Yo Tweets!

The Umptanum Creek trail in Yakima Canyon was quite birdy on Sat. 5/19. Highlights included a minimum of 12 Yellow-Breasted Chats singing on territories in the first 2 miles of the riparian corridor. Also uncommon for the "dry side" of the Cascades were two foraging flocks of Bushtits. Birds seen and/or heard from the Umptanum parking lot and up the trail were:
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Am. Kestrel
Prairie Falcon
Rock Pigeon
Kingfisher
Lewis' WP
N. Flicker
Downy WP
Olive-sided FC
W. Wood Pewee
Warbling Vireo
C. Raven
Steller's Jay
Violet-Green Swallow
N. Rough-wing Swallow
Bushtit
Black-capped Chickadee
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Canyon Wren
Rock Wren
Am. Robin
Yellow Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler (abundant)
Yellow-breated Chat
Spotted Towhee
Lazuli Bunting
W. Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Bullock's Oriole
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Am. Goldfinch
Surprisingly, no sparrows, rattlesnakes or ticks.

PS. The trail now has a seasonal closure at 3.25 miles upstream to protect a "species of concern" nest. The closure is posted to end July 15. Otherwise it is possible, with transportation arrangements, to one-way hike the 8 miles down the creek from the Umptanum Falls trailhead.

Ed Deal
dealgen AT aol.com
Seattle, WA