Matt Bartels and I did a rather under-planned, but extremely fun, Kittitas
County Big Day yesterday. We ended up with 116 species and some surprises.

The weather was not great but not bad. Overcast and cool almost all day
everywhere, with moments of mist, and some rain in the evening, which
eliminated our owling possibilities. We covered the county from one end to
the other, but didn't get too far from I-90. Places visited included Elk
Heights, Robinson Canyon, Greater Greater Ellensburg, Old Vantage Highway,
Vantage/Wanapum, Reecer Canyon, and some areas around Cle Elum:

Here's some of what we saw:

Wood Duck - Hundley Rd.
Cinnamon Teal - surprisingly many places
Western Grebe - Bar 14 Pond, Ellensburg
Swainson's Hawk - Vantage Highway west of Fairview
Virginia Rail - SR-10 near O'Neil Rd.
Sora - Parke Creek Rd. pond
BLACK-NECKED STILT - Berry Rd., Ellensburg
Long-billed Dowitcher - Hungry Junction Rd.
WILSON'S PHALAROPE - Bar 14 Pond(1) & Hungry Junction Rd.(6)
Common Poorwill - Upper Reecer Creek
Black-backed Woodpecker - Elk Heights Burn
Lincoln's Sparrow - Robinson Canyon

The Bar 14 Pond off Canyon Rd. in Ellensburg, just north of I-90, was
especially hopping. We already had over 70 species for the day by the time
we visted there, and *added* 14 more at the pond! Lots of ducks and
swallows, as well as the birds mentioned above.

We had some amazingly colorful LAZULI BUNTINGS in short, sparse sage in the
Quillomene off Old Vantage Highway.

At the Ginko visitors center, we had a large flock of migrants including
warblers (Orange-crowned, Wilson's, Yellow, Townsend's, Yellow-rumped,
Nashville), Warbling Vireos, Western Tanagers, Bullock's Orioles, and more
Lazuli Buntings. Many of the warblers and buntings were then seen working
north from the trees through the sage brush. It's very cool seeing
brilliant TOWNSEND's WARBLERS in sage.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds seemed more numerous and widespread than I remember
for Kittitas County.

Had 7 shorebirds in all (the above-mentioned, plus Killdeer, Spotted
Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew, and Wilson's Snipe) - by far my best
shorebird day ever in the county.

In all, it was really, really fun.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net