----- Original Message -----
From: "Ruth Sullivan" <godwit513 at msn.com>
To: "Tweeters" <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 9:28 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Eastside Birding!!!!


> 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
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