Hi Tweets & RAS Folks:
Yesterday, Thurs, May 19, four of us headed over to Yakima Canyon. Roger
Orness led the group. Our first stop after leaving Auburn was Snoqualmie
Falls to see the Peregrine Falcon nest. Snoq. Falls was now easy to get to,
because we took the new road that cuts off to the north from the jct of
I-90 & hwy 18 at Echo Jct. It is called Snoqualmie Parkway. At the T at
the bottom of Snoq. Parkway, turn left and the road takes you right to
Snoqualmie Falls. We viewed the falcon nest from the covered viewing area
(it was raining), but there was an even better view from the overlook to the
left (uncovered). We saw the two 3-week old Peregrine Falcon eyasses in a
scrape that is just to the right of the top of the falls. It is on rock,
right where the grass ends. The eyasses are still downy white w/ dark
feathers around the eyes. After a wait of about 20 minutes two adults flew
below us. Wow! Everyone should see this!
After a stop at Traveler's Rest at the pass, we stopped at the second Easton
exit, and viewed birds near the huge sand pile in town. We observed
swallows, including 2 Bank Swallows and several Evening Grosbeaks. There
was a Band-tailed Pigeon, a Merlin, and 9 Turkey Vultures that lifted up
from the trees across the highway.
Another good stop was the railroad ponds in CleElem where Charlie Wright
showed us good views of many birds including several Nashville Warblers, a
nice MacGillivray's Warbler, and several other migrants including House
Wren, W Tanager and Blk-headed Grosbeaks. We looked up at the Osprey nest,
and observed a perched Osprey. In the pond, there were several tiny black &
white baby Barrow's Goldeneyes w/ an adult female. A sign by the fish
hatchery says it is now open to the public w/ restrooms. We didn't have
time to go inside the area to check it out.
>From there we drove down to Yakima Canyon, stopping at Umtanum Creek Rec
Area. We walked across the footbridge and up the creek on the trail. We
found two active PRAIRIE FALCON nests up the trail. At the first nest, we
could see two eyasses, about two weeks old. They are downy white, and about
6 inches long. Both adults called and flew nearby, there was a prey
exchange, and the female took prey into the nest. Farther up the trail,
there is another Prairie Falcon nest. Two Prairie Falcons flew near it, and
the female went to the nest and settled down low in it. She may be brooding
some eggs or young. The whole Umtanum Creek trail was alive with birds
singing and flying.
When you walk up the trail about a mile, there is a side canyon that goes to
the north. We saw 3 and possibly 4 Lewis's Woodpeckers there in tall
cottonwoods. Most
numerous on the trail were Lazuli Bunting, and there were several
Yellow-breasted Chats. Bullock's Orioles were calling. It is a wonderful
riparian area with cliffs and sage brush on both sides and it is perfect
birding there this time of year. We did see a
rattlesnake on the trail.
Farther down Yakima Canyon we stopped at a pullout that is south of and
beyond the Geology marker. It's around the river bend. You look straight
up at tall cliffs. Above a cliff w/ an old Golden Eagle nest, we watched a
soaring Golden Eagle being mobbed by a Prairie Falcon. White-throated
Swifts were flying w/ the swallows. There were several Big-horned Sheep in
the draw going up the cliffs.
Just outside the canyon at the south end, we turned around at the jct of hwy
821 and 823. There was a Swainson's Hawk flying there. It was a great
trip. We saw 11 species of raptors, including 5 different Prairie Falcons.
We saw more Prairie Falcons on this trip than Redtailed Hawks! We saw and
heard 104 species total.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines, WA