Tweets,
David and I just got back from a Skamania Co overnight (well, really, we stayed in Cascade Locks) in an attempt to score a few birds to finally kick us over our 151/county goal there. We didn't get any of the "good ones" that John Davis has been eBird posting from his early morning Strawberry Island walks, but on Tue afternoon (8/18) we saw the family of Harlequin Ducks at White Salmon Fish Hatchery, above the hatchery spillway in the shaded water, actively feeding. There were only 7, and we thought we could pick out the mom with brighter white spots on her face, leaving 6 instead of 7 young-;the ducks were all about the same size. Before heading up there, we stopped by Home Valley Park (as well as other sites) hoping for shorebirds and were again thwarted in that department. But we did have a female Cinnamon Teal at Home Valley, in the company of Canada Geese. She was quite "shy" and took off, allowing for views of her blue and white underwing. We saw her again this morning (8/19), this time with a scope after she moved off again, flying with the Common Mergs, but returning to feed in the line of Canada Geese. We were able to confirm the i.d. with good looks at the plain face and relatively large bill. We also had entertaining looks there at an immature Cooper's Hawk in chase with a crow, with the birds taking turns being the pursued and the pursuer.

We spent late a.m. and early p.m. at Takhlakh Lake, and didn't see anything unusual, but were happy to see a dozen or so Gray Jays, another bird that had eluded us in earlier attempts. With 4 new county birds, this counts as "excellent" for us, shorebirds be damned!!
Penny Koyama, Bothell
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