Hello Tweets and NW Inlanders,

We enjoyed another 2 day visit on the 24th and 25th of June to the Tri-Cities area,despite the hot temperatures and dry conditions. Our main searches of the trip were made for early migrating shorebirds and dragonflies. We checked several shorebird spots in the vicinity including the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd."ponds", and both the Walla Walla and Yakima River Deltas,of which the latter location proved unproductive due to very high water conditions and the lack of any mudflats. The Walla Walla River Delta showed ample mudflats both days,but mud conditions were lowest during an afternoon visit we made today. The Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd."ponds" were quite different than our last visit on the 19th of June with all 2 out of the 3 ponds having very high water levels and no shoreline for shorebirds. The most northern pond(immediately south of a quickly drying pond)had the best results for shorebirds both days with the most available mudflats surrounding the entire pond. Our main highlight from all these locations were 2 Marbled Godwits at the Walla Walla River Delta yesterday,which represent a nice June record for eastern WA and are a continued indication of shorebird movements in this region. We were unable to relocate the Marbled Godwits today at this location,but we did have a grand count of 13 Franklin's Gulls,of which 6 birds were at this location the previous day. We also managed to observe the active pair of Northern Mockingbirds this afternoon at the Horn Rapids County Park(accessed immediately south of S.R.240 along the Yakima River in Benton Co.),which appear to be breeding due to one of the bird observed carrying food into a dense patch of trees. The bird at times are very vocal and are often noted perched atop a light pole near the boat launch area. A list of other general highlights encountered during our visit to the Tri-Cities area at listed locations included the following:

Common Loon
1 off the Walla Walla River Delta on the 24th

Western Grebe
18 off the Walla Walla River Delta both days

Clark's Grebe
2 off the Walla Walla River Delta on the 24th

Am.White Pelicans
4 along the Columbia River near Beverly,Grant Co. on the 24th
22 at the Yakima River Delta on the 24th
78+ along Hwy.12 near Wallula on the 25th
25 at the Walla Walla River Delta on both days
8 along the Yakima River at Horn Rapids Park on the 25th

Black-crowned Night Heron
12 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds both days
4 at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 24th
2 along the Yakima River at Horn Rapids Park on the 25th

Swainson's Hawk
1 along Dodd Rd. on both days

Black-necked Stilt
53 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds(with young)on both days

Am.Avocet
28 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds(with young)both days
1 at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 24th

Greater Yellowlegs
4 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds on the 24th

Lesser Yellowlegs
10 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds on the 24th(with 14 there on the 25th)

Western Sandpiper
4 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds on the 24th(with 8 there on the 25th)

Least Sandpiper
8 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds on the 24th(with 11 there on the 25th)

Wilson's Phalarope
5 at the Dodd-Iowa Beef Rd. ponds on the 24th(with 15 there on the 25th)
1 at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 24th

Glaucous-winged Gull
3(1 adult,2 immature birds)at the Walla Walla River Delta on the 24th

Forster's Tern
2 along Hwy.12 at the NcNary NWR on the 24th(with 8 there on the 25th)
3 off the Walla Walla River Delta on the 25th

Common Nighthawk
25 at Horn Rapids County Park on the 25th

Horned Lark
12 along S.R.240 in the Hanford area both days

Gray Catbird
3 along the Yakima River at Horn Rapids on the 25th


On route to the Tri-Cities yesterday morning we stopped along the "old"Vantage Hwy.(northwest of Vantage in Kittitas Co.)at MP 23.5,where a single cooperative Ash-throated Flycatcher was observed foraging on both sides of the road in appropriate habitat. We only saw one bird,but it is possible that there could have been a second bird on a nest since birders reported 2 birds at this location in late May. Other notable species observed at this location yesterday included the following:

2 Eastern Kingbirds
1 Sage Thrasher
1 Loggerhead Shrike
2 Yellow-breasted Chats
3 Lark Sparrows


Dragonflies species encountered during the trip(primarily in the Tri-Cities area)included the following:

Emma's Dancer
Vivid Dancer
Boreal Bluet
Tule Bluet
Northern Bluet
Pacific Forktail
Blue-eyed Darner
Common Green Darner
Black Saddlebags
Columbia Clubtail(personal new dragonfly species for WA)
Sinuous Snaketail
Western Pondhawk
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Common Whitetail
Blue Dasher
Western Meadowhawk



Good birding,

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