Yakkers,

South of the Grandview's Sewage Ttreatment Plant, at the corner of Foxx and
Bus, I had great views of a RUSTY BLACKBIRD this morning,on a wire with lots
of Brewer's and Red-winged Blackbirds. I clearly saw the bird's light eye,
its dark ear splotch contrasting with paler supercilium and its rufous-edged
tertials.

Farther north in the Lower Valley, I poked about the brushy and marshy
habitat north of Mabton where the highway crosses the Yakima River.
Sparrows were everywhere including: Fox (1), Song (20), Lincoln's (1),
White-crowned Sparrow (200), and Golden-crowned Sparrows (2), plus Spotted
Towhee (5) and Dark-eyed Junco (10).

Finally, on Marion Drain Road west of Toppenish (by Lateral A). I noted:
Tundra Swan (23), Northern Shrike (1), and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (2).

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA
steppie at nwinfo.net