Subject: [Tweeters] East Cascades Foothills & Robinson Canyon
Date: Jun 2 12:22:48 2014
From: Jim Owens - jimo at brainerd.org


Tweets,

Last Saturday, May 31, Jeanelle Richardson and I led a very congenial group of birders on a Seattle Audubon field trip to the East Cascades foothills and Robinson Canyon. The day started well at Snoqualmie Pass, where we found Rufous Hummingbirds, MacGillivray's and Yellow Warblers among other species. We were rewarded with 35 bird species at Bullfrog Pond, where our exploration of the dry ponderosa pine forest on the east side of Bullfrog Road yielded Western Wood Peewees, Willow, Hammonds and Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Veerys, a Bullock's Oriole and Chipping Sparrows. Near the ponds and along the Cle Elum River, we found Spotted Sandpipers, Warbling Vireos, Bank Swallows, a Gray Catbird, many Cedar Waxwings, Nashville, MacGillivrays, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Bullock's Orioles, American Goldfinches and Evening Grosbeaks. It was a special treat to find a Yellow Warbler tending three eggs on her nest near the river.

Our next stop was the Cle Elum High School, where the two Great-horned Owl owlets had moved away from their totem pole to the branches of a nearby ponderosa pine where they preened and flapped their wings under the watchful eyes of one of their parents and a small group of silent observers on the ground.

At Northern Pacific Ponds, we had great luck with 35 species, including Barrow's Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, the resident nesting Osprey pair, a Bald Eagle, many Western Wood Pewees and Warbling Vireos, Northern Rough-winged, Tree, Violet-green and Barn Swallows, a nesting Pygmy Nuthatch and a nesting (and loudly singing) House Wren, Western Bluebirds, more Veerys, Nashville, MacGillivray's, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bullocks Orioles and many Evening Grosbeaks.

At Swauk Prairie, the wind picked up, but we found nesting Tree Swallows, many Western Bluebirds, our target Vesper Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows and great views of Western Meadowlarks. We drove Bettas and Hayward Roads and added Mountain Bluebirds to our growing list before reaching the single-lane portion of Reecer Creek Road, where we were delighted to find an Eastern Kingbird, more Black-headed Grosbeaks, several of our targeted Lazuli Buntings and more Bullock's Orioles.

We ended the day at Robinson Canyon, finding 25 species including California Quail, more Warbling Vireos, a very cooperative Rock Wren, MacGillivray's and Yellow Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks and many Bullock's Orioles. The total count for the day of 72 species added to the pleasure of a sunny day with great companions in some beautiful and productive bird habitat on the East side of the Cascades.

Jim Owens
Mercer Island