HUNTZINGER ROAD AT VANTAGE
25 JUNE 2011



Surprisingly cool and tranquil weather allowed bird activity to be up
through the middle of the day around Vantage. Our best bird was the
BLACK-THROATED SPARROW, previously reported north of Vantage along
Recreation Road (dead-end road to the old ferry site).



Another exciting observation was of four Prairie Falcons above the cliffs
near the start of the John Wayne Trail. These birds were evidently recently
fledged, as they were still begging (wailing "eh.eh.eh!"). We watched them
sail about the cliffs acrobatically, quite an impressive sight, reminding me
exactly of European Hobbies sailing high in the sky on a warm summer day,
hunting dragonflies.



Other baby birds were also conspicuous including those of Common Merganser,
Chukar, and Sage Sparrow.



A singing Warbling Vireo in the tall Lombardy Poplar windrow at the big
apple orchard (south end of Huntzinger Rd.) was, I believe, my latest ever
at a non-breeding site in the Columbia Basin.



In addition to the natural specatcle afforded by the cliffs at Sentinel Gap,
we were also impressed by the huge volumes of Columbia River water pouring
through and over Wanapum Dam, draining last winter's heavy snowpack in
southeastern British Columbia, western Montana and Idaho.





Canada Goose 30
Gadwall 1
Mallard 6
Common Merganser 6
California Quail 2
Chukar 15
Common Loon 4
Western Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
American White Pelican 50
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Prairie Falcon 4
Ring-billed Gull 10
Caspian Tern 15
Forster's Tern 12
Mourning Dove 5
White-throated Swift 20
Say's Phoebe 2
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Black-billed Magpie 5
American Crow 5
Common Raven 4
Horned Lark 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Violet-green Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 10
Cliff Swallow 300
Rock Wren 15
Canyon Wren 2
American Robin 1
European Starling 5
Lark Sparrow 5
BLACK-THROATED SPARROW 1
Sage Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 2
Lazuli Bunting 3
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Western Meadowlark 4
Brewer's Blackbird 1
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 10



Andy Stepniewski

Wapato WA

steppie at nwinfo.net