Hello Tweeters,
I decided to hit Eastern Washington for the spring Migration.My stay was
Washtucna the whole time Camping.I made so many friends there ,especial
Lilly and Cliff Plumb,who give me permission to camp in Basset Park.And also
fixed the Kiosk who is dedicated to Patrick Sullivan,Lilly got also one
side where she showing her photos of birds she been having in her yard.
I start birding in Vantage at the Ginkgo Park,where I found a nice
assortment of birds,which include SAY'S PHOEBE, a group of 12 YELLOW
RUMPED WARBLERS, PURPLE FINCH 1,SAGE THRASHER 1, WESTERN KINGBIRDS 2,
TO MENTION AN OVERWHELMING HIGH COUNTS ON WILSON'S WARBLERS AND WESTERN
KINGBIRDS I found on this trip!!!!!!
Down below Ginkgo I found YELLOW WARBLERS 2,singing BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS
3, WESTERN TANAGERS 4, NASHVILLE WARBLER 1 (the only one on this
trip.WESTERN MEADOWLARKS 2 ,and a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE.
There where NO birds on the County Ponds!!!
Para Ponds was also not productive ,one KESTREL was the highlight here and
lot's of COOTS and a pair of Gadwalls
BREWERS BLACKBIRDS where every where with few RED WINGED BLACKBIRDS.
Going out on the last pond ,kind of hidden there where 1 GREAT EGRET with
over 100 Cliff Swallows on the bridge.

HATTON'S Restop on HWY 26 you could hear the many House Sparrows
shattering.But the ponds had a nice veriety of birds as: WILSON'S
PHALAROPES 2 KILLDEER 1,AVOCET 7, BLACK-NECKED STILTS 6 AND 1 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS
In the late afternoon I birdied the BASSET PARK started on the Hill. My
first birds where WESTERN KINGBIRDS 2( so tame followed me) HAMMOND
FLYCATCHER 1,BLACK-SHINNED HUMMINGBIRD 1, A.GOLDFINCHES, YELLOW RUMPED
WARBLERS 6, CALIFORNIA QUAIL many, TURKEY'S ,(5 birds left) WESTERN TANAGER
3,
BARN SWALLOWS (guessing 12,)
I did some Owling around 9.00 PM,walked around the swimming pool,played the
Pygmy Owl tape,after 15 minutes a BARN OWL fly over my had,almost hidden
me.Few year back Patrick an I had a Western Screech Owl close where we
camped at 1.00 AM,this Owl we had 2 years in the park.
Saturday morning I got up at 5.00 AM, start birding on the hill at 5.30
AM.It was loaded with birds singing for about 15 minutes,and than there
start moving, flying all around me,I could not look fast enough,but after a
while there seems to settle down,here are the birds I did see,I am sure that
I could have missed some birds.TOWNSEND'S WARBLER 1, WILSON'S WARBLERS 10.in
a small tree close to the rocks.(I looked in my tree book,and found a
picture what name it as the Screwbean Mesquite tree,but it is local Texas
west to extreme SW and California SWAISON'S THRUSHES 7,
,SPOTTED TOWHEE 3,CATBIRD 1,YELLOW BREASTED CHAT 2, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE
1,HAMMOND 2,& DUSKY FLYCATCHERS 2, GRAY FLYCATCHER 1,
CASSIN'S VIREO 1, WARBLING VIREO 4,HUTTON'S VIREO 2, CEDAR WAXWING 4,ORANGE
CROWN WARBLER 1,MC. GILLIVRAY'S WARBLER 1, MEADOWLARK 1,KILLDEER 2,BULLOCK'S
ORIOLE 4,
After I fixed me Coffee and Breakfast,I decided driving to Sprague
Lake,stopped shortly in RALSTON where the Town have a nice Memorial display
about the towns fallen Soldiers ,a fresh REEF was put down to remember the
brave man who lost there live while defending our country.I been there so
many times and always get so touched by the small town who thinking so much
of there own man there lost.
Birds seeing here where not so much,I stopped again on the way
back.SWAINSON, THRUSH 2,WESTERN KINGBIRD 2, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE 1,DUSKY
FLYCATCHER 1,KILLDEER 2, (with 4 eggs) HAMMOND FLYCATCHER
Next I visiting the Sprague Sewage ponds,what was holding a lot of bird to
count.REDHEADS DUCKS 54, GADWALL14,
RUDDY DUCKS 8, BUFFLEHEAD 2, RING NECKED DUCKS14, WILSON'S PHALAROPE'S 24,
AVOCET 12
NORTHERN SHOVELERS 8, CANADA GEESE 34,
SPRAGUE LAKE , CANADA GEESE 36,RUDDY DUCKS 24,REDHEADS 16, BLACK CROWNED
NIGHT HERON 1,BITTERN 1,DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANT 2,BONAPARTE'S GULLS 6 with
1 FRANKLIN GULL'
Driving on HWY 23 ,4 miles,(me and Patrick used to get there a lot of good
Shorebirds and RARE Dragonflies,this was the good old days sightings here:
CINNAMON TEALS 2,WILSON'S PHALAROPE 2
I stopped in BENGE where I had the GRAY PHASE SWAINSON'S HAWK,there where a
male and a female now and I think there having a nest close by,I also had a
ROCK WREN there
I start now only write up birds are new for the list since otherwise I
repeating,
Saturday from 7.00 to 8.00 PM in Washtucna
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES 3, MOURNING DOVES 20, BREWERS BLACKBIRDS 30, (taken
over the park) AM.ROBIN 25,(every where in Washtucna) GOLDEN CROWN KINGLET
1, YELLOWTHROAD 1, RED-TAILED HAWK 1,WILSON'S WARBLER 30 (same bush)
Sunday Morning 5,30 AM to 7.30 AM ,HOUSE FINCHES 8, PINE SISKIN 2,OLIVE
SIDED FLYCATCHER 1,.
HOOPER EXIT HOMESTEAD,WILLOW FLYCATCHER 2,TOWNSENDS WARBLER 2,close to
Creek YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT 2 ,
HOOPER TOWN:SWAINSON'S THRUSH 1, SPOTTED SANDPIPERS 3,BANK SWALLOWS 20, on
bridge CLIFF SWALLOWS 25, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE 1,OLIVE SIDED, DUSKY&HAMMOND
FLYCATCHERS, RED EYE VIREO 1( singing)

Monday from 5.30 to 7.30 AM WASHTUCNA RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET 1,RED -EYED VIREO
1,not to many Wilson's, TOWNSENDS WARBLER 1,the only Songsparrow 1,

HOOPER TOWN on Monday CEDAR WAXWINGS 3, HOUSE WREN 1, RED -WINGED
BLACKBIRDS,BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS 2,MARSH WREN 1(close to the bridge)Western
Kingbirds 4 (with 2 nest), WILSON'S WARBLERS 5
Tuesday Lyons State Park
Western Kingbird 2, WARBLING VIREO 4,CASSIN'S VIREO 1, BARN OWL 1,( got
chased off by birds harassing the Owl,GREAT -HORNED OWL 1, HOUSE FINCHES
10, SWAINSON THRUSH 1, YELLOWTHROAD 2, CEDAR WAXWINGS 6, BULLOCKS ORIOLE 3,
HOUSE SPARROWS 20 ,( real bright birds,) DOWNY WOODPECKER 1

Tuesday I birdied in Vantage on the OLD VANTAGE HWY,between milepost 23&24
from the Ginkgo place it is 2,7 miles on the left side is a greenbelt where
there been sighted Yellow-breasted Chats and in the past there was a
Ash-throated Flycatcher sided.On this spot there is 1 ASH-THROATED
FLYCATCHER again.A good bird to end a great week of birding
The reason I counted all the birds,I AM A MEMBER OF CORNELL,and there want
that birders not only making the CBC once a year ,but at all time counting
how many birds there are of each species.

Cheers Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma