Hi. Tweets.
We toured these areas for 3 days of birding and. Rock climbing Royal Columns.(across from the Oak creek visitor centre.).
I filled the hummerfeeders just before 7am for the barrage of RUFOUS andANNA's HUMMINGBIRDS on our deck. We left Tulalip bay only to see a PILEATED WOODPECKER along Marine drive.Harbinger of things to come?we only see them a few times a year.
Very windy along I-90. At Ellensburg ,we turned south for Umptanum Road, seeing an OSPREY on a pole nest .shortly we saw Blackbilled MAGPIE and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Both these birds remind me of my youth in CALGARY ,where we lived out on the prairie.Meadow lark my favorite song.Driving up the hill we saw the usual birds - WESTERN BLUEBIRDS,MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS,VESPER ,BREWERS,CHIPPING SPARROW,CEDAR WAXWINGS,HOUSE WREN,WESTRN TANAGER,AMERICAN GOLDFINCH,WESTERN WOODPEWEE,BROWN HEADED COWBIRD,BLACKHEADED GROSBEAK,DOWNY WOODPECKER,NORTERN FLICKER,REDTAILED HAWK,AMERICAN KESTREL, PRAIRIE FALCON,LAZULI BUNTING,BULLOCKS ORIOLE,CALLIOPE HIMMINGBIRD,AMERICAN ROBIN,REDNAPED SAPSUCKER,SONG SPARROW,YELLOW WARBLER,WARBLING VIREOWILLOW FLYCATCHER. CALIFORNIA QUAIL.I n the Wenas Campground, we saw a male and female WHITEHEADED WOODPECKER,HAIRY WOODPECKER,REDBREASTED NUTHATCH, DUSKY FLYCATCHER,BC CHICKADEE, 2 COMMON NIGHT HAWKS, and heard a VEERY.
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On Maloy road we saw 2 more Common night hawks,MOURNING DOVES, EUR.STARLINGS BREWERS BLACKBIRDS CASSINS VIREO.HOUSE FINCH.
FArther down Wenas. Road, we stopped at a south side discover pass place with a gate. A large hay holding barn also held 3 GREAT HORNED OWLS with huge glaring yellow eyes!.
The next stop with small bridge had a YELLOW BREASTED CHAT . we couldn't lure him into view.
TIETON RIVER AREA:
The Oak creek visitor centre had beautiful B.ORIOLES,WESTERN KINGBIRDS,SAYS PHOEBE,CLIFF SWALLOWS,TURKEY VULTURE,NORTHERN HARRIER,VILET GREEN SWALLOWS WHITE THROATED SWIFTS,EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE,HOuSE FINCHAND SPARROW,STARLINGS.ROCKPIGEONS
We turned off on oak creek road only to see a LEWIS's WOODPECKER on the first bare tree!
We drove up a mile or so into the sun.After turning around we saw at least 10 more LEWIS's ,mixed. With N.FLICKERS. .within 1/2 hour ,we had seen 14. By. Evening along Tieton river about 20 total!feeling great because our day total for WOODPECKERS spp,7-PIL,DOWNY,HAIRY,RN SAP,WHITEHEADED,N.FLICKER,LEWIS.
FARTHER UP the Tieton River, we saw BELTED KINGFISHER.
We camped at WINDY CORNER CG.there we had AMERICAN DIPPER, HARLEQUIN DUCK,SPOTTED SANDPIPER,STELLERS' JAY,COMMON MERGANSER SPOTTED TOWHEE, Lots of AM.ROBINS and W.WOODPEWEES.WARBLING VIREO.BARNSWALLOWS.COMMON RAVEN,AMERICAN CROWS
ALong the river , we stopped at various ponds to see YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER,MACGILLVARYS WARBLER,YELLOW WARBLER,RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD,.
Near Rimrock lake, peninsula CG, a pond had about 15 SPOTTED SANDS, KILLDEER Great BLUE HERON,CANADA GEESE with young,REDWINGED BLACKBIRDS,RINGNECKED DUCKS,CINNAMON TEALS. A HAMMOND FLYCATCHER was in the pines.Another higher pond had MALLARDS C.GEESE , WOODDUCK,
BETHEL RIDGE
We started up the late afternoon,seeing DARKEYED JUNCO and distant WHITE HEADED WOODPECKER.WHITEBREASTED NUTHATCH. We saw 2 groups of RED CROSSBILLS.One group was bathing in a small runoff stream just beside the car! How cold
would that be? We also saw a few CASSINS FINCH And heard 2 HERMIT THRUSH
WE drove up to the microwave turn and went up that road till we encountered a snowdrift.Stopping there we saw a huge larch withe several holEs. First a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS flew flew into 1 hole. Then ,WOW , apair of WILLIAMSONS SAPSUCKERS exchanged places at the nest!
We pulled out the cameras and got a few pics.Mike got one baby head looking out of the hole.
There were also PINE SISKINS ,CHIPPING SPARROWS ,AM.ROBINS nearby.I heard a PIKA on the talus slope but couldn't see it.
The best surprise of the trip occurred at dusk . We saw lots of WHITE THROATED SWIFTS.NO POORWILLS heard. But right beside the Tieton River by a Quonset hut and suspension bridge for the nature trail, I heard these ROBINS making a huge commotion. NOT HAPPY..they were in dense brush. Walking towards the sounds , I saw about 2 feet above the ground on a small branch , a tiny frightened looking baby owl!
It had a MOCHA colored head and RUFOUS BODY. A BABY fledgling NORTHERN SAWWJET OWL.it took off in a second.!but made my day.
So it was a fun trip ,everywhere birds were, AM.ROBINS,WEST.WOODPEWEES,WARBLING VIREOS,WESTERN TANAGERS.
The flower display was awesome as well.BUCK WHEAT,PENSTEMONS,IRIS ,GROUND DAISIES,A FEW BUTTERROOTS.many others.
As we drove home the weather got ugly and cold. My hummingbird feeders were empty...
But on our dock was a pair of PURPLE MARTINS. They were once plentiful there but recently occasional visitors.this am there were 3 .

So we had 8 woodpeckers.
It's a nice birding area,TIETON RIVER. WEran out of time for going up to White Pass.

Cheers , Maxine Reid and Mike bacon
baconmf at mail.com
360-658-7391
Tulalip bay ,wa.




































































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