Last weekend my family and I went for a lovely little hike up a canyon a few miles above Klickitat, WA (on the Klickitat River, natch). The hike was up the Swale Canyon portion, and the habitat was nicely riparian around the creek in the canyon, and was quite grassy on the surrounding rather steep hillsides. We heard canyon wrens, some rapid drumming (I'm guessing downy or hairy WP but never saw it). A turkey made a break for it across the path on our return, which was cool. There was a VERY active little flock of about six black-throated gray warblers zipping around, pausing to sing for a few seconds and then zipping off again. Fun to see!

But there was some sort of "hooded" warbler skulking around in the same area. Very grey in the hood and bib, and what seemed to me to be a distinct and complete eye ring, so my East-Coast bird brain -- not that I'm a bird-brain! -- immediately thought "Connecticut Warbler", but then I rethought it, but was unable to get a second look at it. Based on geography alone, I'm going to tentatively say female MacGillivray's, because it was really pretty gray rather than slaty on the breast (and therefore a female, not a male). Maybe I mistook the partial ring for a full one? Or is it even possible that it could have been a Connecticut? Any input gratefully accepted!

-Josh Hayes in North Seattle (for now)
coralliophila at live dot com