A belated report from Robinson Canyon, Kittitas County, where I spent a very warm morning birding on Saturday, June 7. I had all the usual suspects: LAZULI BUNTING, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, CASSIN'S VIREO, WESTERN TANAGER and LEWIS' WOODPECKER. The latter is nesting in a ponderosa pine snag on the hillside, behind the large house near where the pavement ends at the entrance to the canyon.

I was very excited to find a RING-NECKED SNAKE farther up the canyon, along the road between the bridge over the creek and the beaver pond. This was the first time I've seen this species in Washington, and it must be right at the northern edge of it's range. It's a very lovely snake, dark green dorsally with an orange-red ventral surface and ring around it's neck. Speaking of snakes, this canyon is an excellent place to find WESTERN RATTLESNAKES, and Saturday was one of the few times that I've been there in early summer and NOT seen a rattlesnake.

A pair of GOLDEN EAGLES was soaring overhead as I left to head for higher elevations and cooler temperatures.

Mike Donahue
Seattle