Hi Marvin,

I relocated the Wenas Campground pair of White-headed Woodpeckers (WHWO) last week. So, they are around but sometimes range outside the campground proper. Interestingly, the male WHWO was vigoursly chasing and displacing a male Hairy Woodpecker (HAWO). However, he paid no attention to the female HAWO foraging with the male and also the female WHWO did not seem to mind the presence of the female HAWO. But, the male WHWO wanted nothing to do with the male HAWO on "his turf". It was an interesting interaction to observe.

You mentioned the nest tree from last year...just wanted to point out that a found a Northern Flicker enlarging the cavity made by the WHWO last year. This is something I find flickers doing quite often. So, if all goes well, there should be a nest of flickers in that snag come camp out time. And, since bluebirds used the WHWO cavity after the woodpeckers fledged last year, that would make 3 species using this cavity in two years.

And, the gate will be open May 1st.

Good birding

Jeff Kozma

Yakima

jcr underscore 5105 at charter dot net
----- Original Message -----
From: Marvin S. Hoekstra
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 11:03 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Umtanum Road and Wenas Campground


Tweeters,



This morning I headed out Umtanum Road from Ellensburg.



9:30-10:30 AM



In the sage (after the initial curvy uphill part of the road) I heard Sage Thrashers calling. I stopped and took a look and a photo of this life bird. The one I photographed had a spotted breast rather than the streaks shown in Sibley. On a power line I photographed an immature Loggerhead Shrike. This was unmistakeable, as it had the pale dark grey eye patch shown in Sibley as well as the hooked shrike beak. Still I thought it an unusual sighting.



The Western Bluebirds are also present on Umtanum road, although they are not as closely associated with the nest boxes as they were last year, when I saw them in late spring. A male/female pair of American Kestrels and a single California Quail were seen. I also had a Cooper's Hawk on a fence. This was judged by size, since his departing flight did not allow a view of his lower tail.



1:00 PM



I hiked into Wenas Campground, because the gate in the road a mile short of the camp was closed. My intent was to look for a White-headed Woodpecker near the spot having the nest last year. I found the spot, but there was no activity. I heard what could have been the call of this bird and saw a flyaway, but the sun obscured my view. The call of the White-headed Woodpecker is not distinctive to me, and could perhaps be confused with other birds. While observing the nest tree, I heard a call that sounds to me like a cross between a Blue Jay and a cat. This I recognized as a Red-naped Sapsucker. I moved up the hill and saw the bird on a sparsely vegetated Ponderosa Pine trunk. This made unobscured photos of the bird and his sap wells quite easy. He was tapping to enlarge some wells and was sipping the nectar. This was another life bird for the day.



Steller's Jay and multiple Varied Thrushes were present in the campground, as well as Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a Northern Flicker. The red head patch on several of the kinglets was quite visible. On one the red feathers actually stood up a bit; it almost seemed the bird was able to raise them intentionally, but it may have been the breeze that did it.


Two life birds on a beautiful sunny day.



Marvin S. Hoekstra

Sammamish, WA

marvin dot hoekstra at verizon dot net





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