This morning just after my 8 AM tea I noticed a bird (large hawk) first soaring and then landing in a snag about 80 feet from my house. It wasn't one of the local Red Tails, Ospreys, or Bald Eagles but by the position of the wings during soaring and with the dozens that hang out here I thought Turkey Vulture. I went and put my glasses on and got my Nikon Bino's and at first watched the bird in the snag and then fly off and soar and finally make a pass at a squirrel right in the neighbors driveway. With good close long looks the bird turned out to be a Swainson's Hawk. He was quite slim appearing with both long wings and long tail. When soaring his wings were above horizontal, though I didn't get the pointy-winged perception I've gotten with most Swainson's I've observed. The color was typical of an adult or maybe a 2nd year bird with dark flight feathers and white wing linings; there was a narrow brown chest band with a white throat and white belly with some rusty color below. Most of all in flisht silhouette the bird showed classic size, feather pattern/color, a basic narrow profile and a slight upward lift of the wings past horizontal. I will continue to watch for him/her over the next couple of days. Knowing the measurement on a single snag branch used by many birds I could see wingspan was approximately 49" and he stood about 18" tall. Side note is that there are a lot of large grasshoppers or crickets hatching in the vacant lots, freeway interchange meadows, and elsewhere in the neighborhood - maybe his real desire?

Later in the morning I went to Walmart (192nd and Mill Plain in East Vancouver / Camas) to buy cat litter (100% indoor kitties except for a tall 2nd story deck for sunning) and upon exiting the car I saw several crows, jays, robins, and blackbirds mobbing a big bird in a small tree in the parking lot and making incredible amounts of noise. I slowly walked over (the only way I move!) and when I got within about 20 feet the big bird flushed and I could see it was a Barred Owl and it appeared to be just out of the nest. He made a strong, bold, straight-line flight SSW toward Clark College with only a few dedicated crows as an entourage.

On the way home I was treated to a flock of 17 American White Pelicans circling in and eventually setting near the NE shore of Ackerman/Sand Island in the Columbia. I've seen a similar or the same group recently both at the confluence of the Washougal and the Columbia, and as big dots across the river at the Sandy River Delta - you can see them dip and feed through field glasses at a distance of close to one mile - pretty cool.

In my yard the current year Red Breasted Sapsucker hatchlings are actively feeding with parents. A little dull colored compared to mom and day but clowns and a joy to watch. Baby Towhees are everywhere and quite noisy and I can hear Western Screech Owls at night but have not located them.

The Hawk Falcon Eagle Vulture show continues it summer run along the first rock bluffs that define the Colombia Gorge between mile post 11 and 12 on Highway 14 in Camas. It is not ususual to see 5-6 species in a hour, to see interactions between and within species , to be able to view both in-flight and resting birds and to see many other birds including those that live on, in and around the Columbia river, Birds with need for deep forest or steep terrain, birds who live on or around rocks (basalt cliffs), and some surprises. The best viewing areas are pull offs along Evergreen Drive best accessed by using Exit 12 in Camas to access 6th avenue (on the Columbia side of Hwy 14) which turns into Evergreen. Views are best after you drive through the charming older neighborhood and reach an area where there are drives, pull-offs, and less acute views of the bluffs. Map at: https://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1T4ACAW_enUS310US310&q=map+2016+nw+sierra+lane+camas,+wa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x5495bcc7b81f1fbb:0x84f7b353aa07419e,2016+NW+Sierra+Ln,+Camas,+WA+98607&gl=us&sa=X&ei=FfSbU62tMIyxyATg4YHAAw&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAA
Cheers and good birding

Rob Conway
Camas, WA
robin_birder at hotmail.com