Sunday afternoon I departed Seattle, intending to bird Kittitas County thru Tuesday, including "migrant traps" along the Columbia River. My late start left enough time to bird around Cle Elum and Ellensburg before camping for the night.

At the fishing access east of Cle Elum near the intersection of Hwys 970 and 10, I beheld a very nice singing RED-EYED VIREO. Along Hwy 10 near the dipper bridge I stopped to see what I could see. Although I did not have a visual, I did hear a distant singing GREY CATBIRD (spelling by Gary Bletsch).

North and east of Ellensbird, A WILSON'S SNIPE perched atop a fence post as they do this time of year, and I heard a few more of them, winnowing about. I had a NORTHERN HARRIER in flight along Lower Canyon Road. Above Reecer Road I saw and heard my first of year COMMON NIGHTHAWK.

After dark I drove the roads looking for owls and came up with a pole perched GREAT HORNED.

Drove a ways up Colockum Road in search of a camp site. Found a level spot and threw down the bag. Just after I crawled in, a very fine mist began. It was evaporating faster than the liquid accumulated, so I thought little of it. Some time during the night I awoke to the call of a COMMON POORWILL. Worth waking for. At about 4 or 5 in the morning the precip appreciated and I capitulated. Got in the car. No heat from the heater. The rig overheated on the downhill stretch and I knew my week end was over. Still, I stopped to enjoy the sight of several MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS near the bottom of Colockum Road.

Hobbled it into Ellensburg hoping to find life at some sort of garage on Memorial Day at 6 in the AM. OK. And I did. Why the fine gentleman at Independent Motors was there, I'm not certain. His opinion was that there was an air bubble in the cooling system. His advice was to wait an hour, add water to the radiator, and head for Seattle. I waited the hour and added water as he suggested.

Well, we're birders, right? I stopped at the marshy area along Ringer Loop, south of Ellensburg. Why would I find a SORA now, after several previous failed attempts? Not only did the SORA sound, it came into view. Then 2 or more VIRGINIA RAILS called out. And the YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were in rare form. Down the road at the fishing access, I heard, then saw a BEWICK'S WREN. Car woes be damned, I was having fun.

Then onto I90 and westward bound. It was late morning and I was ahead of the near future onslaught. And planned to stay that way. But after making it over the mountain, I decided to stop at Three Forks in Snoqualmie. In the rain I heard several WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and enjoyed a beautiful singing male LAZULI BUNTING.

>From I90 at about 156th in Bellevue a small flock of large CANADA GEESE flew by, the small group containing a single MINIMA CACKLING GOOSE. May 31 is late for that bird.

A few moments ago, one EVENING GROSBEAK flew over my head in Fremont (Seattle) (the Center of the Universe).

All is well.



Marv Breece
Seattle, WA
mbreece at earthlink.net