hi tweeters~
yesterday, kendrick and i set out early for parts east of the mountains,
hoping to find sage species, white-throated swifts, and a few other target
birds. i must admit that i was somewhat subdued in my expectation, fearful
of the disappointment of dashed hopes. with this bad attitude, imagine our
delight at our findings (highlights only):

stampede pass: greeted by a nice sunday choir comprised of several VARIED
THRUSHES whistling at each other; we were amused at a CANADA GOOSE that had
made himself comfortable on what has traditionally been an osprey nest.

vantage highway: saw and heard the following: two SAGE THRASHERS, loudly
singing their lengthy warbles, two BREWER'S SPARROWS, one SAGE SPARROW
(caught us by surprise when it suddenly began singing from atop a telephone
wire), several VESPER SPARROWS. there were many HORNED LARKS, actively
flitting about and offering their little twittering song. also saw a pair
of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were seen circling above.
we were also treated to the amazing winnowing and display flight of several
COMMON SNIPES.

ginkgo st. park: the reliable and very vocal SAY'S PHOEBE appeared to be
very tolerant of our presence.

sewage treatment ponds on frontage rd., just west of dodson rd.: large
number of RING-BILLED GULLS, and two pairs of REDHEADS. and another target
species for us: two separate flocks of SANDHILL CRANES, one flying in
circles with the thermals.

dodson rd/frenchman hills rd: more REDHEADS, a few CANVASBACKS, WOOD
DUCKS, three BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and three TRUMPETER SWANS. another target
bird for us: two BURROWING OWLS, one of which came out of the burrow to
perch on a nearby fence post for several minutes.

frenchman coulee: one cliff-nesting dark RED-TAILED HAWK, sitting in its
nest, but occasionally standing, allowing views of its very dark colors,
several CLIFF SWALLOWS, and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. our quest for the day
ended with two beautiful WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, vocalizing and flying in
their swift-like manner, making quick slices in the air. and finally, after
hearing several in various parts all day, one ROCK WREN popped up onto a
rock 15 feet from where we stood, to show off and sing.

hard not to be distracted by the colorful display of flora: balsamroot and
phlox are blooming in and around ginko state park; sagebrush buttercup is
also out.

the negative outlook is completely gone now thanks to this lovely spring
day, which produced a total of 69 species.


happy birding,
isadora arevalo wong
seattle, wa
chupaflor at igc.org