Dear Tweeters,
I headed down to Ringer Loop, south of Ellensburg today (9/2) to see
if the Yakima River had retreated enough to enable walking the entire
trail from the BLM parking lot (north) to the DFW parking lot (south,
with boat launch). The river has retreated enough, but the trail is
muddy in spots. As I left the BLM parking lot at around 9:30AM
(smaller, northern parking lot along Ringer Loop), I heard a calling
Orange-crowned Warbler in the grove of trees just west of the parking
lot, next to a vertical brown sign that says "Designated Trail". I
quickly found one calling Orange-crowned Warbler, and what I initially
thought was a Warbling Vireo. More detailed observation of the Vireo
revealed that it had a deep yellow breast, flanks, belly and undertail
coverts along with a medium gray eye-line, and a well defined white
supercilium below a medium gray, contrasty crown. The bird was
slightly larger and stockier than the Orange-crowned Warbler. The
bird did not vocalize.

I feel that the presence of yellow undertail coverts, and the birds
size relative to the nearby Orange-crowned Warbler rule out adult
Tennessee Warbler. The strong overall yellow on the breast , belly,
flanks and undertail coverts also rules out Warbling Vireo.

Overall, Ringer Loop was busy with migrant warblers. I also saw
Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler and one bird
that appeared to be a first Fall Common Yellowthroat. The Bewick's
Wrens that have been overwintering here do not appear to have arrived
yet.

Good Luck,
Walter Szeliga
Ellensburg, WA