Hello Birders,
I finally got the project for Patrick's Memoriam together to hanging in the
new design Kiosk in Washtucna,and it is looking good with the nice bench
dedicated to Patrick hat making Wastucna a special place.This is the only
Town over in Eastern Washington who got two big Signs choosing the male
Western Tanager for the Sign inviting birders to Wastucna.This also is the
only park what got a natural creek running to the whole Park,what is the big
attraction for all the birds in town.
It was quite cold in the evening and mornings still and few trees had leaves
yet ,so the birding was quite slow.Best birds where the 2 Slate colored
Fox-Sparrows of the (schistacea race,several House Wren,Hutton's Vireo
1,Says Phoebe 1,Lincoln Sparrows several,White -crowned Sparrow 20 on
feeders,Kestrel 2 together, Ruby and Golden Crowns.Yellow-rumped Warbler
2,Towhee and Junco, ,the famous Turkeys( 5 only) And again the pair of
Killdeers.I noticed also that the Black -billed Magpies been busy breeding
in Washtucna there are many now.The County Wetlands had about 250 Dunlin
with many Black -necked Stilt and many A. Avocet.The Para Ponds had many
Canada Geese with few Cackling mixed in,a single Snow Goose was with them.
There where between the ponds and the cattle there where also 5 species of
Blackbirds,on the ponds many Yellow-headed Blackbirds and few Red-winged
blackbirds ,past the pond where the cattle are fenced all the way in back I
found 5 Tricolored Black birds,with Brewers in the fields and few
Brown-headed Cowbirds
On Saturday I birdied with Randy Hills, we drove to Ritzville and Sprague
Lake,what produced a lot of birds ,few to mention is the Pacific Loon ,eared
Grebe and 7 Bonaparte's Gulls and 1 eared Grebe and many Gulls and
Waterfowl.
We also had 7 Snow Geese.
On the way to Washtucna,we had high count on Red-tailed Hawks,but using the
Benge Road produced 2 FERRUGINOUS
Hawks being chased by a pair of Red-tailed Hawks.One of this birds was close
to us ,so we can clearly see the plumage,it turned out that this was a dark
morph.This was by far the BEST BIRD of the Day
As Randy left I went back to the Benge Road ,all what I saw where Western
Meadowlarks and Horned Larks,so I drove back,but stopped my car as I saw a
big Hawk sitting close to the road,it seems Gray with some white around the
bill,but it was only seconds I saw this bird, flying off,it looked as he was
darker in the back.He landed in a tall poplar tree,quite way out.I looked to
my Scope and again I saw white around the bill ,he had a dark eye and the
had looked lighter gray gives this bird a hooded look.By now it was getting
darker and I took few photos in case I did not saw this Hawk again.The next
morning I left Washtucna,but was ready to look one more time.This Hawk was
sitting perched in the same location,so I parked my car and walked the rest
by foot,in hope I could get closer to this Hawk,but again he flew,but I was
ready with my camera and start shooting as many photos I could , seeing this
bird from below,as I saw he had a banded Tail,he had dark wings with the top
lighter, this bird had some white showing Thurs the back of the tail.OK NO
RAPTURE BOOK with me,I had no clue.I was ready to driving home ,stopping in
Vantage at Gingko and the Park,where I had a fall out on Yellow-rumped
Warblers,around 250 birds?This was the largest group of birds I had on this
trip
Locking at the new Rapture Book by Brian Wheeler,on page 286 Plate 284 is
the answer.How many Swainson's I saw,to many,but I never saw one with so
much white around the bill, It shows even on the flight photos I have where
it show the white shin .This bird seem large even in flight.
It was an excellent trip even so there where no RARE Warblers yet.The
Ritzville Journal Newspaper is having a write up about the birding in
Washtucna.

Cheers Ruth Sullivan