Hi Tweets,

Barbara and I joined Penny and David Koyama for a two-day trip last Tuesday and Wednesday to Kittitas and Grant Counties. We birded Zrebiec Rd (Exit 76 from I-90 -- West Nelson Siding Rd -- check Google Maps for directions), a very birdy spot that morning, turning up 45 species in 2.5 hours. After a brief stop at Ringer Loop Rd we birded Colockum Canyon,and finished the day at dusk in Robinson Canyon where we watched two dozen Common Nighthawks, some making display dives, and a half-dozen Black Swifts hawk insects above us. We then found with the help of a flashlight two Common Poorwills on the road inside the fence. Thanks to Michael Fleming for the tip on the COPOs!

On Wednesday we birded along Huntzinger Rd, dipping on the Black-throated Sparrow, but turning up Lark Sparrows, and Rock and Canyon Wrens instead. Then we went to Grant County where we found a Grasshopper Sparrow. After trying five different places on Road 20 NE (east of Soap Lake) finding only a Burrowing Owl (south side of 20 NE, west of the irrigation canal). We found the GRSP at the south extreme of Road B 5 NE just before the road drops down to the Rocky Ford Hatchery. (See the 2008 DeLorme p. 65.) The bird always stayed close to sagebrush, hopping up once for good views. Then we birded the rookery at Potholes NWR and in a shoreline willow found an unfortunate Northern Flicker tangled in monofilament line. David tried to push the tree down for us to free the bird but it proved impossible. Double-crested Cormorants were almost constantly overhead, single birds, pairs, groups of up to 20. It's hard to believe that before 1950 this species was a breeder only on the outer coast. At the rookery we saw Great Egrets, Great Blues, and a single Black-crowned Night Heron. Far out over the water we spotted a single Forster's Tern. We finished up our trip with a stop in Schnebley Coulee, for Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, and Brewer's Sparrow. We had 117 total species for the trip.

Great birding!

Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net