Scott,

It was 1977. I remember it well. I was living in Toppenish at the time when
Bob Woodley called to report a sighting at the Yakima River delta in late
April. Prior to then there had been just a handful of state records. Shortly
thereafter they were everywhere. I believe the first nest may have been on
what we called then "Sievert's pond," a mile hike west from I-SW just north
of Frenchman Hills Rd., one of Sievert Rohwer's study sites. I believe it
was following a serious drought in the Great Basin and southwest.

Gene.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Ray" <scray at wolfenet.com>
To: "tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 11:32 PM
Subject: Year of the Stilt


> I recall the late 1970's when Black-necked Stilts were a "hotline" species
> in Washington. Some older birders might correct me, but I think Stilts
were
> first found breeding in WA in about 1977 or 1978. Birders made
> trans-Cascade treks to see a pair or two that were discovered breeding
near
> Dodson Road in Grant County.
>
> This morning I counted 32 Stilts along Wilson Creek in northern Grant
County
> (two groups of 14 and 18). This afternoon there were at least 23 at the
> southern Para Pond near Othello. A total of 55 Stilts. Five times as
many
> Stilts as Avocets today. Many of these birds probably normally breed in
> the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah but have been forced north by draught
> conditions there.
>
> A few other birds at Wilson Creek in order seen:
>
> Lazuli Bunting
> Red-winged Blackbird
> Shoveler
> Cinnamon Teal
> Mallard
> Common Nighthawk
> Redhead
> Wilson's Phalarope 3
> American Coot
> Yellow-headed Blackbird
> Blue-winged Teal
> Northern Harrier
> Common Snipe
> Avocet 9
> Gadwall
> Ruddy Duck
> Pied-billed Grebe
>
>
>
> Scott
>
> """"""""""""""""""""""
> " Scott Ray "
> " Yakima, WA "
> " scray at wolfenet.com "
> """"""""""""""""""""""
>