Hi Tweets

Yesterday a SAS group made a trip out to Vantage and then worked our way back to Ellensburg and Cle Elum. The day started out with overcast, a couple of sprinkles up around North Bend, but clear and dry road over the pass. Our first stop was at the Indian John Hill Rest Area where we had a nice flock that included RED CROSSBILL, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and AMERICAN CROW.

As we progressed east we scanned the fence lines for raptors and had a couple of RED-TAILED HAWKS and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES. At the ponds along I-90 we had CANADA GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, COMMON MERGANSER and GREAT BLUE HERON. Further east we had several Red-tails along the road and a few CANADA GEESE flew along.

East of Kittitas we drove up Caribou Rd and had a very large, at least 60, flock of CALIFORNIA QUAIL. A couple of RED-TAILED HAWKS were at the nest in one of the Cottonwood Trees west of the road. We had a DOWNY WOODPECKER fly over the road and perch in a tree. EUROPEAN STARLINGS WERE on the ground.

Turning east on Old Vantage Hwy we had more RED-TAILED HAWKS at nest trees, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, AMERICAN ROBINS and COMMON RAVENS. We intended to take the road up toward Whiskey Dick Mtn, but it is marked closed for all of 2006 because of Wind Farm construction (couldn't see any sign of construction but we didn't go up it). This is too bad because you get into nice Sage Scrub habitat and are away from the road. We made do with going up the road into the lower Quilomene where we had brief but decent looks at SAGE SPARROW, great looks at HORNED LARKS (from as close as twenty five feet), a GOLDEN EAGLE circling over toward the mountain and then dropping down to perch on the sage. We wondered about the large GROUND SQUIRREL (Washington Ground Squirrel?) lolling unconcernadly on top of a sage near us. Along the cliffs as we dropped down into Schnebly Coulee we had the GREAT HORNED OWL tucked way back into a hole in the cliffs and on a nest, and across the road was a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD.

Further down the road we turned down toward the old ferry landing and had a ROCK WREN along the cliff tops, singing and posing for us. Near the bottom we had a nice SAY'S PHOEBE and an AMERICAN KESTREL. Out of the Columbia River we had a distant COMMON LOON. Up on top at the Interpretive Center we had evidence that the SAY'S PHOEBEs were getting ready to nest in a beam near the entrance to the building. An AMERICAN KESTREL circled around. On the river we had COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON LOON, BUFFLEHEAD, GREATER SCAUP, WESTERN GREBE and PIED-BILLED GREBEs and a RING-BILLED GULL.

After lunch we explored down Huntsinger Road. We had more AMERICAN KESTRELs along the road, just south of Wanapum SP we had a flock of at least 300 GREATER SCAUP with about 3 LESSER SCAUP. Along the river we had numerous small groups of COMMON GOLDENEYE and BUFFLEHEAD. Below Wanapum Dam, where you turn into the flats, we had a ROCK WREN singing and posing for us on the small rock piles. At the river we had COMMON LOON, COMMON MERGANSER, goldeneye and Bufflehead. Further south along the road where a reentrant goes back into the cliffs we had ROCK WREN, CANYON WREN and CHUKAR and overhead was a small flock of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWs. On the river we had a lone AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN.

At the Rye Grass Rest Area we had a HOUSE FINCH and a KILLDEER.

Along I-90 heading back to Ellensburg we had a GREAT HORNED OWL in a nest in a tree. At the pond west of Kittitas and north of I-90 we saw MALLARD, GADWALL, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER, and AMERICAN COOT. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was in a field south of I-90.

We had ROCK PIGEONs on the cliffs and a various other places along the way. BLACK-BILLED MAGPIEs, COMMON RAVENs and AMERICAN CROWS were scattered out.

We turned north along Hwy 97 and had another GREAT HORNED OWL on a nest in a cottonwood east of the road just south of Smithson Rd. Along Bettas Rd we scanned a couple of feeders and had AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, HOUSE FINCH. In the fields we had two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS foraging and hovering. We turned up Swauk Prairie Rd, and had 5 WESTERN MEADOWLARKs along the way.

We turned on Red Bridge Rd and stopped near the Teanaway River. We got great views there of HAIRY WOODPECKER (a nice clean, contrasty eastside version), DOWNY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, RED CROSSBILL, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, DARK-EYED JUNCO, BARN OWL and at the river a BELTED KINGFISHER and AMERICAN DIPPER.

At various places during the day we had AMERICAN ROBIN, EUROPEAN STARLING, SONG SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.

Had a good drive home, wet but clear road over Snoqualmie Pass but further down the western slope we ran into snow. Quite heavy for about five miles and maybe 500 feet in elevation, but the temperature was 38 so it didn't pose a problem.

A most enjoyable day for all and we wound up seeing 58 species.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
mailto: bellasoc at isomedia.com