Subject: [Tweeters] Fort Simcoe bears and birds in the pear trees-21 August
Date: Aug 21 20:45:45 2010
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


Yakkers,

A spur-of -the moment trip, with Vicki and Jim King, to the Garry Oak
groves at Fort Simcoe (west of Toppenish in the Lower Yakima Valley) proved
exciting. In the venerable and huge pear trees we watched a mama Black Bear
and her two cubs lounging napping and munching on pears not far from the
little interpretive museum. Just to the west of the rangers's home, another
bear ambled about beneath the pears munching on fallen fruits.. High in this
pear tree, four or five Lewis's Woodpeckers, 15 Western Tanagers, a few
Black-headed Grosbeaks, and one Bullock's Oriole jabbed into ripe pears.
Bear scat littered the manicured lawns in places throughout the park. Ranger
Mike Mehanny said this is an annual invasion of bears for about 3-weeks each
August. This year there are apparently seven bruins in the area, too many
for Mike to feel comfortable with so he's enlisting the Yakama Nation bios
to trap and relocate some soon. Better come quick to view this spectacle!

Other interesting species included about 10 Purple Finches and a variety of
migrants: Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky Flycatcher, Violet-green and Barn
Swallows, Warbling Vireo, Gray Catbird, Orange-crowned and Wilson's
Warblers.

Andy and Ellen Stepniewski
Wapato WA
steppie at nwinfo.net