Since we have been experiencing such pleasant weather
(cool and sunny), Karen & Harold Cottet, Joyce Alonso,
and I headed down to Hood Park in the Walla Walla
delta area to try our luck with the Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker. When we arrived, we ran into a couple of
West Side birders from Buckley who had seen the bird
on the previous afternoon.

After easily finding the roosting SAW-WHET OWL, we
noted Varied Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and more
common fare. However, No. Flicker was the only
woodpecker that we could turn up. After the couple
from Buckley departed from our company, we made
another circuit through the park. We had been
searching fruitlessly for about 90 minutes, when Joyce
spotted a Downy Woodpecker. As I made a quick visual
check of the Downy, I caught sight of a dark medium
size bird fly into pine tree. A couple of minutes
later, we were all gazing at the first year
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER.

Although we had superb views of this heavily speckled
bird (the crown was quite speckled as well) for about
ten minutes, we never once heard the Sapsucker call.
It finally flew off into the trees bordering the
river.

The Y-B Sapsucker's favored pine tree was riddled with
bore wells that were running with sap. This tree is
just west of the kiosk information board along the
main entrance road and is between the twisting orange
slide in the playground and the kiosk. Obviously, the
bird has been spending quite a bit of time in this
location and could be easily overlooked.

After a fairly brief stop at McNary NWR, we observed a
couple of BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS, and one GREATER
SCAUP in the company of Canvasbacks, Redheads,
Ruddies, C. Geese, etc. No. Harriers patrolled the
marshes.

At Big Flat HMU, we dipped on the Harris' &
White-throated sparrows. There were numerous
White-crowns and Song Sparrows, a pair of Spotted
Towhees, and juncos present in the extensive thickets.

In Windust Park, we had marvelous views of a
LONG-EARED OWL in good light. What a lovely bird!

I'm pretty certain that we found the Saw-Whet Owl
roost tree (a White Pine that had dense mats of dead
pine needles resting on it's branches), but we
couldn't find the bird.

As we ended the day at my house, we heard both Great
Horned Owl and NO. PYGMY OWL calling. Over the course
of the last four evenings, I have heard Pygmy Owls
calling around our property between
5:00-7:00.

Good day and good birding!

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA

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