Saturday March 20th, was a gorgeous day to be out birding and I went to
Eastern Washington for my annual pilgrimage to see the migrating SANDHILL
CRANES. I started off in Cle Elum and headed east on Highway 10. My first
stop was at the "Dipper" bridge across the Teanaway River. A pair of CANADA
GEESE were having a loud honking argument, while standing on a couple of
tall broken off tree trunks. Even though this not unusual, but I always feel
geese do not belong in trees! Three pair of MALLARDS took off out the pond
and marshy area, north of the highway and just before the bridge. Four male
and one female WOOD DUCK in the back of the pond were not as shy. They
leisurely swam away. A beautiful male HOODED MERGANSER swooped in and landed
on the water. Checking under the bridge, I was immediately welcomed by the
resident AMERICAN DIPPER. It allowed me some great looks, before it flew
across the river.
The next stop was at the rocky cliff a couple or so miles east of the
bridge. As soon as I got out of the car, I noticed a very light colored
falcon flying up and landing in the rocks. My first thought was Gyrfalcon,
however a scope view at 60X showed a great close up of a PRAIRIE FALCON.
Checking the rest of the cliff, I found a second PRAIRIE FALCON a little
higher up. Maybe this is a nesting pair? I also had a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
circling over the cliff.
Further east at the intersection of Highways 10 and 97, I stopped to check a
female AMERICAN KESTREL on the power line. Looking southwest, I found a
GREAT HORNED OWL on a large nest in a cottonwood. From Ellensburg I drove
down the Old Vantage Highway and saw several MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. Stopping
between mile 22 and 23, I dipped on Sage Sparrow, but was serenaded by a
strikingly beautiful WESTERN MEADOWLARK. It is just such a typical bird of
the sage brush steppe. Also had a SAY'S PHOEBE fly catching up the slope. I
had lunch at the Ginkgo State Park, normally a migrant trap, but very quiet
since it is still a bit early. Noteworthy was a flock of 40 - 50 GREATER
SCAUP flying low over the water and heading north on the Columbia River and
landing right below.. What made it unique, was looking down on them from the
Ginkgo overlook and being able to clearly see the broad white wing stripe
extending into the primaries.
Next I headed down Huntzinger Road to below Wanapum Dam and dipped on both
Rock - and Canyon Wrens. I did have an AMERICAN KESTREL flying into the
rocks. Also a pair of ROCK PIGEONS for once seemed to be in the element they
are named after. Another SAY'S PHOEBE was hawking for insects on the rock
slopes. Onward to Birders Corner which was a bit quiet with the highlights
being a single female CANVASBACK and 13 TUNDRA SWANS. Nice to be able to see
the yellow on the bill without a scope! Otherwise mainly NORTHERN PINTAIL,
NORTHERN SHOVELER, MALLARD, GREEN-WINGED TEAL AND LESSER SCAUP were present.
Next stop the Para Ponds along McManamon Road at Othello. Again things were
quiet here with very few Mallards.Teals and Shovelers - also a few
RING-BILLED GULLS and one each GREAT BLUE HERON AND GREAT EGRET. Beyond the
ponds, over towards the canal, was a large flock of CANADA - and CACKLING
GEESE. The feedlot only had a few BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS and EUROPEAN STARLINGS
and one MOURNING DOVE.
I relocated a nice pair of BURROWING OWLS in front of their burrow at the
same location as last year. A more natural setting than the Renton post
office. As it was starting to get late, I decided to head home on Route 26.
Stopped at the County Line Ponds, which had lots of CACKLING GEESE, two
TUNDRA SWANS, a few DUNLINS and more dabbling ducks, but no large
shorebirds. I did have a few groups of SANDHILL CRANES flying about and
decided to drive down Corfu Road for a last stop. No cranes, but thousands
of noisy geese and hundreds of ducks flying against the backdrop of the
Saddle Mountains - quite a spectacle! Heard cranes trumpeting in the
distance. I also had a VIRGINIA RAIL responding to a tape in the wetlands
along Corfu Road. I must have annoyed the resident AMERICAN BITTERN, since a
it started "thumping" back at me! And so ended a great day of birding in
Eastern Washington! Next weekend is the Othello Crane Festival, if you can
make it - I highly recommend it!
I did dip on several species I had hoped to see, such as Redhead,
Yellow-Headed Blackbird, American Avocet, Black-Necked Stilt, Sage Thrasher
- to name a few. It may have been too early, even with the mild weather we
been having. I will just have to go again next month! Interesting were the
several male NORTHERN HARRIERS I saw in different locations, also a number
of AMERICAN KESTRELS seemed to indicate fairly healthy populations.

Good Birding!

Hans Feddern
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA.
thefedderns at gmail.com
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