Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Columbia Basin Vagrant Search 6/3, WHITE-FACED IBIS
Date: Jun 3 21:38:13 2006
From: Scott Downes - downess at charter.net


Forgot to mention that there was a large amount of American White Pelicans
around Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River, I counted 22. I don't spend
enough time there to know if its that unusual or not, but struck me as
somewhat unusual to have this many that far upriver.

Off to bed after a long day...

Scott Downes
downess at charter.net
Yakima WA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Downes" <downess at charter.net>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>; <inland-nw-birders at uidaho.edu>
Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2006 8:39 PM
Subject: Columbia Basin Vagrant Search 6/3, WHITE-FACED IBIS


> Today was planned as a comprehensive tour of migrant traps with the hopes
of
> finding vagrants. Apparently I forgot to share my planned route with said
> vagrants...
>
> I started the morning with a search for the Black-throated Sparrow
recently
> reported by Denny Granstrand along Huntzinger rd. I had no luck in finding
> this bird but did find another singing BLACK-THROATED SPARROW at the
> entrance to the Yakima Training Center south of Wanapum Dam further along
> Huntzinger Rd.
> Wanapum Dam state park had the most migrants that I encountered all day.
> Present were:
> 1 Cassin's Vireo
> 3 Wilson's Warbler
> 2 Yellow Warbler
> 1 Black-throated Gray Warbler
> 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
>
> There is a very active colony of Bank Swallows just south of the state
park
> along Huntzinger rd. I have not noticed this colony in the past, so it is
> likely a newly formed one.
>
> Next I proceeded to hit Bassett Park in Washtucna, VERY slow except for 3
> EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES , likely same birds as have been here for past
year.
> Next stop was Palouse Falls State Park, no migrants found. Lyon's Ferry
had
> several roosting Common Nighthawks, 2 Warbling Vireo and several Yellow
> Warblers and Wilson's Warbler, otherwise not much.
> Wahluke Slope yielded similar results this evening. I was amazed at how
many
> Bullock's Orioles were present today, between those 5 stops for migrants,
I
> counted 46 Oriole's! One grove on Wahluke Slope had 14, with 5 in one
> binocular view!
>
> The best bird of the day came at 3:30 with a stop at the corner of
Frenchman
> Hills Rd and Dodson Rd in Grant Co. At the Parking lot for the marsh here,
> was a WHITE-FACED IBIS feeding in the rushes. It was still present when I
> left at 3:50.
>
> This evening there was a Burrowing Owl present along Hwy.24 about MP 27.
> This is likely the same bird that Mac Knight posted photos of earlier
today
> on tweeters.
>
> Not a bad day, but pretty slow in the migrant category.
>
> Scott Downes
> downess at charter.net
> Yakima WA
>