My guess at the shrub you are seeing/smelling is Russian olive/*,*//Elaeagnus angustifolia/. Indeed, it is a "bad actor" in western U.S. riparian areas:

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Elaeagnus_angustifolia.htm

Chazz Hesselein
Port Orchard, WA

From:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of JOSHUA
HAYES
Sent: May-29-13 8:03 AM
To:tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] A couple of Wenatchee-area questions



Tweets,

We spent the long weekend in and around Wenatchee (and the birding at the
Confluence park is wonderful, by the way!), and I have a couple of
questions:

1) We saw a Great Egret in the Quincy Lakes region (Dusty Lake, to be
precise); this struck me as unusual. Is it? My Peterson's guide lists them
as unusual up here. (Also saw a SPECTACULAR pair of Lazuli Buntings there.
Just gorgeous.)

2) We saw a flycatcher in the Confluence park we were unable to identify,
despite a good fifteen minutes of looks from no more than fifty feet. It
looked for all the world like an Eastern x Western Kingbird hybrid: is this
possible? Pretty much looked like an Eastern, but lacking the distinct
terminal tail band.

3) [OT] That entire area, and east to Grand Coulee and the Soap Lake area,
is carpeted with a smallish tree or big bush with dusty gray leaves,
elongate rather like willow leaves, studded with small (< 1cm) yellow and
white flowers, that smells glorious - to me, reminiscent of the ylang-ylang
trees on the grounds where I stayed in Costa Rica. Can anyone tell me what
this is? (No doubt some noxious weed, as pretty plants so often are these
days. ) [/OT]

TIA,

Josh Hayes, now back home in Licton Springs
coralliophila at live dot com