Hi Tweets



A belated report of time I spent with RT Cox in Eastern Washington last week. We started out last Monday (28 April) driving thru the rainstorm over Snoqualmie Pass. We broke out of the rain and made a quick stop at Easton. As we pulled off the highway we had large flock of RED CROSSBILLs right along side the road. We got nice looks and some photos from an adjoining parking lot. While we were there we had PINE SISKIN, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, TURKEY VULTUREs overhead, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and AMERICAN CROW.



In the Cle Elum area, particularly along the river there were TREE SWALLOW, OSPREY, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, MALLARD, BUFFLEHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, CANADA GOOSE, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, CLIFF SWALLOW, SPOTTED TOWHEE. Around the corner, in South Cle Elum, we had STELLER'S JAY, EVENING GROSBEAK, PINE SISKIN, CASSIN'S FINCH, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, at the feeder on the first road to the right coming into the community, TURKEY VULTURE overhead, RED-TAILED HAWK, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD and ROCK PIGEON.



We made a fairly quick stop at the Elk Heights burn to check for woodpeckers. While there we saw AMERICAN ROBIN, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (lots - a common theme during the next four days), EUROPEAN STARLING, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, NORTHERN FLICKER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, RED-TAILED HAWK, BALD EAGEL (immature), AMERICAN KESTREL, WESTERN KINGBIRD and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.



On the way to Ellensburg we saw BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE and GADWALL. We took the scenic route down the Yakima River Canyon and picked up PRAIRIE FALCON, BELTED KINGFISHER and high overhead unidentified swallows. In the Yakima area we added DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, MALLARD, EUROPEAN STARLING, GREAT BLUE HERON and RED-TAILED HAWK. We took SR410 out of Yakima and saw COMMON RAVEN, more BLACK-BILLED MAGPIEs, and hiked thru the snow to get very nice looks at a SPOTTED OWL, DARK-EYED JUNCO, CANADA GOOSE, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, MALLARD and BARROW'S GOLDENEYE.



We stayed the night in Ellensburg and started the 29th out with a bang - EUROPEAN STARLING, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, AMERICAN CROW and HOUSE SPARROW from our motel room window. An early morning stop out along the Old Vantage Highway gave us views of BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, more starlings, MORNING DOVE, more House Sparrows, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, RED-TAILED HAWK, CANADA GOOSE, WILSON'S SNIPE, SAVANNAH SPARROW, LONG-BILLED CURLEW, KILLDEER, WESTERN MEADOWLARK. We walked along the old road by the entrance to the PSE wind farm and saw BREWER'S SPARROW, SAGE SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, a possible Nashville Warbler (too brief a look for positive i.d.), AMERICAN KESTREL, and ROCK PIGEON.



After a quick trip back into town, we went out I-90 and picked up a GREAT HORNED OWL in an old nest, a COMMON RAVEN and an AMERICAN CROW. At Vantage we saw VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, CLIFF SWALLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERs, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs - both of these in great numbers, and this was to continue every day and in every habitat - and a distant falcon.



At Frenchman Coulee we had incredible low-level, close looks at WHITE-THROATED SWIFTs as they repeatedly zoomed past us. We also had more COMMON RAVENs, TURKEY VULTUREs, a ROCK WREN popped up on command and sang for us (hard to hear because of the wind gusts. A NORTHERN HARRIER flew down the Coulee.



At Soap Lake we had several AMERICAN AVOCETs very close and some LEAST SANDPIPERS. Along Lake Lenore we saw lots of CLIFF SWALLOWs, and on the lake GREATER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, COMMON GOLDENEYE, MALLARDs, RING-BILLED GULL, COMMON TERN, a few LESSER SCAUP, EARED GREBEs in full breeding plumage - really pretty, CALIFORNIA GULL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, AMERICAN COOT, BREWERs BLACKBIRD. In Sun Lakes State Park we found AMERICAN ROBIN, TOWNSENDs SOLITAIRE, NORTHERN FLICKER, CANADA GOOSE, lots of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERs and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs, heard a RING-NECKED PHEASANT, and at Dry Falls saw BUFFLEHEAD, and WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS.



As we progressed north across the Waterville Plateau we saw many of the birds we had seen earlier, with virtually all the sparrows alongside the road being White-crowns. This pattern continued in Bridgeport S.P. with lots of Yellow-rumps and White-crowns. We did add RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. We climbed out of the Okanogan Valley and up onto the Timentwa Flats and the number of White-crowned Sparrows continued to climb. By now we had probably seen close to 300 of them. We added SWAINSON'S HAWK, WESTERN KINGBIRD, CLIFF SWALLOW, WESTERN MEADOWLARK, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, AMERICAN KESTREL, still more YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERs, SAVANNAH SPARROW, LESSER and GREATER SCAUP, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, MALLARD, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, TURKEY VULTURE, AMERICAN WIGEON, REDHEAD, MORNING DOVE, BELTED KINGFISHER, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, SONG SPARROW, STELLER'S JAY and BUFFLEHEAD. Many of the ducks were on the ponds on the north end of Cameron Lakes Road.



The 30th started out in Omak and the first four species were ROCK PIGEON, HOUSE SPARROW, EUROPEAN STARLING and AMERICAN ROBIN just outside of the motel. We returned to Cameron Lake Rd. in early morning light and it rewarded us. As we climbed up the road, at a wide spot we pulled out a BREWER'S SPARROW, AMERICAN CROW, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, ROCK PIGEON, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWs, starlings, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, MORNING DOVE, WESTERN MEADOWLARK. As we first encountered Ponderosa Pines we stopped and found HOUSE WREN, AMERICAN ROBIN, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, NASHVILLE WARBLER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, HAIRY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, PINE SISKIN, PYGMY NUTHATCH, WESTERN BLUEBIRD. When we got to the small ponds on top we saw RING-NECKED DUCK, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, CANVASBACK, MALLARD, AMERICAN WIGEON, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GADWALL, COMMON MERGANSER, GREATER SCAUP, REDHEAD, VIOLET GREEN and TREE SWALLOW, STELLER'S JAY, RED-WINGED, YELLOW-HEADED and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs, SPOTTED TOWHEE, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, KILLDEER, AMERICAN COOT. We took Cameron Lake Loop for a ways and worked out way up to the old burn area. As we walked thru it, we had really nice views of a CASSIN'S VIREO. As we followed the vireo, we could hear a grouse "booming". Finally RT asked me how far away it was - was it a quarter mile or further. I told him more likely by a tree about 100 yards away. As we moved the DUSKY GROUSE moved off from a rock 4 feet in front of us. RT had a good time following the bird and taking pictures. Up here we also saw COMMON RAVEN, RED-TAILED HAWK, a very lost in the desert of burned trees VARIED THRUSH, an AMERICAN KESTREL, a WESTERN KINGBIRD and an OSPREY.- 59 species in about an hour and a half.



We next worked out way down SR155 south toward the Grand Coulee Dam. As we came up over Desautel Pass we ran thru a small snow squall. Along the way we saw many of the same birds, most notable were scads of Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows. At Banks Lake we added still more Yellow-rumps and White-crowns, WESTERN GREBE, BARN SWALLOW. At Northrup Canyon we saw or heard MORNING DOVE, TURKEY VULTURE (coming into the cliffs), BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, CANYON WREN, RED-TAILED HAWK, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, and AMERICAN COOT, CASPIAN TERN, and WHITE-THROATED SWIFT as we progressed down the lake. The birding was good in Northrup Canyon, but we need to move on when it started snowing again. In Coulee City we had GREAT BLUE HERON, CALIFORNIA GULL, AMERICAN COOT, REDHEAD, GREATER SCAUP, HORNED GREBE, CASPIAN TERN, RING-NECKED PHEASANT, BARN, CLIFF, and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, COMMON LOON, EARED GREBE, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. Along SR17 we picked up CANADA GOOSE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, RING-BILLED GULL, RUDDY DUCK, SWAINSON'S HAWK and ROCK PIGEON. At Soap Lake, the AMERICAN AVOCETS and LEAST SANDPIPERs were still present along with DUNLIN and WESTERN SANDPIPER. Further down the road there was a nice male NORTHERN HARRIER.



We worked our way down into the northwestern shore of Potholes Reservoir and saw AMERICAN KESTREL, DOWNY WOODPECKER (on a branch about 8 inches above the water), AMERICAN COOT, GREATER SCAUP, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, MORNING DOVE. The GREAT EGRET and GREAT BLUE HERON colonies were active around the nests.



Our final day, May 1st, started in Moses Lake at a local park where we saw CALIFORNIA QUAIL, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, KILLDEER, WESTERN MEADOWLARK, AMERICAN COOT, CLARK'S GREBE (our target bird for the day), DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, and HOUSE SPARROW.



We made a stop a Sprague Lake and at the lake we saw WHITE PELICAN, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, OSPREY, MARSH WREN, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, DOWNY WOODPECKER, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, REDHEAD, AMERICAN COOT, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, SONG SPARROW, MALLARD, TURKEY VULTURE, HERRING GULL, BARN and TREE SWALLOW. At the sewer plant just outside of Sprague we saw NORTHERN SHOVELER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, BONAPARTE'S GULL, BANKS SWALLOW (so close you didn't need binoculars to see the band across the breast), GADWALL and GREATER SCAUP. As we worked our way toward Fishtrap Lake we added SAVANNAH SPARROW, CLIFF SWALLOW, REDHEAD, RUDDY DUCK. At the big pond area we saw PIED-BILLED GREBE, MALLARD, MARSH WREN, NORTHERN HARRIER, SONG and SAVANNAH SPARROW, RED-TAILED HAWK, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, RUDDY DUCK, AMERICAN COOT, GREATER SCAUP, CANADA GOOSE, BUFFELHEAD, REDHEAD, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, several pairs of CINNAMON TEAL, and VIOLET-GREEN and CLIFF SWALLOWs.



Our final top along the Spokane River yielded OSPREY, CANADA GOOSE, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, HOUSE FINCH, EUROPEAN STARLING, MALLARD, COMMON MERGANSER, GREAT BLUE HERON, WOOD DUCK, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, PYGMY NUTHATCH, NORTHERN FLICKER and BALD EAGLE.



It was a great four days, we dodged the rain and snow that had been predicted (except for the two flurries). We did have strong winds down along the Columbia the second day, the temperatures started out near freezing in the morning, but generally it was good weather. The most notable thing was the incredible numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows we saw. We probably saw close to a thousand Yellow-rumps and even closer to 3 thousand White-crowns. They were everywhere. We wound up with a grand total of 115 species seen, lots of close wonderful views, great variety and some of the most spectacular scenery.



Good Birding!



Brian H. Bell

Birding & Natural History Guide

Woodinville WA

Mail to bell assoc at isomedia dot com