Subject: [Tweeters] Yakima Canyon -- Umtanum Rd Loop
Date: Jun 24 23:40:15 2005
From: Paul Webster - paul.webster at comcast.net


Hi Tweets,

Barbara and I arrived at Snoqualmie Summit about 7 am and stopped long enough to hear a Wilson's Warbler to the east of the rest stop and spot a dozen Band-tailed Pigeons still snoozing in a large Doug fir across the road. Our next stop at Gold Creek stretched out to 30 minutes as we located three kinds of swallows, several warblers, Spotted Sandpiper, Warbling Vireo, thrushes, juncos, and Brown-headed Cowbird. Swamp Creek at the Stampede Pass Road was slow, but we did find both Vaux's and Black Swifts over the Yakima River and an American Dipper near the bridge. A brief stop in Easton added a dozen Evening Grosbeaks. Ringer Loop Road south of Ellensburg featured serious mosquitos in addition to orioles, grosbeaks, warblers, and a single Downy Woodpecker.

We arrived at Umtanum Creek in the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area at 11 am, and immediately located a Belted Kingfisher family on a wire over the Yakima River, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-breasted Chat, two very young Cooper's Hawks waiting for parents to bring something to eat, a Prairie Falcon high on the ridge, an American Kestrel nest in the rocks above the opposite side of the creek, and an Osprey cruising over the Yakima River. A Canyon Wren sang weakly from the talus slope opposite us.

We passed under scores of swallows near the cliffs on the way out of Yakima Canyon and a Swainson's Hawk over Wenas Road. At Wenas Lake we found lots of Killdeer, a Spotted Sandpiper, a lone Least Sandpiper, and a couple of Vesper Sparrows, along with lots of swallows and blackbirds. Maloy Rd. yielded Western and Eastern Kingbirds and a Dusky Flycatcher. It appears that one of the local property owners is encroaching on public property at the far end of the county road, placing his No Treaspassing sign at least 200 yards before the sign that announces the end of the county road. I don't know if Yakima County really has twice as many unfriendly signs per capita as most other counties, but there sure are a lot of them.

Umtanum Road gave us Cassin's Finch, Townsend's Solitaire, Red-naped Sapsucker, Sage Thrasher, and Loggerhead Shrike. We turned onto I-90 at 6:30 pm to return to Seattle. Trip total: 74 species on a sunny, warm, early summer day.

Double-crested Cormorant -- 1 in pond near Ellensburg
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Cooper's Hawk -- 2 nearly-fledged juveniles in Umtanum Canyon
Swainson's Hawk (dark phase)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel -- at least 24 birds seen
Prairie Falcon
Peregrine Falcon -- 2 on towers by West Seattle Bridge
California Quail
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black Swift-- 4 over the Yakima River at Stampede Pass Rd
Vaux's Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-naped Sapsucker -- at least 3 seen
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-pewee -- heard continually at all stops today
Dusky Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cedar Waxwing
American Dipper
Canyon Wren
House Wren -- about 10 seen
Sage Thrasher
Western Bluebird -- 20+ seen today
Townsend's Solitaire
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin -- seen at every stop today
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Loggerhead Shrike
Steller's Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
European Starling
Warbling Vireo -- 12+ seen and/or heard
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat -- about 8 seen along Umtanum Creek
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
Vesper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Black-headed Grosbeak -- 6+ seen & heard
Lazuli Bunting -- 6+ seen
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
Cassin's Finch
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch -- 20+ seen
Evening Grosbeak -- 12 at Easton
House Sparrow

Paul & Barbara Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net