Hi Tweeters,
My cousin, dad and I got back from birding around Ellensburg, Yakima and
Toppenish yesterday.
Starting up at Liberty area sunday night owling with no luck was a
disappointment but still a cool area.
The next day we headed along old Vantage hwy with highlights being.
2 sage sparrow at Quilemene
2 chukar
3 sage thrashers
2 loggerheaded shrike
5 MT bluebirds
500 elk

Going down to Toppenish NWR and Tule rd with highlights being.
Tule rd.
1 vesper sparrow
1 sage sparrow
white crowned and golden crowned sparrow
Toppenish NWR
1 american avocet
cinnamon teal
green wing teal
gadwall
american wigeon
Wilson's snipe
violet green and tree swallow
yellow rumped warbler

We then went to Yakima Canyon multiple times looking for Canyon and Rock
wren but only had one singing Canyon wren. Other birds in the canyon
were.
5 prairie falcons
2 wood ducks
1 bushtit

We then camped at Sportsman park looking for W. screech owl with no luck
but we did have.
1 great horned owl
more wood ducks
a skunk and beavers.

Waking up in the morning we headed to Yakima Training center with
highlights being.
7 male greater sage grouse displaying
lots of sparrows including
sage
brewers
white crowded
vesper
also sage thrashers

Next to Bethel ridge
on the way we saw a golden eagle swoop roosting pigeons catching one, a
coppers hawk,4 lewis's woodpeckers, 2 white throated swifts, kestrel and
4 mountain sheep.
Still a bit of snow on bethel ridge rd, got less than a mile in the mini
van and walked.
3 Williamson's sapsucker with a male and female doing some display.
! red-naped sapsucker
Pygmy and red breasted nuthatches
Western bluebird
Wild turkey
more elk

Really fun trip with loots of spring birds arriving!!!!

Got home to rain and clouds but had a flock of 18 Mountain bluebirds along
my rd (homesteader rd in Whatcom county ) what a great surprise.

Good birding,
Fanter Lane,
Acme Wa,
carylane at nas.com