I'm happy to report that Glenda & I also were able to find the Leavenworth
EASTERN PHOEBE around noon on Saturday the 16th. We didn't find it to be
nearly as cooperative as some in the past have, but we eventually heard and
saw enough of it to be satisfied with the identification.

Early Saturday morning we stopped at Horn Rapids County Park (DeLorme page
39, 5-A,B) in the vicinity of "The Horn" were Benton County is currently
developing a campground on the southern edge of the Hanford Reach National
Monument. There in the old Black Locust trees that border the south and
west edges of the RV camping area we found WESTERN KINGBIRDS, EASTERN
KINGBIRDS and, a little more surprisingly, at least one GREY FLYCATCHER.
(Incidently, I also found one here on August 17 last year.) I probably
won't be able to go have a better look around at this site until next
Saturday, but I suspect there may be a nesting pair here and I'm going to
try to confirm it. Based on the literature, this wouldn't be a very typical
area for them to select for nesting, especially since the loss of the
adjacent sage brush in last year's horrific fire, still.......

Also noted 15+ COMMON NIGHTHAWKS still hawking bugs over the Yakima River at
"The Horn" past 7:30 in the morning. It was the best close-range,
good-light viewing of this species I've ever experienced.


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

One fifth of the people are against everything all the time.
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)