Hi Tweeters,

Thanks to all your great reports I got see several
outstanding birds today.

The Ash-throated Flycatchers Matt Bartels wrote about
June 30 at MP 23.6 on the old Vantage Hwy were
actively putting odd looking nesting material into the
bluebird nestbox on the north side of the Hwy. The
nesting material looked like chunks of stuff (bark?).
Maybe they will move to something softer to line it.
State bird for me. Thanks Matt.

Another state bird was the Black-throated Sparrow on
Huntzinger Rd. Thanks to the birder I sort of
recognized but don't know by name in the black pickup
I got good looks at the sparrow while he was singing.
Of course when I went to get my scope he flew off.
The song would be an easy one to learn if this was a
common bird hearabouts, 3 notes then a trill. Sibley
calls the song tinkly. This bird was further north
than the "usual" spot singing on a sagebrush on top of
a rocky outcropping.

Great first and probably only for me of the year
Ferruginous Hawk on the way to Wilson's Creek. I
didn't have to drive all the way there, found perched
on a telephone pole on Hwy 283 near road 8 NW. I
managed to park far enough away to not spook this
lovely hawk and get great scope views.

Frosting on the cake a life bird, Black-backed
Woodpecker father feeding a nearly fledged youngun at
the Elk Heights burn off of I90. Parking in this
location is tough but I managed to pull all the way
off the road and hike up the west end of the burn
which is not fenced at all. Thanks to Gene Hunn for
original discovery and report. What a nice and
convenient place to look for an elusive (at least for
me) bird.

Kathy
Roosting in S King County




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