Tweeters,

Alan and I spent a very pleasant day yesterday birding in eastern Washington and seeing some nice birds. My target was Sandhill Cranes because a heavier than usual work schedule hasn't allowed going over to see them until now. A nice flock of 100 settled in a field just south of Hwy 26 around MP 9 in the early evening, filling my desire to see ruby red crowns after a tantalizing day of mellow gray forms and black wing tips in distant skies. We were also delighted by a Long-billed Curlew flying over Hwy. 17 just east of Othello in mid-afternoon. An Osprey with a 6-8" flopping fish made a wrong-way trip to the west end of Cunningham Rd. quite worthwhile. Our only very local squall put a damper on Morgan Lake, but in my haste to scope waterbirds and get out of heavy wind and light rain as quickly as possible, I accidently flushed a gorgeous Black-crowned Night Heron from the reeds. It found a low rock perch from which to keep a suspicious red eye on me while we spent a he!
avily-coated-but-good long time admiring its perfect white plumes and fresh colors. The waves discouraged all but a few geese and two Common Loons. Nearby we saw our sixth and last Kestrel, preceded by four Loggerhead Shrikes, on a loop along the Lower Crab Creek Rd. to Othello and back to I-90 west on Hwy. 26. The county line ponds on the way out provided the richest birding of the day, including a Greater White-fronted Goose, a pair of Cinnamon Teal, 45 BN Stilt, 7 Avocet, and a half-dozen Dunlin. The day's weather was mildly warm and mostly sunny, with a few small clouds that, late in the day, became a few tiny rain clouds.

56 Species

Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture-1 seen at MP 101 on I-90
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel-in Kittitas, Grant and Adams, they seemed to be in all the good places scaring away possible sightings
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Long-billed Curlew
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern-2 at Morgan Lake
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Burrowing Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
possible Western Wood-Pewee- silent and wary low in trees along Lower Crab Creek
Loggerhead Shrike-all 4 in Grant Co.
Steller's Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
American Robin
probable Sage Thrasher-not a good look just east of Beverly, but heard it
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Patricia Lott
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Seattle, WA
VariedThrush at comcast.net