-BACKED
WOODPECKER. Her head was glossy and almost blue. As I returned to the car,
still enjoying this fine bird, a GOSHAWK did a scud run 2 feet from the
ground, 20 feet away, through the trees. I chased after, hoping to see a
perched bird, but who was I kiddin'? I drove on to Ellensburg, smiling all
the way.

6/8 COMMON SNIPES decorated the fence posts of the Ellensburg fields in the
early morning. I guess it was too early to winnow. But maybe not too early
for a BLACK-THROATED SPARROW near Vantage. Dip. Quilomene took the sting
out with its SAGE SPARROWS, BREWER'S SPARROWS and SAGE THRASHERS. I was
surprised to see a BONAPARTE'S GULL in winter plumage on a pond on Frontage
Road between Adams Rd and Dodson Rd, east of George. Pushed off for Othello
and Para Ponds where I ran into Bob Flores. He pointed out 3 WHITE PELICANS
and told me that FORSTER'S TERNS were at Mardon's, which I quickly verified.
I saw no WHITE-FACED IBIS and Bob thought that the birds had moved on. I
returned to Dodson Road and Frenchman Hills Road, one of my favorite
places. I drank in the usual suspects and started the car to leave, which
(I believe) triggered a whinny from a SORA. I shut off the car, grabbed the
binos and beheld the critter standing right there in front of God and
everybody. SORA sightings for this birder are a big deal. Who needs a
tape, I've got a SORA summoning Subaru! (Try THAT 20 times quickly.) Next
stop was Liberty where I camped. On the way in was a WILD TURKEY with 6
tiny chicks. Later, I heard one FLAMMULATED OWL and a few COMMON POORWILLS,
but lightning, rain and some extremely vocal 4X4ers sorta dampened the
dance. I slept and moved on.

6/9 So I still wanted an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, and %$^* at #*( at %, I was
going to find one. Lyle in Klickitat County produced. I found the ATFL
near the ACORN WOODPECKER tree, which had only acorns at that time. Then I
headed for Trout Lake Camground and hopefully a HERMIT WARBLER. The first
one I saw in the CG was a hybrid. But I saw 2 others that looked like
genuine HEWA'S. And TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS were everywhere in the CG, as were
VAUX'S SWIFTS, HERMIT THRUSHES, and other birds.

6/10 (today) Heading for home, two thoughts occurred to me. (Not at the
same time, of course). First, I still hadn't seen a PURPLE MARTIN this
year.
Second, they are easy to find at Ridgefield. Next thing I knew, I was
looking at PUMA'S at the Carty Unit. I then drove the south unit and walked
the Kiwa Trail, where I saw 3 AMERICAN BITTERN'S, and heard a fourth. Two
adult GREAT HORNED OWLS flew thru the woods as I walked the trail. On the
drive out there were 4 BLACK TERNS.

I warned you, didn't I? See what a week's birding alone can do to a person?

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA