I hit Vantage for a few hours this morning and then migrated over to
Sentinel Bluffs. Around Vantage only a couple of notables including a
CLARK'S GREBE seen off the Ginkgo overlook and interestingly enough a Deer
swimming out into the middle of the Columbia. Certainly Deer swim all of the
time but it was interesting to watch it navigate a body of water as big as
the Columbia at Vantage. I also has a late CASPIAN TERN flying on the south
side of the I-90 bridge.
Other waterfowl numbers were very high including large rafts of scaup and
wigeon everywhere. Try as I might I couldn't pick out any unusuals in the
way of Tufted Duck, Scoters or Eurasian Wigeon. I noted a HERRING GULL south
of Wanapum Dam.

There was a lot of activity at Sentinel Bluffs, the majority of birds being
Dark-eyed Juncos (200+) and Yellow-rumped Warbler (100+). Also present were
3 Winter Wrens, a female PURPLE FINCH and a first winter WHITE-THROATED
SPARROW.

All in all a nice fall day of birding, sunny low 60's...

Scott Downes
downess at charter.net
Yakima WA