I led a great group of seven birders on a WOS field trip today in Kittitas County covering Vantage, Table Mt and the Kittitas Valley. The highlight (high in terms of MPH!) for the trip was the lowlight for most.... extreme wind plagued the group for most of the day. The wind made passerine birding at Vantage tough to say the least and even hawk watching on Table Mt and looking for shorebirds in Ellensburg again very tough. There were a few bird highlights. They were:

Red-necked grebe-3 below Ginkgo Overlook, Vantage
Terns-15-20, a mixture of Common and Forester's flying over the Columbia River-viewed from Wanapum St Park

Golden eagle-4-5 birds from Table Mt in an hour plus of hawk watching. Decent numbers of red-tails migrating as well. A few others sharp-shinned, Copper's, northern harrier mixed in the migration. A few spot fires fairly close to us near Lion Rock.

Waterfowl are beginning to gather with flock of pintails, American wigeon, gadwall etc.. off of Berry Rd in Ellensburg.

For the day a pretty paltry 80 species.

Scott Downes
downess at charter.net
Yakima WA