Good morning Tweeters,

Yesterday (Saturday), I spent the day birding central Washington with Dave and Sherry Hayden. In total, we saw in excess of 80 species, including most of our target birds. Here are some of the highlights:

Elk Heights off of I-90 to the west of Ellensburg:
-1 Black-backed Woodpecker (female)
-at least 3 pairs of Hairy Woodpeckers
-Townsend's Solitaire, including one singing
-several Western Bluebirds; we noticed one exploring a woodpecker cavitiy, perhaps as a possible nesting site

Gingko Petrified State Park:
-numerous Say's Phoebe
-Orange-crowned Warbler
-California Quail
-Golden Eagle (flying above the boat ramp)
-Western Kingbird
-Osprey
-Ruby-crowned Kinglet
-American Kestril

Gingko Petrified State Park Interperative Trail:
-lots of House Finches
-Western Meadowlark

Quilomene Wildlife Area:
-several Sage Thrasher
-Sage Sparrow (including a couple of singing males)
-Mountain Bluebird

Frenchman Coulee (we parked at the canyon rim where it overlooks a huge waterfall on the opposite side)
-White-throated Swift (perhaps 20, often mixing in with the large number of Violet-green Swallows)

Audubon Dodson Road Nature Trail:
-Great Egret
-Yellow-headed Blackbird
-Ring-necked Pheasant
-Ring-necked Duck
-Bufflehead
-Gadwall
-Pied-billed Grebe
-Savannah Sparrow
-Lincoln's Sparrow
-Song Sparrow
-Rock Wren (very unexpected, as there are no rocks or cliffs in the area; it was hanging out by the dilapidated kiosk)
-Black-crowned Night Heron
-American Coot

Birder's Corner at Dodson/Frenchman Hills Road:
-Cinnamon Teal
-Green-winged Teal
-Northern Shoveler
-American Wigeon
-Lesser Scaup
-20+ Black-necked Stilt
-Dunlin
-Greater Yellowlegs

Para Ponds:
-Numerous Yellow-headed Blackbird
-more Black-necked Stilt

Saline ponds between mile posts 30 and 31 on Hwy 26, just west of Othello (I believe they are referred to as the County Line Ponds?):
-100+ Black-necked Stilt
-30+ American Avocet
-1 Wilson's Phalarope
-Ring-billed Gull
This was the largest concentration of stilts and avocets that the 3 of us had ever seen; amazing sight

Lower Crab Creek Wildlife Area:
-2 Loggerhead Shrike
-1 Solitary Sandpiper (in a flooded area near the second fishing access parking lot by Nunnally Lake
-we heard a Northern Saw-whet Owl on the trail to Nunnally Lake

Miscellaneous while driving or other stops:
-5 species of swallows (no Bank Swallows)
-White Pelican (in pond just west of Ellensburg)
-Bald Eagle
-Red-tailed Hawk
-Northern Harrier
-Turkey Vulture
-Great Horned Owl (1 seen by Sherry, a possible second by Dave)
-Common Loon
-Double-crested Cormorant
-Belted Kingfisher
-Common Raven
-Black-billed Magpie
-Yellow-rumped Warbler (everywhere)
-White-crowned Sparrow (the most ubiquitous species of the day)
-2 Coyotes, Black-tailed Deer, Elk

The weather was perfect and the birds very cooperative. It's a good time to explore this portion of the state. Good birding,

Lonnie Somer
Olympia, WA
wheelermombi at comcast.net