Tweets,
Monday August 29 I birded the Wenas campground area, ending the semi-rushed
day at Ginko SP in Vantage by 4pm. Along with migrants a good number of
lingering breeding species and family groups were evident. Most
plentiful/obvious birds at Wenas were "Audubons" Warbler, pewee (calling;
many feeding vocal young), Cassin's Finch, crossbill, nutcracker, 3
nuthatches, chickadees. Some of the personal or interesting highlights (for
a rare/vagrant eastside birder):
> White-headed Woodpecker (2 adults and 1-2 juveniles, great looks, on the
> east-facing slope of the ridge between Dry and Wenas Creeks)
> Gray Flycatcher (2 adults feeding ~3 vocal juveniles, at the top of the
> same ridge; 1 adult near the base of this ridge in the upper-western flat
> of campground area)
> Veery (1, getting late?)
> Nashville Warbler (1)
> Ruffed Grouse (3, beneath the brush in the "flood zone" of Audubon Rd
> ~1mile below campground)
Other birds:
> Vesper, Lark, Brewer's Sparrows together ~1.5mile above the Maloy/Audubon
> turnoff
> vocal Chukars (at 2:30) on slope above a park-like residence nearly at the
> bottom of the incline down Umptanum Rd to the Kittitas Valley
> Loggerhead Shrike near the agricultural site on Old Vantage Hwy
> Goshawk (over Hwy 12 above Riffe Lk)
> Poorwill, 9pm on Oak Crk Rd Sunday night
> A "chorus" of several Great Horned Owls along Maloy Rd
70 species on the day. Disappointing misses, perhaps due in part to the
horrific wind conditions:
> Red-n Sapsucker, Sage Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Mtn Bluebird, Rock & Canyon
> Wrens

Good birding!
Paul Hicks
Tenino
phicks AT accessgrace.org