Hello Tweeters,

Some friends (Jim Flynn, Marissa Benevente, Fred Boesche, Isadora &
Kendrick Wong, Barry Levine) and myself birded the above areas during this
three-day weekend. We all had a great trip, and had fun birding familiar
areas and exploring a few spots new to us. It rained off and on during the
three days, but we managed to see some good birds nonetheless.

We started our birding in the Vantage area Saturday morning (2/15).
Ryan Shaw & Tracey Norris were also present. Along Huntzinger Rd a CANYON
WREN was singing from the cliffs, with numbers of ROCK WRENS nearby. Two
newly arrived SAY'S PHOEBES engaged in a display flight and song. Three or
four CHUKARS obligingly crossed the road in front of us as we viewed three
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on the river. Also, at least two SAGE SPARROWS were
singing along the road here, announcing their sudden arrival. We then headed
to the east side of the river, and had very nice views of the first year
YELLOW-BILLED LOON from the visitor's center parking lot. After viewing the
bird in both Grant and Kittitas Counties for a while, we headed north.

At the Dry Falls Interpretive Center we had great studies of two
subadult GOLDEN EAGLES soaring overhead with multiple BALD EAGLES. Along Hwy
2 in the Atkins Lake vicinity were our first two NORTHERN SHRIKES. A couple
of large flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS swirled over the fields, with a total of
about 600 in this area. HORNED LARKS were ubiquitous as usual, but in more
scattered flocks and usually not mixed with the buntings. A trio of LAPLAND
LONGSPURS gave us a nice overflight, one of them in mostly alternate plumage.
One dark morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen here, and 10 light morphs were
noted by us on the entire Waterville Plateau this day. We missed the
Gyrfalcon which several others mentioned to us. A GREAT HORNED OWL was at
the reliable Mansfield Cemetery location. Along Hwy 172 west of Mansfield
was our largest flock of SNOW BUNTINGS; probably no less than 1000 here.
Also a surprising number of longspurs in a nearby flock of larks, at least 15
or 20. Along Heritage Rd were about a dozen AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS singing
quietly in the drizzle. In the evening we tried along Bridgeport Hill Road
for SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. One was perched in a Water Birch along Foster
Creek, seen briefly and only by myself. A GREAT HORNED OWL called in the
gloom as dusk set in. We spent the night in Omak.

Leaving our motel in the morning (2/16), we headed up
Tonasket-Havillah Rd. Part way up along the road, I called in a NORTHERN
PYGMY-OWL which perched above our heads for a long time. There was also a
flock of seven RED CROSSBILLS there. At the Highlands SnoPark was another
PYGMY-OWL perched on the tip of the tallest snag around the edge of the
meadow. A single PINE SISKIN flying overhead was our only one of the trip.
Continuing on, there was a flock of about 30 SNOW BUNTINGS foraging along the
road. In the afternoon we drove to Bridgeport and after a bit of searching
we saw (but did not hear) the BLUE JAY near Marina Park in town there. Also
in the neighborhood was a female columbarius MERLIN, a flock of 20 CEDAR
WAXWINGS, and several VARIED THRUSHES. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK nabbed a House
Finch as we watched. On the road to the state park was a subadult NORTHERN
SHRIKE in full song, something I'd never heard before. At Bridgeport State
Park as the sun set and the full moon rose, we observed a pair of GREAT
HORNED OWLS. Night in Brewster.

We tried again for Sharp-tailed Grouse in the morning (2/17) along
Foster Creek, but with no luck. We also missed out on sage-grouse at the
Leahy site, though we had nice views of GOLDEN EAGLE and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK en
route. At Leahy were at least a dozen more LAPLAND LONGSPURS and a single
SNOW BUNTING with multitudes of HORNED LARKS. Our next stop at Central Ferry
Canyon was fairly slow, but I did stumble upon a BOBCAT which was a very nice
find. Along Hwy 2 at Longview Rd was an adult BRANT in the river along with
many CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS. In the trees were many VARIED THRUSHES but
not much else.

Cheers and good birding,

Charlie Wright
Birdking88 at aol.com
Sumner, WA
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