Subject: Great weekend birding
Date: Mar 7 18:27:01 2004
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Tweets,

My mother and I enjoyed a rewarding weekend of birding in eastern WA,primarily in Walla Walla and Franklin Cos. with several main highlights including the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that was well observed both days at Hood Park. The weather remained good both days,but windy. We began our trip on the 6th at Hood Park at 8:50am in western Walla Walla Co.,where we were joined by Mike and MerryLynn Denny and thereafter by other birders,where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was almost immediately located actively foraging in several trees between the amphitheater and the campground area. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker remained very nervous and active during the entire time we observed it,flying from tree to tree and often concealed itself behind tree limbs,etc and we were able to locate at least two clumps of pine trees that hosted fresh sap holes,where the sapsucker visited several times. We remained at Hood Park until 10:30am then joined the Denny's,Ken Knittle and Marv Breece for an enjoyable afternoon,as we birded portions of Franklin Co. along the Snake River north to the town of Kahlotus. Our other main highlight of the day were 2 Vesper Sparrows observed along a fenceline along the dirt,gravel road to the Big Flat HMU along with an adult white-striped White-throated Sparrow that was observed at the Big Flat HMU amongst very large numbers of White-crowned Sparrows.We arrived back to Hood Park at 4pm,where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was briefly observed perched atop a large deciduous tree just south of the RV dump station,before flying to the north within the park. We were soon joined by Steve and Jan Watson,but we were unable to relocate the sapsucker upon extensive searching.

Today my mother and I arrived at Hood Park at 8:30am in search of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in main hopes of obtaining photographs. We were immediately joined again by Steve and Jan Watson as we walked north from the boat launch area and soon located the sapsucker just north of the amphitheater,as the bird flew and actively foraged in several trees allowing good observations in our spotting scope before soon flying to the south and could not be relocated. My mother and I drove north to Fishhook Park,where our main highlight was a Ferruginous Hawk that was observed flying over the Snake River at fairly close range in both Walla Walla and Franklin Cos.,as we returned from a walk of the park. We arrived back at Hood Park at 11:30am,where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker made it's best appearance for us of the weekend with good close views of the bird,as it foraged not only high in trees,but low at the base of many trees and on the ground for some photographs to finally be obtained by us. During this observation the bird actively foraged in trees between the boat launch and the picnic area. We also located an additional pine tree that hosted fresh sap holes,which the bird visited several times,but remained very nervous and elusive flying from tree to tree,but rested at times too. It was the opportunity we waited for and enjoyed seeing this bird much better compared to our visit to this location on the 23rd of February. A list of other notable highlights encountered during our weekend trip included the following:

Am.White Pelican
3 observed on the 6th along Hwy.12 at Badger Island near Wallula

Tundra Swan
24(with 8 Trumpeter Swans)along I-90 at MP104(west of Ellensburg)on the 6th
110 flying north over the Walla Walla River Delta on the 7th

Greater White-fronted Goose
9 at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 7th

Snow Goose
1 with Canada Geese along Hwy.12 east of McNary NWR on the 6th

Eurasian Wigeon
1 male at Hood Park both days

Northern Harrier
1 at the Big Flat HMU on the 6th
1 along the Pasco-Kahlotus Hwy. on the 6th
2 at Hood Park on the 7th

Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 at the Big Flat HMU on the 6th
1 at Hood Park both days
1 at Fishhook Park on the 7th

Cooper's Hawk
1 at the Big Flat HMU on the 6th
1 at Hood Park on the 6th(mobbing the lingering adult dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk)
1 at Fishhook Park on the 7th

Rough-legged Hawk
1 along S.R.240 at Hanford on the 6th

Merlin
1 along S.R.243 at Desert Aire,Grant Co. on the 6th
1 at Windust Park on the 6th

Least Sandpiper
2 at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 7th

Dunlin
60 at the Walla Walla River Delta(with 230+ there on the 7th)

Herring Gull
20 along Hwy.12 at the Wallula"poop piles" on the 6th
5 at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 6th

Thayer's Gull
1 along Hwy.12 at the Wallula "poop piles" on the 6th

Glaucous-winged Gull
5(with 2 Glaucous-winged/Western Gulls)along Hwy.12 at the Wallula"poop piles" on the 6th

Great Horned Owl
2 at the Big Flat HMU on the 6th
1 at Fishhook Park on the 7th

Long-eared Owl
1 at Windust Park on the 6th

Northern Saw-whet Owl
2 at Hood Park on the 6th
1 at Windust Park on the 6th

Downy Woodpecker
1 at Hood Park on the 6th(with 2 there on the 7th)

Pileated Woodpecker(last species of the trip)
1 along I-90 east of Keechelus Lake(near Stampede Pass)on the 7th

Say's Phoebe
2 along the Pasco-Kahlotus Hwy.(south of the Big Flat HMU)on the 6th
2 along Devils Canyon Rd.(S.R.263)north of Windust Park on the 6th

Brown Creeper
1 at Hood Park on the 6th
1 at Windust Park on the 6th

Canyon Wren
2 along Devil's Canyon Rd. north of Windust Park on the 6th

Varied Thrush
2 at Hood Park on the 6th(with 4 there on the 7th)
2 at the Big Flat HMU on the 6th
1 at Kahlotus on the 6th

Cedar Waxwing
45+ at Big Flat HMU on the 6th
20 at Hood Park on the 6th

Northern Shrike
1 along S.R.263 south of Windust Park on the 6th

Yellow-rumped Warbler
25+ at Hood Park both days
5 at the Big Flat HMU on the 6th

Spotted Towhee
10 at the Big Flat HMU

Golden-crowned Sparrow
1 with White-crowned Sparrows at the Hood Park boat launch on the 7th

"Slate-colored"Junco
1 at Hood Park on the 6th
1 at Windust Park on the 6th



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Tacoma,WA
godwit at worldnet.att.net