Hey all,



So...I've been a bit of a locavore with my birds lately - staying in King County for the most part - but I got an itch this weekend. Haven't really done much dedicated birding in Eastern Washington, and Kittitas County is just over there, so...



Packed up and left around 7PM Saturday night. My first intention was to drive up Table Mountain on Reecer Creek road to try to see some Common Poorwills. Got there as light was fading and drove up til it got dark - no dice. Kept going until I found a campground and slept in the ol' car.



Woke up somewhere around 4AM to the call of a Flammulated Owl. Stepped out of the car, and also heard the Poorwills I'd been looking for - 3-4 of them called for a couple of minutes, then they were done for the morning. The owl kept going right into dawn, and as soon as it was light, I started poking around this new habitiat. Mountain Chickadee and Hermit Thrush were nice additions to the dawn chorus, along with numerous Cassin's Finches - my third life bird of the day.



Stopped numerous times on the way down, finding Chipping Sparrows nearly everywhere, and with Western Meadowlarks with more and more frequency as I dropped down towards Ellensburg. At the bottom, near the first turnaround and cattle grate, I had another long stop near the river, adding one or two new birds... Horned Lark was easy to figure out, but I wasn't sure on the Flycatcher I had. No tapes along, so I'm a little stuck on whether the little guy giving the occasional 'wit' was Hammond's or Dusky. It seemed to sound more like Dusky now that I've listened to it on line, and there were almost no conifers around, so I'm guessing Dusky - If anyone knows that spot well, I'd love ideas. Didn't get to see, but heard my first Ruffed Grouse drumming somewhere on the other side of the creek.



Bullock's Orioles were at eye level for the first time for me here - awesome view of some beautiful birds. Lazuli Bunting, Black Headed Grosbeak, Warbling Vireo and Western Wood Peewee rounded out the birds at this spot.



Heading toward town, I got Say's Phoebe and Gray Partridge on the way - both new - and a Kestrel along Hungry Junction road. Snipe were winnowing everywhere. Took me a while to figure that one out. What a weird, weird sound.



After breakfast, I went out to Umptanum road. Had an awesome view of two Red Tails on a nest - ripping up...something to feed the kiddos. Had a Western Kingbird at this spot as well - just barely out of town, a bit before the road goes from paved to not. Continuing on, the sage held Brewer's and Vesper Sparrows, as well as Sage Thrashers. Somehow, I'd never seen a Western Bluebird before, but had both Western and Mountain on this stretch - dozens of each - amazing how un-blue a Western Bluebird looks next to a Mountain Bluebird!



Finished up with the walk to Umptanum Falls. I remember hiking to it when I was in Boy Scouts - long long before I cared about what this bird or that bird was. Amazing to walk the same trail so much later and to experience it so differently. New ones for me here were Nashville Warbler and Red-Naped Sapsucker. Had a Prairie Falcon and Townsend's Solitaire near the beginning of the trail, and Pacific Slope Flycatcher at the waterfall.



All of this, and back in Renton by 2. Very nice trip.



-Tim Brennan

Renton







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