Subject: [Tweeters] Wenas, Vantage, Columbia Plateau last weekend
Date: Jul 16 17:22:28 2012
From: Jelmer Poelstra - jelmerpoelstra at gmail.com


Hi all,

First of all, again thanks to all who provided me with advice on birding in
Washington. This past weeked I birded Wenas campground, Umptanum Road, the
Vantage area, and a few spots on the Columbia Plateau. Some of the
highlights:

* A GREAT HORNED OWL and two COMMON POORWILLS on my way into Wenas
Campground on Fri evening.

* Most of the usual suspects at the Wenas Campground on Sat morning:
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER (2), RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (5), VEERY
(1), PACIFIC-SLOPE (3), GRAY (4), and DUSKY (2) FLYCATCHER, MACGILLIVRAYS,
NASHVILLE and AUDUBON'S WARBLERS, PYGMY NUTHATCH, CASSIN'S FINCH,
BLACK-HEADED and EVENING GROSBEAK. At least 3 CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS were a
welcome surprise. I didn't see any Calliope Hummers here or anywhere else
later in the weekend.
* Along the road from the campsite back to the main Wenas Road:
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, EASTERN KINGBIRD, VESPER SPARROW.
* Along the Wenas Road at the Ponderosa Pine areas: 3 LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS
(a pair transporting food and a third bird further on).
* Umptanum Road: A pair of SAGE THRASHERS and a BREWER'S SPARROW were
easily found, as were many MOUNTAIN and some WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. COMMON
NIGHTHAWKS were very active at many sites late in the morning.
* Early afternoon in the Vantage area was hot and not so productive, of
course. Noted were LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and CHUKAR (calling) at Quilomene, and
WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS at Sentinel Bluffs.
* Late afternoon at County Line Ponds: A good variety of waders and ducks,
among others WESTERN (ca 40) and LEAST (3) SANDPIPERS, LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHERS (ca 25), WILSON'S PHALAROPES (9, of which 8 were juveniles), and
AMERICAN AVOCET (4).

* Sunday morning at Lind's Coulee produced both CLARK'S and WESTERN GREBES.
* After a few attemps around here as well as in the Vantage area, I finally
found a CANYON WREN in Columbia NWR, near Soda Lake (ROCK WRENS on the
other hand were ubiquitous).
* Went to look for AM. WHITE PELICANS at the Potholes Rookery to no avail.
A bit later, I did find 4 of them on islands in the Columbia River near the
railroad bridge, seen from Huntzinger Road.
* The afternoon in the Vantage area was cooler than on Saturday but very
windy, yet strangely enough a pair of BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS was easily
found and very showy at the site near Recreation Drive that has been
described on Tweeters earlier (they were along the lower rather than the
upper track now, some 50m in). SAGE SPARROW was nearby, near the Gingko
overlook (after having looked for them at several other spots earlier on).
* A quick stop early evening at the Rattlesnake Mountain trailhead produced
a pair of BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and a WESTERN TANAGER.

Last week on Tue night/ Wed early morning I visited Robinson Canyon,
getting e.g. COMMON POORWILL, GREAT HORNED OWL, BLUE GROUSE, RED-NAPED
SAPSUCKER, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, many LAZULI
BUNTINGS, RED CROSSBILL, WESTERN TANAGER, and a bunch of Rattle Snakes. I
didn't see Prairy Falcon here or anywhere else. A stop at Stampede Pass
produced several singing MACGILLIVRAY'S and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, and a
HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER.

All in all I have seen some 145 species so far, about 55 of which were 50
lifers -- in large part thanks to the advice of folks from Tweeters!

In the Seattle area I am still looking for Red-headed Sapsucker and
Hudson's Vireo. I know some good areas, but I would be grateful if anyone
with, ideally, precise and recently reliable site info could drop me an
e-mail.

Best, Jelmer Poelstra
jelmerpoelstra at gmail dot com
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