Hi Tweeters,
The weather promised to be great today so we headed east for the first time in months. Among the birds we enjoyed seeing today were a pair of SAY'S PHOEBES at Vantage State Park. We always see these birds there in the summer, but were pleased to see them already setting up shop on the Interpretive Center. At the County Line Ponds east of Royal City we found thousands of CACKLING and CANADA GEESE. On Crab Creek Road a few miles east of where Gillis Road intersects with Hwy 26, we found a lovely LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE followed almost immediately be two CHUKAR. At the Royal Lake overlook (looking into the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, we were amazed by the thousands of ducks and geese, in particular the approximately 500 SNOW GEESE. Finally, many thanks to Rex Takasugi for mentioning the thousands of SANDHILL CRANES at Marsh Units 1 and 2 in the Columbia NWR. We saw them late in the afternoon, along with four TRUMPETER SWANS.

Charlotte Byers, Seattle