Hello Tweeters,
We took a trip over to Leavenworth this weekend and really enjoyed the Birdfest activities. The Balsamroot and lupine are in bloom along with many other wildflowers. The place is swallow central as well. The swallows are nesting everywhere. The best place to see them was walking along in the grounds of Sleeping Lady which is a beautiful resort. We saw TREE SWALLOWS, VIOLET GREENS, and NORTHERN ROUGH WINGED SWALLOWS along the banks of the Wenatchee River. The swallows are so tame, they swoop within inches of us. It was fun to see them picking up Ponderosa needles for their nests. There are many in town as well.

We took a night owl prowl and saw a BARRED OWL sitting on a limb. He turned his face to us as we shined a flashlight towards him, and then spread his huge wings and flew away totally silently.

Another highlight was along the Icicle Creek where we camped. The woods were filled with WESTERN TANAGERS. I saw one there but heard many many calling. We saw another one down on Blackbird Island. We also saw quite a few HARLEQUIN DUCKS flying upsteam. A DIPPER and a MALLARD PAIR flew upstream as well.

List of other sightings and hearings:
1 Macgilvrys Warbler
many California Quail calling and crossing the road
1-American Kestrel
Flickers
many Robins
Nashville Warblers
Voxes Swifts
many-Black Headed Cowbirds
Song Sparrows singing
American Crows
1-Dusky Flycatcher
3-Spotted Towhee singing
Black Capped Chickadee
Canada Geese with 13 goslings
many-Black Headed Grosbeaks
many-Evening Grosbeaks
2-Bullocks Orioles- 1 in town and 1 at Sleeping Lady
Rufous Hummingbirds 1 in town and 1 up Icicle Canyon
11 Turkey Vultures soaring over Chumstick Highway
White Crowned sparrows singing
Chipping Sparrows singing
White Breasted Nuthatch
Red Breasted Nuthatch
Warbling Vireo
American Crow
House Sparrows
Yellow Warblers singing
Downey Woodpeckers

We took a river raft down the Icicle canyon into the Wenatchee and saw
Bald Eagles mating in flight and a nest
Barrows Goldeneye
Common Mergansers
Brewers Blackbirds
1-Wilson's Snipe
1-Western Kingbird
4- Spotted Sandpipers
Flickers
1- Belted Kingfisher
1-Female Blue Winged Teal
Mallard Female with 12 chicks
Raven
Yellow Rumped Warbler
A pair of Cassins Finches- male with orange head
Steller Jays
Osprey

On the way home we stopped for lunch at Blewett Pass and saw a HAMMONDS FLYCATCHER high on a tree calling his "peep" over and over. Then home again over Maple Valley another pair of BALD EAGLES, one in hot pursuit of the other.

Here at home we have 2 baby robins, the starlings have fledged and are begging for food, and 2 baby song sparrows.
Along with our resident rabbit, the yard is hopping. The blackheaded grosbeaks are singing like crazy. We saw 53 species in all but could have seen and heard more if we were more experienced.
Nancy
Renton, WA.