Hey Tweets - Especially those of you in the area for the Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) Conference in Omak. Today, I had a "free" day and worked on my Ferry County list. The absolute highlight was at Inchelium, on Silver Creek Road 1.8 miles south of Bridge Creek Road. I stopped for lunch at the very large flooded field that Opperman's Birding Guide to WA calls Butler Flats. I set up the tape to play AMBI on a repeating basis as I got lunch going. There were Common Nighthawks over the area and a juvenile Northern Harrier. All of a sudden, I saw an AMBI take flight from the reeds way west and move closer to my location. It did not call, ever. I kept playing the tape and it got up again but this time it was attacked by a gang of Red-Winged black birds and started vocalizing and flying erratically. And then the young NOHA got in the act, all of them chasing the AMBI into the north center of the field. The AMBI dropped down into the tall grass and the harassing lot left. That was my last glimpse but, AMBI being a CODE 5 (less than 5 records) in Ferry County, I was/am pretty excited.

Tom Mansfield in Omak.