This week, I had a Birdingpal named Henry Cook visiting from the UK. On
4/14, Penny Koyama, Steve Dang, and I took him out to Whidbey Island via
the Skagit, and on 4/16-4/17, Henry and I birded our way east over
Snoqualmie Pass to Eastern Washington. Birding was excellent all three
days and we saw most of the expected species, though it was hit or miss
on migrants. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, mostly AUDUBON'S with MYRTLES
mixed in, were abundant in appropriate habitat almost everywhere we
went; we saw hundreds and hundreds of them. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS also
were widespread in smaller numbers. There was some movement of TURKEY
VULTURES in Eastern Washington, mostly in ones and twos.

We wanted to go to Wenas Campground, but the gate on Audubon Rd soon
after the turnoff from Wenas Rd was closed and locked. Is the road
washed out? The entrance to Hardy Canyon also was locked up tight, with
a "no trespassing sign" on the gate and the pedestrian access wired
shut.

Here are some of the more notable bird sightings of the week:


Monday, 4/14

Wylie Rd and Skagit Game Range, Conway

1 WHIMBREL in the fields along the Wylie Rd, and 1 COMMON SNIPE flying
by. On the dike near the parking lot at the Game Range, 1 SWAINSON'S
THRUSH. We heard this bird calling, and got a good look at the field
marks.

Penn Rd, Mt Vernon

GREAT HORNED OWL nest (previously reported by Michael Bacon), with three
big downy chicks. As we watched, one adult arrived with a squirrel-like
object and fed the young, while the other adult called from a nearby
tree.

Kennedy Lagoon, Penn Cove, Whidbey Island

1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER moving though the thickets, and the usual flock
of BLACK TURNSTONES and 1 SURFBIRD on the gravel beach by the pottery
shop.

Crockett Lake, Whidbey Island

8 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 20+ LEAST SANDPIPERS, lots of DUNLIN, and 1
BARN SWALLOW

Double Bluff Rd, Whidbey Island

1 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and 1 LINCOLN'S SPARROW

Deer Lagoon, Whidbey Island

1 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD; I missed this bird, but the rest of the group saw
it near a house on the walk into the lagoon. Are ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS
still uncommon there?


Wednesday, 4/16

Stampede Pass near North Bend

10+ VARIED THRUSHES and 100+ PINE SISKINS

DOT dirt piles, Easton

Mixed flock of 20+ RED CROSSBILLS and 30+ PINE SISKINS picking up grit
from one of the dirt piles, and 1 OSPREY flying over

Golf Course Rd and South Cle Elum

2 EVENING GROSBEAKS at a feeder at a house on the golf course and
another small flock in South Cle Elum. There was on OSPREY on the nest
at the Cle Elum exit from I-90.

Wenas Rd down from Ellensburg

Out in the sage-steppe, 1 COOPER'S HAWK and 4 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS flew
over us in the space of 10-15 minutes. At Umtanum Falls, 3 HERMIT
THRUSHES. Continuing down the road, 2 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES and a
heard-only VESPER SPARROW, and a couple of BREWER'S SPARROWS, but no
SAGE THRASHERS. Jillions of MOUNTAIN and WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.


Thursday, 4/17

Old Vantage Highway

Plenty of SAGE SPARROWS, SAGE THRASHERS, and BREWER'S SPARROWS along
here.

Gingko Petrified Forest State Park, Vantage

We managed to pick a single NASHVILLE WARBLER out of the big flock of
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in the trees around the Visitor Center. There
also was a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER with a very red head, possibly with some
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER mixed in. On the cliffs on the road down to the
river, we heard 2 ROCK WRENS and 1 CANYON WREN, but couldn't get a look
at them. Except for another heard-only CANYON WREN at Umtanum Creek,
these were the only individuals of these two species we came across.
Also, 1 LINCOLN'S SPARROW down by the river.

Frenchman Coulee, Vantage

Small flock of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS.

Hwy 26 between Vantage and Royal City

Henry spotted 1 LONG-BILLED CURLEW in one of the fields with a big
irrigation system.

County Line Ponds and Para Ponds, Othello

Lots of AMERICAN AVOCETS and BLACK-NECKED STILTS at the County Line
Ponds, and Henry had an exciting encounter with a rattlesnake! 3
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at the Para Ponds, and a small flock of
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS flying over.

Birder's Corner, Dodson Rd X Frenchman Hills Rd, Othello

Lots of waterfowl here, including 1 TUNDRA SWAN and 8 CANVASBACKS. 10
Sandhill Cranes flew over us farther north on Dodson Rd.


That's about it!

Rachel Lawson
Seattle
RachelWL at msn.com