Hi Tweets,

Barbara and I left Seattle at 7 am on Friday, July 22 to bird at the Yakima Training Center, inspired by Georgia Conti's recent report. Driving through heavy rain showers slowed us somewhat, and gave us only a few birds at our stops on the way east, principally: 6 Evening Grosbeaks at Easton, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches at the Elk Hill Rest Area east of Cle Elum, and a soaking-wet Swainson's Hawk on a light pole at the Selah Rest Area on I-82.

Georgia had been waved through security at the YTC; we got directions to the MP station where we showed driver licenses, auto registration, proof of insurance, and watched a 15 minute video about all the things hunters, birdwatchers, mountain bikers, and everyone else were not to do at the YTC. Then we received our "Outdoor Recreation Certificate" and told of areas that were closed because of ongoing training exercises --unfortunately including Taylor Pond where Georgia recently had seen Long-eared and Short-eared Owls. Asked where we wanted to go, we asked permission to visit the areas along Coldwater Creek, and received our vehicle pass.

This security mantle seemed reasonable, but we hadn't asked if we were allowed to bird from the road in the closed areas, and a black SUV with government plates following behind us didn't pass, but rather slowed and stopped when we did, so we drove further. A Northern Harrier and a Loggerhead Shrike brought us to another halt, and this time the SUV pulled alongside, the window went down and a man in pressed combat fatigues introduced himself as Rick Dahlberg, the Base Commander. He welcomed us to the YTC, and recommended places to look for Gray Partridge and Chuckar. It was also ok to bird from the main road if we liked, he said, as he drove on.

A thunderstorm broke as we approached Taylor Pond, and lightning struck nearby as a Short-eared Owl landed on roadside sagebrush, then hopped down out of sight for cover. The storm cleared and we had pleasant weather with broken clouds and temps in the mid 80s for the balance of the day.

This is raptor country, and entire families of Northern Harriers (50+), Red-tailed Hawks (36+), and American Kestrels (60+) soared and kited about overhead. We also found two young Golden Eagles and a Prairie Falcon.

At Greely Pond we ate lunch, then located two American Coots in the creek, and flycatchers: a Western Wood-pewee, 4 Say's Phoebes, a Dusky Flycatcher, and two Eastern Kingbirds. A pair of Western Tanagers appeared, and 50+ Barn Swallows swarmed around and over us. In the crowd we identified two Tree and two Cliff Swallows. A run up the road to Hog Ranch Buttes added a flock of some two dozen Horned Larks. Past the Cold Creek Divide we stopped several times to walk through the sagebrush and listen, finding a few Brewer's Sparrows, a half-dozen Vesper Sparrows, more Horned Larks, and two Western Meadowlarks. At the road to Umtanum Ridge we walked, turning up first a huge male Greater Sage Grouse, and a few minutes later close-up views of a female and two first-year birds. There were lots of Sage Thrashers, a Black-headed Grosbeak family, two Northern Flickers, and a Spotted Towhee called from the streamside willows.

We were impressed with the cleanliness and good quality of the shrub-steppe habitat at the YTC, the army is clearly a good steward of the areas we visited, and despite the security procedures we felt welcome there. We also had the area almost completely to ourselves -- aside from Commander Dahlberg's SUV, we saw only one other vehicle. It was a good day for late July, we tallied 45 species.

Good birding!

Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net