Jim Owens and I enjoyed spectacular weather fortune (75 degrees and sunny) as we lead 10 congenial Seattle Audubon birders on the second annual Birdathon trip to Birder's Corner and lots of other points. We had 72 species, highlights:
We watched an American Dipper nest building under the "dipper bridge", admired several pairs of downy Great Horned Owl chicks peering over the rims of stolen Red-tailed Hawk nests (under the ferocious gaze of a parent), heard the "sewing machine crossed with a canary" spring song of a full chorus of Brewer's Sparrows as well as the long warbling songs of Sage Thrashers at Quilomene.
At the Gingko overlook, a Prairie Falcon drew by at eye level, and down below in the sage and rocks we watched Rock Wrens singing like mechanical mockingbirds on their rock piles.
Birder's Corner had Yellow-headed Blackbirds, singing with strangled gusto, and classy Canvasbacks, shy Redheads, very loud Black-necked Stilts, and Cinnamon Teal (who don't seem to be as shy as the other species). We watched American Avocets swishing their bills from side to side in the shallows of the County Line pools. We were very relieved to find Burrowing Owls near Othello, who cooperated by allowing every birder to scope them thoroughly. Although we couldn't find any Sandhill Cranes, we did end up seeing several Great Egrets in full breeding plumage along Lower Crab Creek.