Hello all,

On Sunday morning Scott Downes, Carol Schulz and I set out for some
birding mainly in Grant, Adams, and Chelan Counties. An immature male
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Elk Heights was only my second of the season, and we had
no others during the entire trip. There was also a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS in
the "freeway ponds" near the first Ellensburg exit. After that we hit several
spots including Vantage, but everywhere seemed to be very slow birdwise. We
arrived at roughly noon along Sundance Loop 4 miles south of Othello.
Searching that entire area for at least 2 hours, we came up with no Blue Jay.
In the afternoon we headed over to the Para Ponds area for blackbirds. Among
scores of cowbirds, starlings, Brewer's, and Red-winged we managed to pick
out one (possibly two) female TRICOLORED and a male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.
A MERLIN was keeping the birds in the air at times.

After staying the night in Othello, we tried again for the Blue Jay.
This time we arrived before 8:00AM. One of the residents of the neighborhood
had seen it even earlier this morning, but despite that we could not find it
for over 1.5 hours. Finally, as we were about ready to give up, I heard the
bird calling in another neighborhood in the distance. We drove to that area
and had the BLUE JAY along Lynette Rd. flying loosely with a flock of
magpies. After a few minutes it broke off from them and foraged
inconspicuously at the end of Lynette Rd, where it intersects with Hi-Lo Rd.
The bird would have been very easily missed had it not called just once while
we were there.

Continuing north, Lind Coulee had no exposed mud and therefore no
shorebirds. Viewing from O'Sullivan Dam had a single AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
and a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Along Frenchman Hill Rd we spotted an
imm. NORTHERN SHRIKE and 28 TUNDRA SWANS. Then it was on to Confluence State
Park in Wenatchee, where we immediately after crossing the pedestrian bridge
in the Horan Wildlife Area noted a first winter HARRIS'S SPARROW with a flock
of other sparrows. This bird has been around for several days, according to
Dave Beaudette and Vince Vesterby, whom we ran into at this spot. Our last
highlights of the day were the juv. BRANT and juv. SNOW GOOSE seen in a small
slough in the dwindling light at Walla Walla Point State Park. The Brant
looks to be a classic B. b. nigricans ("Black" Brant).

Good birding indeed!

Charlie Wright
Birdking88 at aol.com
Sumner, WA