Subject: [Tweeters] BROAD-WINGED HAWK at Hooper, Whitman County
Date: Sep 16 21:23:35 2007
From: Michael Woodruff - crazybirder98 at hotmail.com



My dad and I did some birding in the Columbia Basin today, hopping from
migrant trap to migrant trap. We started at Washtucna, where we had 42
species in two and a half hours. Numbers weren't very good, but we had
great diversity and a number of highlights. The wind picked up, and
from there out it was WINDY all day! After Washtucna we birded Lyons
Ferry State Park. We eventually found a good flock in a sheltered
area, but overall, migrants were tough to pick out. The wind had
picked up dust and the air was extremely hazy, especially along the
Columbia River. My mom and my brother came through on the way to Walla
Walla and picked up my dad, as college is starting down there for my
brother and they were getting him situated in the dorm. So I spent the
rest of the day birding in the wind by myself, making a short jaunt
south into Columbia County and exploring the area around Starbuck
before backtracking to Palouse Falls State Park. From there I went to
Hooper, just barely in Whitman County.It
was in Hooper that I saw my really good bird of the day. I picked up a
buteo as it caught a thermal not far away. It seemed a little smaller
than a Red-tailed Hawk. The underwings were predominantly pale aside
from two tiny black crescents on the leading edges and slightly darker
wing tips. The tail was nearly-unmarked pale, though I thought I could
make out very faint barring. Then I noticed obvious streaking on the
sides of the neck, and a pale throat set off by strongly contrasting
dark cheeks. I realized what I had was a juvenile BROAD-WINGED HAWK
and tried frantically to grab a few photos as it headed straight away,
into the sun, after only two circles. It dropped steeply and seemed to
land beyond the first row of trees, but I was unsuccessful in
relocating it upon driving around.After that excitement, I
headed north, stopping at Ralston and Ritzeville for a few minutes but
finding the wind just too strong. My final migrant trap was the
Sprague Lake Resort, where the wind had reached a steady gale force.
With effort however, I still found a few migrants hugging the
shrubbery. I checked the Sprague Sewer Ponds before heading back to
Spokane.

I've outlined locations visited and birds seen below. In spite of the
wind it was great to bird these amazing locations and get in on a
little bit of migration. Anything is possible at this time of year!Bassett Park, Washtucna, Adams County (6:30-9am)

Wild Turkey - 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 2
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 3
Willow Flycatcher - 1
Hammond's Flycatcher - 1
Dusky Flycatcher - 1
Barn Swallow - 4
Cassin's Vireo - 1
Warbling Vireo - 2
RED-EYED VIREO - 1
Canyon Wren - 1
House Wren - 1
Winter Wren - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Hermit Thrush - 1
Townsend's Solitaire - 5
American Robin - 35
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 8
MacGillivray's Warbler - 2
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT - 1 subadult male
Wilson's Warbler - 3
Western Tanager - 1
"SOOTY" FOX SPARROW - 1
Lincoln's Sparrow - 4
White-crowned Sparrow - 20
Dark-eyed Junco - 3
Pine Siskin - 3

Lyons Ferry SP, Franklin County (10am-11am, 12:30pm-1pm)

Double-crested Cormorant - 8
Northern Harrier - 1
California Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 1
Belted Kingfisher - 2
Hammond's Flycatcher - 1
Dusky Flycatcher - 1
Barn Swallow - 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 6
Orange-crowned Warbler - 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 75
Townsend's Warbler - 3
MacGillivray's Warbler - 1
Wilson's Warbler - 1
Chipping Sparrow - 20
White-crowned Sparrow - 24
Dark-eyed Junco - 8


Tucannon Habitat Management Unit, Columbia County

House Wren - 1
Bewick's Wren - 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4
Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Lincoln's Sparrow - 2


Starbuck, Columbia County

Cooper's Hawk - 1
White-crowned Sparrow - 6
Chipping Sparrow - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 6


Palouse River, Whitman & Adams Counties

Osprey - 2
Common Merganser - 25
Great Blue Heron - 1


Hooper, Whitman County (2pm-3:15pm)

BROAD-WINGED HAWK - 1 juv
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Hammond's Flycatcher - 1
Warbling Vireo - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4
Hermit Thrush - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 25
Wilson's Warbler - 3
Chipping Sparrow - 5


Sprague Lake Resort, Lincoln County (5pm-5:20pm)

Turkey Vulture - 1
Hammond's Flycatcher - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 8
Wilson's Warbler - 1
White-crowned Sparrow - 20
Vesper Sparrow - 2 (along entrance road)
Chipping Sparrow - 1


Sprague STP, Lincoln County (5:30-5:40pm)

Northern Shoveler - 9
Redhead - 8
COMMON GOLDENEYE - 1
Bufflehead - 12
Ruddy Duck - 15
Eared Grebe - 1
Barn Swallow - 75
Bank Swallow - 5


Cheers,
Michael Woodruff
Spokane, WA
www.flickr.com/photos/nightjar

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