Subject: [Tweeters] Special Finds in Central WA - 6/17-18/2013
Date: Jun 21 13:33:33 2013
From: Barbara Deihl - barbdeihl at comcast.net


What a grand day-and-a-half of warm, slightly breezy, brightly-skied car birding friend Ron B and I had on Monday and Tuesday. Each and every stop we made proved to be exciting or a total surprise.

Here are the general areas and highlights at each (not always birds) :

I-90 East:

1 Peregrine Falcon on each of 2 bridges just out of Seattle


Teanaway River Dipper Bridge:

Turkey Vulture
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Yellow Warbler
Rough-winged Swallows
Violet-green Swallows
Spotted Sandpiper
Veery (several)
Western Wood Pewee (and nest)
Common Yellowthroat (heard only)
Song Sparrows
Bullock's Orioles (both m and f)
Black-headed Grosbeaks (m and f)
Cedar Waxwings
Mt. Chickadee
Downy Woodpecker
House Finch
American Goldfinches
river rocks


SR10 (near the cliffs near Milepost 94):

1 Peregrine Falcon (almost tricked us into thinking it was a Prairie Falcon)
Spotted Towhee
Common Raven
5-6 Turkey Vultures


SR10 (between cliffs and Ellensburg):

Black-billed Magpie
Brewer's Blackbirds
Great Blue Heron
Barn Swallows
Ospreys on nests (3 or 4)
Red-tailed Hawks
Killdeer


Umptanum Rd. & a bit of Wenas Rd.:

Say's Phoebe
Mt. Bluebirds
Sage Thrasher
Brewer's Sparrows
Vesper Sparrows
Stellar's Jays
Western Wood Pewees
House Wren
Red-naped Sapsucker
Cooper's Hawk
Great Horned Owl (in early-afternoon, possibly being chased by a Red-tailed Hawk?)
Dusky Flycatcher
Black-chinned Hummingbird (f)
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier (m)
Lazuli Buntings
Yellow-breasted Chats (heard only)
Catbird (heard only - at night - it called continuously, in 5 - 6 different 'voices', such as Screech Owl, Amer. Robin, 'cat', and a few others neither of us can remember - it was WILD !)
Common Nighthawk
Poor-will (heard only)
Killdeer (2) - one flew across the road and almost into the windshield, and the other we scared up off the road - we were hoping for Poor-wills, but these were too light-colored


Yakima River Canyon Rd.:

Cliff Swallows
California Quail
Bald Eagles (at nest at MP 15 1/2 - 2 young still in nest, but looking ready to fly)
American Kestrels (feeding young inside nest in bottom part of the BAEA tree)
Western Kingbirds (possibly also nesting in that same tree - such diversity !)
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Kingbird
Prairie Falcon Fledglings (4) flying around and perching at top of cliffs at Milepost 10 (public fishing area) - nest was empty
Rock Wren
American Kestrel kids (4) practicing dives and 'hanging', across road from Milepost 6 parking area
White Pelicans (4) floating the Yakima River
Common Nighthawks (2)
oodles of mosquitos


Burbank Rd. (off Canyon Rd. - not too far out of Ellensburg):

Common Nighthawk
Cedar Waxwings on a wire
double rainbow
beautiful pastoral scenes...


Reecer Creek Rd. (on 6/18)

Wilson's Snipe
Chipping Sparrows
Dark-eyed Juncos (incl. juveniles)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pileated Woodpecker
Pine Siskins
Western Tanagers (m and f)
Blackbacked Woodpeckers (m and f) - they were feeding young, which we heard and saw peeking out of holes in a burned snag - as this is definitely a very sensitive time for them, I don't feel right about disclosing the location right now - the pair alarm-called upon seeing us, but kept up the feeding, every few minutes while we were nearby watching while barely moving
Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warblers
Casssin's Finches
Evening Grosbeaks
Gray Jay
Williamson's Sapsucker (m)
golden-mantled ground squirrels
chipmunks

Lower Green Canyon Rd. (off Reecer Crk. Rd.)

Lark Sparrow


About 75 Species in the 1 1/2 days and a great time was had by both.

For photos of the trip (through my eyes and lenses), go to my Flickr set : "R&B Bird in CWA" - link: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjGexSLg
I'll add some of Ron's pics after he gets back from the Okanogan.

Cheery Veery to y'all.


Barb Deihl

North Matthews Beach - NE Seattle

barbdeihl at comcast.net