Monday, Oct 13 thru Saturday, Oct 18 I birded in Kittitas, Grant, Adams, Douglas and Okanogan counties. Cool mornings and warm to hot afternoons with a sprinkle here and there made for good birding weather.


Shorebirds were all but gone and the finches, raptors etc that come south for the winter had not yet arrived. American White Pelicans and Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen in several locations. Sparrows were sparse except for a lot of White-crowneds. Saw 1 Savannah. On Friday I observed all 6 grebe species in Grant County. The next day, 5 of them (no Clark's) to my surprise were on Sorensen Pond in Ellensburg. The Red-necked was in striking juv plumage. For the trip I had scoters in 4 locations.


The lower water level behind Wanapum Dam south of Vantage concentrated huge numbers of water fowl, accumulating a variety of species into small areas.



Here are some of the birds (and mammals) seen, with date and location. A link to a few images: http://www.pbase.com/marvbreece/new_images




Monday, October 13, Kittitas County


Northern Shrike - adult, Swauk Prairie Rd
Northern Goshawk - juv, Hwy 97, north of Ellensburg
Prairie Falcon - Vantage
Thayer's Gull - adult w/ 3 Herring Gulls, Vantage
Glaucous- winged Gull - adult, Vantage


BIGHORN SHEEP ? 12 near Umtanum Rec Area




Monday, Oct 13, Grant County


Sharp-shinned Hawk - adult, Lower Crab Creek Rd (LCCR)
Merlin - female taiga. LCCR
Northern Shrike - adult, LCCR
Loggerhead Shrike - adult, LCCR




Tuesday, Oct 14, Grant County


Wilson's Snipe - 4, I90 Rest Stop STP
LB Dowitcher - 24. I90 Rest Stop STP
Lesser Yellowlegs - 1, I90 Rest Stop STP
Sharp-shinned Hawk - B St off of Hwy 26
Franklin's Gull - juv, Potholes SP
Sandhill Crane - 7 over Potholes SP & 76 over Lind Coulee




Tuesday, Oct 14, Kittitas County


Dark-eyed Junco - male Cassiar, Gingko Vantage
Great Egret -1 Vantage
Surf Scoter - 4 juv, upriver from Wanapum Dam
Pine Siskin - flock in town


BIG HORN SHEEP ? 3 grazing on lawn at Gingko visitors center, Vantage




Tuesday, Oct 14, Adams County


Cooper's Hawk - 1 chasing blackbirds at Para Ponds, Othello
Yellow-headed Blackbird - 2, Othello
no Tricolored Blackbirds found




Wednesday, Oct 15, Grant County


Least Sandpiper - 1 Soap Lake
White-winged Scoter - 2 adult males, Lake Lenore
Common Loon - 31 on Blue Lake
Surf Scoter - 1 adult male, Blue Lake




Wednesday, Oct 15, Douglas County


Northern Shrike - adult on L St
PORCUPINE - 1 on L St
Merlin - female taiga, Mansfield
Surf Scoter - 1 adult female Lake Pateros




Thursday, Oct 16, Okanogan County


Clark's Grebe - w/ 3 Western Grebes, Lake Pateros
Greater White-fronted Goose - 1 juv w/ Canadas & Cacklers in Brewster
Merlin - female taiga at Monse
Loggerhead Shrike - adult, Cameron Lake Rd
Sandhill Crane - 18, adults and juvs, Duley Lake, Cam Lk Rd
Snow Goose - 1 adult with Canadas and Cacklers on Duley Lake




Friday, Oct 17, Douglas County


Peregrine Falcon - adult at Bridgeport Bar
Merlin - female taiga in Bridgeport
Northern Goshawk - juv perched at river in Bridgeport




Friday, Oct 17. Grant County


Pine Siskin - flock in Electric City
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Northrup Canyon
Clark's Grebe - Steamboat Rock SP
Snow Goose - 13 at SRSP, 4 ad & 9 juv
Greater Wht-fronted Goose - 1 juv w/ snows, SRSP
Red-necked Grebe - 1 1st winter, SRSP
Osprey - Dry Falls Visitor Center
Townsend's Solitaire - 1 singing loudly at Dry Falls, echoing throughout the canyon; took forever to find it, just below me!




Saturday, Oct 18, Grant County


Northern Flicker - Yellow-shafted, looked pure, Lower Peninsula Pk, Moses Lake
Clark's Grebe - at least 2; many Westerns and some that looked like tweeners, LPP




Saturday, Oct 18, Kittitas County


American Pipit - 80 and probably many more at Ringer Loop
Cooper's Hawk - juv, Ellensburg







Marv Breece
Tukwila, WA
marvbreece at q.com