Subject: [Tweeters] Broad-winged Hawk - Washtucna today
Date: Sep 5 21:14:01 2015
From: Mike & MerryLynn - m.denny at charter.net


Hello all,
We arrived at Washtucna in Adams county about 9 am this morning and spent a couple hours birding in the rain - the weather caused a nice fallout of migrants with warblers and flycatchers everywhere! Around 2:20 I went into the large willows north of the park for the 4th time and there was a immature BROAD-WINGED HAWK - I immediately radio'd Mike - he and Matt Bartels were able to see it fly overhead and soar around. State bird for us - yea! chocolate!

Other birds of note - LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS - 3 in the park and another 6 together up in the southeast corner of town. HAIRY WOODPECKER was another uncommon find.
American Redstart - young male - seen throughout the day.

There were 4 Great Blue Herons flying around above the cliffs and perching up there - don't remember ever seeing that before - one was also on the sewage ponds.

At Palouse Falls we witnessed an amazing sight - over 250 WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS swirling under the dark gray clouds with 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS dive bombing them - we have never seen this many swifts at this location before. Another weird sight was a GREAT EGRET flying over the falls and down the river.

At Lyon's Ferry Park near sundown - we found many Lesser Goldfinches, warblers and sparrows and one BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER - a Franklin county bird for us. A Merlin was chasing doves around.

Will ebird when I get a chance - it was a wonderful day of birding with rain, sun, wind, thunderstorm in the afternoon - then a gorgeous sunset - and oodles of birds all day!
Good birding, ML


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Mike & MerryLynn Denny
Birding the beautiful Walla Walla Valley

"If you haven't birded, you haven't lived"