Hello!

I got back late last night from my May trip to Douglas County, and just wanted to pass along some sightings and sites that were new/surprising/productive.

On Thursday evening, I got over early, and had a handful of FOY county birds: Yellow Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Cedar Waxwing, Western Kingbird, and Bullock's Oriole. I went in wearing shorts... in a place with tall grass... on a warm Eastern Washington day. Just a reminder to anyone heading over that tick season has begun. I only found one to brush off at the end of the day, but talked to someone who came away from the same location with something north of 40 ticks.

Bird Fest is in swing in the Wenatchee/Leavenworth corridor, so on Friday 6 AM, I joined a field trip to Badger Mountain with Mark Johnston and Richard Scranton. They had done some great scouting, and took us through sage, riparian, and ponderosa pine habitat. Naturally we came out with dozens of species, with bird song all around us most of the morning, and opportunities to see many of the flycatchers and sparrows in the scope singing. For year-list purposes, the best bird of the trip was a Ruffed Grouse along Indian Camp Road, a code 4 bird for which I had few leads.

After things wrapped up at lunch, I got to Jameson Lake, adding Rock Wren and White-throated Swift along the way. I wanted to make sure to let birders know that Jak's Resort, which burned down in the Labor Day fires, has set up shop again, and could certainly use some support. At the lake, there were plenty of ducks and swallows, as well as any and every icterid you could reasonably expect (Yellow-headed Blackbirds are so much fun to listen to...). Additionally, I picked up Eastern Kingbird, Caspian Tern, and then a Lark Sparrow as I took the East Access Road out.

Shorebirds were a nope. I tried all of the regular spots on the East side of the plateau and came up empty.

On Sunday, I hit the Northeast Corner of the county, across the river from Grand Coulee dam, and north of 174. It was a new area for me, so I took a good three hours to make my way down Pendall Rex Road (why is Rex on nearly all of the road names?) and then China Creek Road nearly to the Columbia. It was 58 species for the morning, including FOY Eared Grebe and Gray Partridge (finally!). The checklist for that trip is here: eBird Checklist - 15 May 2021 - NE Douglas - 58 species<https://ebird.org/checklist/S88247722> if anyone wanted more details on that area.

Other new birds came in pairs. I stopped at nearly a dozen different lakes/ponds along 174 and finally got some shorebirds at the pond near McCabe Road. Black-necked Stilts were fun to find, and Wilson's Phalaropes were new for the year. Grasshopper Sparrows are making their way in, and I got to hear one singing from some hidden spot as well. East Foster Creek along highway 17 is not as full as it has been in other trips, but one of the wetter areas had Common Yellowthroat and Virginia Rail. Finally, heading up Central Ferry Canyon I came across a Bank Swallow colony near the bottom, and a Lewis's Woodpecker from the road just north of Packwood Cemetery, where the road breaks out of the pines.

I'll add updates at www.douglascountybirding.blogspot.com<http://www.douglascountybirding.blogspot.com> over the next few days.

Cheers,

Tim Brennan
Renton
tsbrennan at hotmail dot com
Douglas County Birding<http://www.douglascountybirding.blogspot.com/>
A dozen or so birding trips to Douglas County in Washington State in 2021, featuring stunning landscapes, decent pictures of food, and forgettable images of birds.
www.douglascountybirding.blogspot.com

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