Hi Tweets

I joined the hordes today making the long trip down to Skamania Co. in search of the Hooded Warbler. Because I got a late start I didn't arrive at the parking lot at Salmon Falls and SR14 until 2:45 this afternoon. Grace and Ollie Oliver were standing in the parking lot, and told me of the bunch of folks who were up the Upper Cape Horn trail looking for the bird.

Michael Hobbs, Steve Pink, Anne Marie Wood, I think the Goodhews from Walla Walla and another of others were standing around listening to the warbler as it moved around in the trees quite a ways above the bridge.

As mentioned, you could hear the bird singing almost as soon as you entered the forest and it was extremely active seemingly constantly moving thru the tree tops. Most folks managed brief looks at the bird - it would perch "in sight" for about 1-2 seconds and then move on. I saw a very quick bright yellow flash as it moved thru a Hazelnut tree, but that was not difinitive.

Everyone else moved down the trail, having seen the bird. I hung out for about 10 move minutes listening to the bird right over my head but out of sight. Then, wonder of wonders at 3:15, it perched on a branch in view for a couple of seconds, and moved to the other side of the tree in full view for at least 10 seconds. Nice bright yellow bird on the underparts, yellow-green back, bright yellow face with a black throat and black on the top of the head. This was a life bird for me as I had always missed it being present on my few trips back east to its normal habitat.

Hooray!

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
mail to bell asoc at iso med ia dot com