On Saturday a.m. I headed off in quest of
woodpeckers at Bethel Ridge going down Canyon Road
between Ellensburg and Yakima on the way. A few
stops along the way yielded the expected birds but
the focus was on Bethel Ridge. The weather was
about as perfect as you could want with good sun
only a wisp of wind and temperatures in the low
70's. I noted how much water was still racing
down the Naches and Tieton Rivers and also that
there seemed to be far less traffic than expected
especially given the beautiful day and in contrast
with the mess in Seattle with all the road
closures. Hitting FR 1500 off Highway 12 (Bethel
Ridge Road) I started my ascent. Birds aside,
this is truly a beautiful area and well worth a
visit for the scenery alone. With help from books
and directions from Tweeters, I focused attention
on the many burn areas searching for Black Backed,
Northern Three Toed and White Headed Woodpeckers
and for Red Naped and Williamson's Sapsuckers.
The first major stop was at a burn maybe 3/4 of a
mile past the turn off to Tieton Pond at a major
"T" (the Pond BTW is very scenic and there was a
woodpecker there - Flicker). About twenty minutes
passed with no woodpecker success and then
patience was rewarded with at least two and I
believe perhaps four White Headed Woodpeckers.
This was supposed to be a good spot for the
Three-Toed but no luck. So I moved on back onto
the main road towards the top. With a good tip
from Tim O'Brien I noted a grove of Aspen on the
left of the road which was a great spot. First
produced a just fledged Juvenile Williamson's
whose loud and obvious cries for food were
rewarded by frequent visits from mom giving great
visuals. Male flew by a couple of times as well.
This was right by the road. Further in at the
other end of the boggy area in the Aspens there
was a very active pair of Red Napes possibly also
feeding a young. At least two more Red Napes were
found there as well. Also of note were numerous
Lincoln Sparrows in their perfect habitat. Back
on to the road and perhaps a half mile from the
summit, I stopped at a very large burn on the
right of the road and instantly had another
Flicker and at least two more female
Williamson's. A special treat (especially since I
had missed the Three Toed) was a quick fly by of a
male Black Backed. On to the summit with
spectacular views of Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier,
Rimrock Lakes and "Scenery" at every clearance and
turn bolstered here and there with still blooming
wildflowers. A quick movement in a patch of woods
was probably a gro0use but never seen clearly
enough to be sure. The drive down was quick
without stops. During the entirety of the drive
up and back there were maybe 5 other cars and i
did not see any other binoculars in hand. While I
would not like to have a car problem without
others around, it was pretty cool to feel alone up
in this great spot. On the way back to
Ellensburg (I floated the Yakima R. the next day)
I stopped at Oak Creek Canyon and was instantly
rewarded with three Lewis's Woodpeckers. I wish I
had spent more time in this area as it seemed very
birdy with flycatchers, warblers, orioles,
waxwings, and I am sure much else. Really an
enjoyable trip...highly recommended... with 6
great woodpecker species. [And no I did not see
or hear any owls, but being there mostly in the
heat of the day, not surprising.]