Hello birders!

Wow, what an amazing few days. Made too quick a trip through Ellensburg and Wenatchee and on to Leavenworth. Tried to find dippers - no luck. But Leavenworth Festival was very special and productive! Stayed with a friend at her cabin and she had told us the day before we got there that she'd seen a White Headed Woodpecker on one of the bird walks. And we were rewarded the next evening. Sipping his beer, my husband just happened to look up and spot a male WHWP fly into a pine tree just off her deck! We all got great views! Lifers for all of us! Very exciting indeed! Also had a House Wren and Western Tanager there. Finally realized one of the "calls" I'd been trying to id was a Douglas squirrel!

My report will probably go downhill now! A pair of Sagebrush Lizards and one big bug which I'm still trying to identify.

A favorite part of the festival (first time there for us) was the raft float down Icicle Creek. Got 28 species, but our favorite was a Spotted Sandpiper. We'd first seen it flying and caught up to it on its "beach". There were a few. Birding from a moving raft is not easy!! And there was no whitewater! But the calm waters were delightful. Common mergansers, Blackheaded Grosbeaks, one Bald Eagle, Rough Legged Swallows...Osprey,

Our walk at Tierra Learning Center was fruitful, too. Including a very rare one for me!! A lifer! ;-)) As introductions began, I asked one woman where she was from. West Seattle... Then she said her name. Trileigh Tucker! OMG!! We'd only "met" on Tweeters!! I didn't even know she'd be at the festival, let alone on the same walk! A great "sighting" for me!! (Note: Trileigh, please add to my listing or adjust since I'm sure I'm missing several...) There were many "UFB's" and other common species. Somehow, seeing one new bird makes up for seeing many.

Trileigh's photo taking while we birded helped us to identify (sort of?) either a Hammond's or a Dusky Flycatcher. Not sure if we ever determined which. We also had a nice view of a Red-naped Sapsucker. Also Say's Phoebe and another House Wren belting out its song at the top of a fruit tree. Hmmm, trying to recall the others - Tree swallows galore, Turkey Vulture landed in a tree.

Thanks to Andrew, the manager of Tierra and Willie and his sweet dog, Comet. Great to walk the grounds with them. It was a wonderful flock of people who all have flycatcher/warbler necks!! Boy, learning how to point out a bird in the woods is a skill to be perfected in itself!

Sadly, we only heard calls on our owl prowl with no sightings. Apparently we were hearing a Flammulated and/or No. Pygmy or No. Sawhet. We did hear lots of frogs too!

Mother Eartha's (our resident Anna) nest is still in tact - can only see one of the young birds poking its head up. The pine needles are really camouflaging the nest!

Glad to be back in my nest for a while too! Wonder who passed through while we were gone.

Caryn / Wedgwood


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