Hey Tweeters & Inlanders,
Ryan Shaw and I headed over the mountains yesterday afternoon with the
intentions of getting Cordilleran Flycatchers and Green-tailed Towhees on our
state lists. Our first stop of the trip was at the hummingbird feeders along
Dry Creek Road east of Walla Walla in the evening, where we had dozens of
hummingbirds; CALLIOPE, BLACK-CHINNED, and RUFOUS in that order of abundance,
but no Broad-tailed. We then tried for the GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES up Biscuit
Ridge although it was late in the day. We heard them quite well, and barely
saw them in flight. Good thing, as we had no luck with them in the morning.
Setting up the tent at sunset, we began hearing an owlet calling in the
distance; we figured it was Great Horned. We tried to find it, but with no
luck that night.
After a good night's sleep, we woke up at sunrise and tried for the
towhees again. We didn't get them in the morning, however we did locate the
owlet which we heard the previous night. But was it a Great Horned as we
suspected? Nope, two GREAT GRAY OWLETS sitting on a short, dead tree, one of
them calling loudly! After observing, photographing, and videotaping them for
quite a long while, we again headed up the road. Our next highlight was a
calling NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL being mobbed by a large number of birds. On our
way back down, we stopped at the spot where we had the GREAT GRAYS, and this
time had the female calling and the male who flew in extremely close to us
and called. The two owlets were still calling constantly. Our last remaining
target bird was CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER. We drove down just a little ways and
easily found several of them calling along the creek. Good birds to get, but
not nearly as nice as the owls were. Other birds in the area of Biscuit Ridge
were many ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW-RUMPED, and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS, a few
"SLATE-COLORED" FOX-SPARROWS, RED CROSSBILLS, and all the others.

A very worthwhile trip! Good birding.

Charlie Wright
Birdking88 at aol.com
Sumner, WA