the original aba bird-finding guide: three field trips who ...the original aba bird-finding guide:...

The Original ABA Bird-Finding Guide:Who was Jim Lane?

by Andy Stepniewski

Three Field Trips

(continued on page 9)

“Great year-round birding, grand scenery, and a birdlist that includes some of the most sought-after and beautiful birds in all of North America – these were the inspirations for Jim Lane when he wrote the first Lane Guide in 1965.” —(American Birding Association)

These words come from an ABA advertisement for the revision to A Birder’s Guide to Southeastern Arizona. So, who was Jim Lane? Jim was not only the founding author of the site guide series, but also a member of the same Audubon Society chapter in Orange County California that I joined as a teenager. I can say without exaggeration Jim helped start me into “The World of Birds” more than anyone else. I grew up in coastal southern California and became interested in birds about 1968. At first I set about learning the birds myself but, after getting my driver’s license, I joined the Sea and Sage Audubon Society. In the spring of 1970, “The Wandering Tattler,” the chapter’s newsletter, had a trip announcement that caught my attention: a week-long trip to southeastern Arizona with Jim Lane. I already knew about the avian wonders this corner of Arizona held, after reading “Wild America,” by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher.

Waterville/Okanogan by Shep Thorp

Seventeen of us enjoyed fortunate weather and many nice sightings on this year’s winter trip over the Presidents Day holiday weekend. Unfortunately, Ruth Sullivan was not able to join us as she is recovering from an injury that occurred this past Fall. We missed her very much, but look forward to sharing stories and hoping that she can join us next year.

On Saturday February 15th we headed for the Okanogan Highlands, and found the Great Gray Owl in the Havillah Sno-Park at 9am. The owl was spotted in a large aspen 40 feet high and 75 feet deep along the west side of the road between the upper meadow and the rest room parking lot trailhead 1/4 of a mile south of the upper meadow. The huge advantage of birding with 17 people is the number of eyes scanning, and this paid off as the back seat passenger in the last car spotted the owl on our way down! One of the trail maintenance people asked us to purchase Sno-Park passes to use the facilities there. I was not aware there was a Sno-Park pass, and this is the first year I’ve been spoken to


Photo by Heather Roskelley

WASHINGTON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY12345 Lake City Way NE, #215

Seattle WA [email protected]

www.wos.org

Penny Rose (Seattle) ....................................Dan Stephens (Cashmere) ............................Kim Thorburn (Spokane) ............................Amy Schillinger-Powell (Renton) ................

Blair Bernson (Seattle) .................................Matt Bartels (Seattle) ...................................Tim O’Brien (Cheney) .................................Mike Clarke ................................................Brad Waggoner .............................................Tom Mansfield (Seattle) ...............................Joseph Buchanan (Olympia) ........................Adam Sedgley (Seattle) .... ............................April Carson (Seattle) ...................................Steve Dang (Seattle) ......................................

Jane Hadley (Seattle) ...................................Jon Isacoff (Spokane) ..................................Bruce LaBar (Tacoma) ...............................Shep Thorp (Tacoma) ................................Alison Styring ..............................................

(206) 619-1203 ....................(509) 782-4890 ...................(509) 465-3025 ...................(425) 243-2269 ....................

(206) 250-4183 ....................(206) 547-9737 .....................(509) 863-9656 ............................................. .................... .............................................(206) 623-7580 ....................(360) 786-1792 ..............................................................................................................................................................

(206) 328-7605 ..................(509) 448-2629 ..................(253) 272-1058 ...................(253) 370-3742 ............................................ ...................

[email protected]@[email protected]@wos.org

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@wos.org

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

President ..............................Vice President ......................Treasurer ..............................Secretary ..............................

Meetings ...............................Field Trip Co-Chair ............Field Trip Co-Chair ............Membership .........................WA Bird Records ................Young Birders Fund ............WA Birds Editor ...................WOSNews Editor .................Hospitality ...........................Sales .....................................

Board Member .....................Board Member .....................Board Member .....................Board Member .....................Board Member .....................

The Washington Ornithological Society was chartered in 1988 to increase knowledge of the birds of Washington and to enhance communication among all persons interested in those birds. WOS is a nonprofit educational organization under

501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code.

OFFICERS

BOARD MEMBERS

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Upcoming WOS Annual MeetingJoin us for the 26th Annual WOS Conference in the beautiful Yakima Valley! Nestled between the Cascade Mountains and

Columbia River, Yakima County has a diversity of habitats including alpine tundra, mixed evergreen forest, open pine forest, desert canyons, riparian woodlands, marsh wetlands, agricultural fields, urban gardens, grasslands and shrub-steppe, which provides shelter for over 250 species of birds.

June is the month of song, and migrant birds will be back to defend their breeding territories. Yakima will be heating up not only with longer days of sun and plenty of terrific venues to explore, but the amatory urge of life itself!

Yakima in south central Washington, Yakima County, will be the site of the 2014 Conference, June 13-16. Headquarters will be at the downtown Holiday Inn, 802 East Yakima Ave, Yakima, WA 98901, where we have arranged for reduced WOS room rates.

All registration will be online. Registration opens March 30, 2014, at 8:01 AM PST.

From the Board — by Shep Thorp

I love to bird, and studying birds is just as fun. I also enjoy volunteering if it means I can help the birds and go birdwatching with others.

Several years ago, before I applied to Seattle Audubon Society’s Master Birder Class with Dennis Paulson, and had only attended one Washington Ornithological Society Conference, I was chasing reports of shorebirds at the Sportco ponds between I-5 and 20th Street East in Fife. Nothing very rare, but darn that Ryan Shaw and others who’d spotted several fun shorebirds in my backyard, like Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper.

The area now looks completely different as it has been reclaimed for managing water run-off, but back then it was flooded grassy fields perfect for attracting migrating shorebirds with easy access … or so I presumed! There were two ponds, each with a separate path, and a small levee covered

with reed canarygrass in between. The paths led to near shoreline, allowing for good scanning, but without a scope, my binocular view of distant foraging

birds was inadequate. How nice, I thought, would it be to observe these birds from the closer proximity of the levee and with the camouflage of the reed grass.Motivated to get closer views, I made my way down the levee. The grass

was waist high and I lost sense of where my feet where going. Anxiously, I looked behind me and saw no warning signs. It was rush hour and cars were zipping up and down

20th Street East and I-5. I continued on my way with renewed determination, surely this approach to the ponds had not been considered because it was too weedy. Suddenly, I found myself chest deep in water with my binoculars held above my head and my cell phone soaked in my pants pocket. Humiliated, I looked around and all I could see was grass. I pulled myself out of the slough – wet and embarrassed – thankful I was not completely submerged. As I walked back to my car soaked, not a soul seemed to know what had just happened, even with the trail of wet footprints I left behind me.

Now I find myself in a similar situation, with some major differences. Planning a conference has been like navigating waist-high reed canarygrass with the promise of a good view. But there are plenty of you to see my wet footprints as this year’s 2014 WOS Conference in Yakima unfolds. Fortunately, I’ve had tons of help from board officers, chairs, members, and birders committed to WOS, in organizing functions for what should be a really enjoyable event.

Yakima City, located in north Yakima Valley, and at the eastern foot of the Cascades, will be our base camp for exploring Yakima and Kittitas Counties. Southcentral Washington has a fantastic diversity of habitat from the moist alpine tundra to the arid shrub-steppe desert, with everything in between including subalpine boreal forest, mixed conifer forest, Ponderosa Pine forest, streamside, valleys with cliffs, agricultural fields, urban gardens, ridges with Garry Oak, grasslands, and finally riverside with marsh and lake. The time of year could not be better! Now is a good time to practice your identification of vocalizations, as breeding birds at elevation will be at the height of their songs. The shrub-steppe may already have broods, and late migrants will have arrived. Upwards of 220 species could be seen!

By now, many of you have registered, and I’m hopeful the experience has gone well. But if you haven’t, I can’t imagine what you’re waiting for! Spread the news, we are going to have a wonderful time. Scott Downes has put together a terrific trip list. Brad Waggoner and Andy Stepniewski have volunteered to be stumped. If you have a stumpifying Washington bird photograph, please email it to me at [email protected]. Jan Gano will share his experience and knowledge on our treasured breeding Bobolink at the banquet dinner. Please don’t hesitate to email [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

See you in Yakima!

Bethel RidgePhoto by Kevin Black

about having this pass.The feeders on Hungry-Hollow Road, Grange Road, and

Highland Meadows Compound on Nealy Road were slow with nice sightings of American Goldfinch, Mountain Chickadee, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, “Slate colored” Dark-eyed Junco, and a single Pine Siskin. This is the only Pine Siskin I’ve seen all winter and a real treat when you’re used to seeing swirling flocks throughout the Puget Sound trough. We spoke to all three homeowners, and there have been only two Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches seen with no Common Redpolls. Most reliably, the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches are observed early in the morning at 7 or 8 am at the Grange Road feeder. Sadly, the residents of the Grange Road feeder are moving this spring, so these feeders may not be maintained in the future. We gave seed to each home for our appreciation of their efforts to attract birds.

We perused all our favorite roads in the region to no avail; we dipped on Gray-crown Rosy-Finch, Common Redpoll, Pine Grosbeak and American Three-toed Woodpecker. Needless to say, we worked hard for a few nice sightings. The Havillah-Tonasket Road had many Rough-legged Hawks, with occasional Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier mixed in. Over the past couple of years I’ve observed that Red-tailed Hawks prefer to perch on a horizontal beam of a power pole in contrast to Rough-legged Hawks, which prefer to perch on the top of a vertical point. South of Havillah we watched a gorgeous “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawk drop down from a power pole and catch a vole. The bird was dark brown with a hint of gray and no rufous tones. The base of the tail feathers where light, there was white speckling on the breast, and the yellow-skinned tibiotarsals had no feathers. In the evening, during our decent

at dusk, we observed at least five Great Horned Owls perched on power poles hunting.

At the Sno-Park we had nice sightings of Gray Jay. On Nealy Road and Mary Ann Creek road, we had up close beautiful observations of Northern Pygmy Owl. There was a flock of at least 12 Wild Turkeys on Havillah Road around a homestead north of Muskrat Lake and south of Teas Road. But the day was trumped by the terrific views of the Great Gray Owl that morning. By the end of the day we were exhausted from our wanderings to locate other birds that were few and far between.

On Sunday, we headed for Conconully via Riverside. Canyon Wren was heard calling and singing at the rocky butte on the Riverside Cutoff Road east of Conconully Road. On our way back through this area, we had terrific views of two Golden Eagles flying over. Four Sharp-tailed Grouse flew into the aspen grove across the road from Happy Hill at the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area around 7:30am. Unfortunately they did not stick around and most participants did not

Left to right: Shep Thorp, Louise Rutter, Tom Merrit, Laurel Parshall, Joe Sweeney, Sharon Ellard, Patti Brandt, Dave Richardson, Heather Roskelley, Mary Saylor, Woody Franzen, Sue Yates, Lin LIvingston, Bill Saylor.Not pictured: Fanter Lane, Ken Lane, Mitch Blanton

Three Field Trips (continued from page 1)

No. Pygmy Owl photo by Heather Roskelley

have long to look. As we surveyed the area, one of our birders spotted a Northern Goshawk on a hillside snag approximately a mile away.

Conconully was also quiet, but we enjoyed nice sightings of Cooper’s Hawk, Golden Eagle, Red Crossbill, California Quail, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Mountain Chickadee.

In the afternoon we headed for Cameron Lake Road. On Timentwa Road, east of Cameron Lake Road, near an active cattle ranch, we had magical views of 200-300 Snow Buntings feeding along the exposed gravel on the side of the road and bathing in the frozen ponds. The birds flew over our cars several times, and despite their flightiness, it was wonderful to see the flock fly around just over our heads. We also observed many Horned Larks, both pale throated alpine tundra (E.a. alpina)/northern (E.a.articola) variety and the very yellow e. Washington prairie (E.a.merrilli) variety. Some of the bushes near the road and adjacent to rocks had several American Tree Sparrows that we got to see very well.

We ended the day on Washburn Island where we got to enjoy waterfowl: Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, Lesser/Greater Scaup, Bufflhead, Ruddy Duck, Horned Grebe, and Common Loon. The island itself had good numbers of White-crowned Sparrows and American Tree Sparrows. We also saw Western Meadowlark and a Great Horned Owl nesting in a Red-tailed Hawk nest in the northwest corner.

On Monday, we started our morning on Bridgeport Hill at the Wells Wildlife Area or West Forster Creek. We missed the fly-in of Sharp-tailed Grouse as we arrived around 7:40am, however we were able to inadvertently locate four Sharp-tailed Grouse in various areas around the waterbirch. Just south of the registration kiosk in a region of birch and juniper, some of our group observed Chukar, Ring-necked Pheasant, and Townsends Solitaire.

At the base of Central Ferry Canyon, we had an unrewarding fly over of approximately 30 Bohemian Waxwing. Unlike previous years where there were thousands roosting in the poplars between feeding in the orchards, this looks we had this year were brief. We did not have any luck

Penny Rose and I have been Gull-ible lately. Well, at least it seems that way. We’ve been tempted by unusual gulls both in January and February, having chased both the Slaty-backed Gull reported at Gog-le-hi-te wetlands in Tacoma and the Iceland Gull reported at Nisqually. Both trips proved unsuccessful for either gull but we returned home following each trip feeling grateful for the other wonderful discoveries we’d had, including our birding companions for the day.

In January our trip began at Gog-le-hi-te wetlands in Tacoma. The wetlands, formerly a landfill, are just a speck of land surrounded by a highway, a rendering plant (yes, it smelled as bad as you would imagine), industrial buildings, and the Puyallup River. With no fewer than hundreds of gulls to pick through, we welcomed several interruptions by a Red-

shouldered Hawk that moved to different perches. No luck finding the Gull during the morning stop so we planned to visit again in the afternoon.

Our group made a quick stop at American Lake where we had three Tree Swallows fly overhead, calling. What a treat! We couldn’t have guessed that we’d be looking up at swallows in January and it reminded us that spring isn’t so far away. We moved on to Mounts Road to look for a reported Swamp Sparrow. Penny and I refreshed our ears in the car by listening to a sample of a Swamp Sparrow’s call note before setting out. We walked down the road in the unexpected sunshine and within minutes we could hear the sparrow calling in the grass. The bird continued to call for a time as several of us got brief (though unsatisfying) looks at the bird. We waited patiently for the bird to call again as it flew quickly from one grass tuft to the next but, as most know, the Swamp Sparrows here are rather skulky so we reluctantly moved on.

At Hawk’s Prairie water reclamation ponds we continued to enjoy the sunshine with our target being a Black Phoebe. We walked through the cells and we heard the phoebe. As we watched the bird fly-catching, we suddenly realized that we were hearing two birds. We crept along the shore of the pond until we reached a viewing point that gave us great looks at both birds, which was an unexpected treat. Tempted by the gull we were ‘chasing’ that day we returned to the Gog-le-hi-te wetlands. With weary eyes, we scanned the groups atop the buildings with no luck.

Gull – 1 : Chase Group – 0

West Side Chase by Amy Schillinger-Powell



Send in Your SightingS

SEEN WHEN

March — May .............June — July .............Aug — Nov .............Dec — Dec .............

SEND IN BY

June 15Aug 15Dec 15Mar 15

Send your sightings by email [email protected]

February’s chase trip brought a new challenge- An Iceland Gull at Nisqually. Should we chase another gull? Why not! So off we went in the driving rain to search the mudflats along the boardwalk. We stopped briefly near the twin barns to look in on the Great Horned Owlets but soon pushed on so that we could focus on our target. Miraculously, the rain stopped and we laughed when we realized that as we were describing a bird’s location we were using a rainbow as a point of reference.

Along the way to the boardwalk a brisk wind picked up. We looked at distant gulls, flying gulls, and gulls to the right and left. No Iceland gull. We took a needed break from the wind at the photo blind for a few minutes and then pushed on. Defeated by the lack of a gull that would give us a win – and the wind – we turned back.

Gull – 2 : Chase Group – 0

Our walk back was brightened by an actively hunting juvenile Northern Shrike that was quite close and offered excellent views. Our other consolation prize were the young Great Horned Owls in the nest. As one parent snoozed just outside two of the youngsters watched us watching them while the third one played cuckoo clock behind the others. It reminded me of the scene in The Sound of Music when the Von Trap children sing the So Long, Farewell song. It’s always amazed me at how quickly one can forget about being cold, wet, tired, and hungry when distracted by nature’s beauty.

I’m thankful for our chase trips. We’ve met new friends, seen old ones, and laugh throughout the day. Okay, so maybe gulls aren’t our birds to chase but the best part of these trips is the not knowing what you will find that day. Sometimes the best bird of the day isn’t the one that we set out to chase but the one that we didn’t expect to see.

Mike Fleming and I led the WOS trip to Douglas and Okanogan counties on January 18 and 19. We encountered good numbers of Snow Buntings along Chesaw Rd and just above Havillah in the Highlands and along Cameron Lake Rd. Bohemian Waxwings were in Conconully (12) and near Washburn Island (~80). Our two-hour exploration of Washburn Island on foot on Sunday yielded three American Tree Sparrows, several Western Meadowlarks, Cedar Waxwings, a Lincoln’s Sparrow and seven Western Bluebirds though nobody got on all of those birds. This was also a new spot for lots of participants and a highlight for many. Two Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches were at the Nealey Rd feeders in the Highlands, as was a Northern Pygmy Owl. Another up close Pygmy Owl was along Mary Ann Ck Rd. Finally, two Pine Siskins lightened up our mood at a Conconully feeder in the often ignored part of town near the dam.

Our trip was a real challenge. There simply were only very few quality birds in the area. Lack of snow is likely the main reason for the bird shortage. The Waterville Plateau was birdable, but very foggy. Our best bird up there was probably a leucistic Horned Lark. Lapland Longspurs had been easy during my scouting trip, but they wouldn’t perform for us during the field trip. Even a last ditch effort to flush some partridges out of a brushy area near the Withrow grain elevators yielded only California Quail. The Highlands were above the fog/cloud layer which was somewhere between 2500-3000ft. Our output was less than half of the worst trip I’ve lead in this area. If you can, wait until the conditions change or skip this year.

Thanks to all participants for their good eyes and ears, and for not giving in to despair.

Winter Trip to Okanogan by Stefan Schlick


Photo at left: California Quail. Photographer: Keith Carlson

It is a treat to spotlight one of our most dedicated members, Tim O’Brien. Many WOS members know Tim as our long-time Field Trips Co-Chair. Always one to lead by action, Tim has also been a committed field trip leader on both sides of the state, from Grays Harbor County to his current home turf in Spokane. Tim has even been known to take intrepid WOS members to chase mega-rarities in Idaho.

Tim began birding seriously in 2003 while living in Elma. “I was introduced to the Washington state birding community by running into Ruth and Patrick Sullivan while birding the Brady Loop area in Grays Harbor County that same year. They stopped to chat with me and gave me copies of the Washington Birder and WOSNews newsletters. I found Tweeters that year as well.”

Tim’s birding inspiration was Patrick Sullivan. “When I met him, I wanted to be like him. His birding skills were unbelievable. I could not believe how fast he could identify a bird from either sight or sound. I tried to bird with him as much as possible so I could learn as much as he knew. I was extremely devastated when we lost him. He shared so much knowledge and I found that was the trademark of the birding community - friendly, fun, sharing, caring folks who just had birding in common.” Today, Tim’s favorite person to bird with is Ken Knittle. There is no other birder who makes people laugh so much while enjoying your favorite hobby. Plus there is no other birder who brings buttermilk on hot summer field trips!

People who know Tim cannot come up with enough great things to say about him. Tim “knows the state and the state’s birders,” says Matt Bartels, who has worked with Tim as WOS Field Trip Co-Chair for quite a few years. “Tim goes beyond the regular demands of organizing and scheduling field trips to imagine and implement new approaches. As his co-chair for Field Trips, I particularly appreciate and rely on this impulse to shake things up periodically.” One of his Spokane Audubon colleagues noted, “When we had a leadership vacuum in Spokane, Tim responded and we couldn’t be more pleased to have someone of his caliber helping to lead Spokane Audubon.”

Tim is a true field trip pioneer who’s always trying to think of new types of field trips. He came up with Family Camp last year to broaden WOS’s mission to parents and children, who often can’t get out for those big year ticks as much as other

folks. Tim also tries to find trips that get people out of cars and into the field for longer stretches on hikes for WOS members who enjoy that type of format. Tim was also the unheralded brains behind the vastly successful field trip lineup so many enjoyed during the 2012 WOS conference in Spokane. That was, at the time, the largest number of field trips ever offered at a WOS conference

So, what are some of Tim’s most memorable birding memories?

• Driving with my wife up to a gang of birders on Moore Road (Satsop) and twitching my first rare bird, a Ruff.

•• Being given a ride to see the Redwing in Olympia by

Bob Morse. I could not find the huge crowd of birders myself for some reason that morning after working an overnight shift at Target.

•• Learning the art of using car stereo speakers to call for

Virginia Rail at Chehalis Wildlife Area by Bob Morse during the Satsop CBC.

•• My wife and I car camping for the first time in the

(very cold) middle of nowhere near the Leahy Lek with Ruth and Patrick Sullivan. The most probable reason for my wife not liking birding.

•• Seeing three Black Bears while co-leading a Grays

Harbor Shorebird Festival trip to Point Grenville, which prevented us from puffin searching.

•• Being flooded with requests to go find the Mountain

Quail near Satsop. This led me to get a personalized licensed plate “MTQUAIL.”

•• Having my car pushed out of a very squishy mud road

by some intrepid field trip participants near Anatone. •• Finding a Swainson’s Hawk on the Brady Loop while

birding with Marv Breece. •• Birding with Bill Tweit and Whittier Johnson during

the Olympia CBCs. Bill’s education on gulls at Perry Creek will never be forgotten.

•• Snowshoe hiking in the dark during a thunderstorm

looking for Barred Owls on Mount Spokane with Warren Walker.

•• Finding a huge flock of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches on

the Mount Saint Helens Highway with Jeff Jendro. Etta’s peanut brittle! (Thank you!)

•A lot of this is probably not news to veteran WOS members,

many of whom have shared in these events and memories. For newer WOS members you probably won’t have to look far to find him: he may be leading your next field trip. Or you may just get lucky and spot him in the field birding!

Member Profile: Tim O’Brien

Birding by Ear: Three Impossible Warblersby Adam Sedgley

It’s spring, and the dawn chorus is finally warming our long-frosted ears. To help WOS members tune up their birding by ear skills, I decided to pick a group of species and reach out to local experts for tips on how they separate them in the field. I knew I had picked a difficult group—Townsend’s, Black-throated Gray, and Hermit Warblers—but I hadn’t realized it would be nearly futile.

“Boy, you’ve picked a real doozy group here,” wrote Mark Johnston. “Even within each species their vocalizations vary all over the map.” “There is lots of overlap,” advised Charlie Wright, “especially with Hermit/Townsend’s (and hybrids of course!). I often don’t separate them for certain until I see them.”

Michael Hobbs responded “I freely admit, when I’m teaching Birding By Ear, that I can’t reliably distinguish these species by song. And I’m not sure they can either, as when I play their songs on my iPod, any of the three will often come in.”

Ryan Merrill added “the songs are variable enough that I really try to see the birds to be sure of the ID.”Well, then. Lesson learned.But this was still helpful counsel for me and, despite the pitfalls in the variability of this closely-related group of species,

our team of experts still provided some helpful tips.Charlie’s general recommendation was the simplest:

• Townsend’s=buzzy• Black-throatedGray=weezy• Hermit=clear

Townsend’s Warbler — photo by Jon Isacoff

Michael Hobbs recommended that the most distinctive song (relatively speaking) would be “Townsend’s, which have a deeper, fuller voice. Songs (like the one below), with their insistent TYOU TYOU at the end, are quite common in the Cascades east of Seattle, and that end-tag seems to be distinctive.”

Mark Johnston adds “The most typical song I hear in our area is a rough pattern that might be represented as dee~dee~ dee dee dee. The first 3 notes are somewhat strung together and are typically quite buzzy, while the last two are emphatic and on a substantially lower frequency.”

Black-throated Gray Warbler — photo by Dan Streiffert

Our experts had less experience with this species. Michael Hobbs confessed that “Hermit and Black-throated Gray have higher, flittier voices that I find very hard to distinguish … So unless I’m well out of the Hermit Warbler range, I won’t try to identify either species by sound only.”

If you’ve read all that and still feel comfortable with identifying these species by ear, Mark Johnston left us with some appropriate parting words.

“As a further example of what this group presents the birder by ear, consider this. I was leading a trip a few years ago when a participant asked me what the nearby bird we were hearing was. This concerned me a bit as I was already trying to figure it out myself and had no idea. After listening for awhile, I said I didn’t know, but if I had to guess I say it’s a Yellow Warbler. It soon flew – it was a Townsend’s Warbler. I’ve never heard one give that song since, but clearly their repertoire and/or individual variation allows for it. And then consider the possibility of hybrids between the three that we know occur. It’s just not simple

Hermit Warbler — photo by Tom Mansfield

Mark Johnston explains “the song type for Black-throated Gray Warblers I think is most typical of our area (at least in the Puget Sound region) is a see saw see saw see see such that the first four notes are an up-down, up-down set with the last two rapidly running up the frequency scale.

Upcoming Field TripsFor complete details, see our website (www.wos.org)

Monday, April 14WOS Chase TripLeaders: Penny Rose and Amy Schillinger

Saturday, April 26Jefferson CountyLeaders: Brad and Dan Waggoner

Tuesday, April 29Grays Harbor ShorebirdsLeader: Brian Bell

Saturday, May 10, and Sunday, May 11Joint Base Lewis/McChord and EnvironsLeader: Denis DeSilvis

Sat-Sun, May 31-June 1San Juan CountyLeader: Matt Bartels Mountain Bluebird. Photographer: Tom Munson

Spokane County. March 25, 2014

This book – a classic in the birding literature – chronicles a 30,000-mile journey by Peterson and his British colleague to experience North America’s most famous birding and natural venues. They describe seeking the “Mexican” species in Southeast Arizona in a wonderful chapter “Islands in the Sky.” These are birds that barely enter the United States; Elegant Trogon is just one example of a whole suite of species that reside in this landscape of “mountain islands amidst a desert sea.” My brother Mike and I signed up for this trip along with a father and her teenage daughter. Thus, we were a small group, privileged to get a truly personalized tour by an expert on the region.

I already had Jim’s A Birdwatcher’s Guide to Southern California (1968), which was the only site guide for southern California at the time. This guide was my bible to local habitats and sites and was my main source in helping me get started as a birder. Jim referenced his A Birdwatcher’s Guide to Southeast Arizona (1965) in the Arizona trip announcement so I obtained this guide, which I read and reread to prepare for the trip. It was a modest 46-page booklet. I noted it, like the guide for southern California, had an emphasis on habitats as key to finding birds. Southeastern Arizona, I read, had outposts of habitats found in northern Mexico, and the special birds tied to each habitat. I noted, too, Jim introduced the region’s other natural features, such as geology, reptiles, and mammals. After studying the book, I was excited to get to all the places Jim’s book mentioned!

Our trip closely followed Jim’s guide. We started in Madera Canyon, not much more than hour south of Tucson. Here we saw the fabled trogon among a bewildering array of other really cool birds: from distinctive species such as Zone-tailed Hawk, Mexican Jay, and Bridled Titmouse to a cast of much less distinctive birds such as Olivaceous (now Dusky-capped) Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, and Cassin’s Sparrow but quickly learned from Jim that proficiency in birding by ear was critical to mastering this avocation.

Of course, we tallied many crowd pleasers such as Painted Redstart, Red-faced Warbler, and Blue Grosbeak. Nighttime brought Whiskered Screech-Owls uttering their distinctive

“Morse Code” song from the oaks and the tiny Elf Owl peering from its cavity atop a power pole at the Santa Rita Lodge. Jim also imparted the importance of timing in birding. I still remember him relating “the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher is always late in arriving in southeastern Arizona.” From then on I’ve always been acutely aware of seasons and their effect on bird distribution and migration. We moved south to Nogales where the Nogales sewage ponds offered Olivaceous (now Neotropic) Cormorant, the exotic-appearing Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and the stunning Vermilion Flycatcher.

The Patagonia Roadside Rest Area had achieved fame by hosting a pair of Rose-throated Becards which were nesting in the dense streamside growth. Visits by an armada of traveling birders turned up other scarce birds such as Five-striped Sparrow and Black-capped Gnatcatcher, among many others. The term “Patagonia Effect” was thus coined to describe discovery of a rare bird, the stampede of birders to see the posted rarity, which inevitably resulted in discovery of yet more rare birds. This has been part of the birder’s jargon ever since.

Then it was on to The Nature Conservancy’s Sonoita Creek Preserve, a fabulous ribbon of mature riparian habitat dominated by Fremont Cottonwoods (pictured at right). Here we saw and heard Gray and Common Black-Hawks, and the raucous Thick-billed Kingbirds. Only Gray Hawks are still regularly seen at Sonoita Creek as there is much less water in the creek than 45 years ago; conditions may have driven away species dependent on year-round riparian habitat.

We moved on to another preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy: Ramsey Canyon. Here I recall swarms of hummingbirds hovering about the many feeders, including the rare White-eared. Here, too, were Harlequin (now Montezuma) Quail, a beautiful bird, indeed. A long drive took us across dusty Chihuahuan Desert to the Chiricahua Mountains, which Jim related was the largest of the borderland “sky island” mountain ranges. We started at Chiricahua NM, where Jim interpreted the fantastic geological drama.

The Lane Birding Guides (continued from page 1)

Then we climbed up to Rustler Park in the high pine and oak belt where yet more new birds awaited: Purple Martin, Mexican Chickadee, and Olive and Red-faced Warblers. One day I took a solitary 10-mile hike to the top of Chiricahua Peak in the spruce belt where I chanced on Golden-crowned Kinglets and Red Crossbill, ample evidence of the mosaic of habitats in the region, from desert to subalpine. Down the west slope of the Chiricahuas, we hit Cave Creek Canyon, indeed a stupendous natural venue. The scenery and the birds made such an impression on me, I’ve returned here a number of times since and always enjoyed my visits here. I’m saddened by recent visits by the landscape-scale fires that eliminated much of the forests that mantled the slopes of this and other mountain islands in southeastern Arizona.

Heading homeward, we visited Saguaro National Park where we had the great fortune of observing a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, now virtually extirpated from the United States.

Mike, more a herpetologist than a birder, mentioned night driving for reptiles and amphibians. Revealing Jim’s varied interests, we headed west to California through the night across the vast Ajo Indian Reservation, stopping to study all the snakes attracted to the warm pavement. That night was truly an eye opener for me as I was unaware how much the desert comes to life at night. We noted quite a number of snakes including the unique Sidewinder rattler.

In all I added about 70 species of birds to my life list on that trip with Jim. My early birding years, a time of discovery, will always be warm memories for me. More importantly, I learned that to be a more proficient birder, I needed to become familiar with the various vegetation zones and their key plant species. To really find the birds, Jim taught me the importance of keying in on the importance of recognizing not just vegetation zones, but also plant groupings at the community level. I was learning proficiency in birding was going to be much more involved than I first thought!

Jim was indeed my greatest birding mentor and drove home the importance of knowledge of a broad spectrum of natural history topics. Thus, he gave me the foundation to “learn the birds” in any new region I chose to visit. Not only did Jim impart the basics in the natural sciences, he was also darn good in birding skills, especially the importance of vocalizations.

Not long after our 1970 trip, I moved north to Canada and lost touch with Jim. Years later, about 1985, I bumped into

him on the trail in Ramsey Canyon. He was leading a birding tour, as he frequently did, for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. He appeared ill and weak. We talked for only a short while as he had to move on with his group. Not long after, an ABA article carried news of Jim’s death, of AIDS. Jim’s guides, very modest booklets at first, were later dubbed the “Lane Birdfinding Guides.” By and by, the ABA took over the series. Many states now have an ABA birdfinding guide. Over time, Jim’s booklets evolved into a much more expansive resource for birders, including detailed maps and bar graphs that educate readers about the birdlife of a region.

Jim Lane had much influence on me as a beginning birder, and his inspiration led to my commitment to the ABA “A Birder’s Guide to Washington” project. I never would have gotten involved in the ABA guide if it weren’t for that trip to Arizona in 1970. By some small measure, I hope the efforts by me and Ellen in Washington State help carry on Jim’s spirit of sharing the “World of Birds” to all who wish to discover and celebrate these beautiful creatures.

The Lane Birding Guides (continued from page 9)

Washington Field Notes – Summer 2013 Compiled by Ryan Merrill

Species in bold or capital letters are on the Washington Bird Records Committee Review List and require documentation.

Washington’s 7th Brown Booby was off Westport in mid-July. A rare Snowy Egret showed up in Grant. A Swainson’s Hawk at Neah Bay in early June was surprising, as was a White-tailed Kite on Whidbey Island in mid-July. Dungeness was inundated with interesting shorebirds in June, including Pacific Golden-Plover, Willet, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Ruddy Turnstone, each of which is less than annual in the state during June. Grays Harbor hosted the state’s 5th Red-necked Stint in July, while at the same time a very rare adult Buff-breasted Sandpiper was in Island. A Long-tailed Jaeger off Bainbridge Island in early June was very rare for Puget Sound at any time. Eight Scripp’s Murrelets were seen off Westport in late June, one of the highest tallies from the state. An adult Horned Puffin spent several days in July off the south end of Lopez Island.

The Whitman Snowy Owl lingered into early June and a family of Northern Hawk-Owls was found in Okanogan. A Long-eared Owl was seen during the day in Clallam in early July, while around the same time a young Boreal Owl was found during the day in Okanogan. Two rare hummingbird hybrids were photographed at the same Spokane feeder in July –Black-chinned x Rufous and Black-chinned x Calliope.

There were three westside Least Flycatchers, all in June, including Jefferson’s first. The Pend Oreille Eastern Phoebe lingered into early June. A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Leadbetter Point in mid-June added to ten prior records in the state. A dead Rock Wren, also found at Leadbetter Point the same day was Pacific’s first record. Two Gray Catbirds were found on the westside – one in Skagit where they have been found annually in recent years, and the other on Sucia Island for the first record in San Juan. A Sage Thrasher made it to Neah Bay in early June.

Washington’s overdue first McCown’s Longspur spent a few hours in Seattle in early June. A seasonally rare Lapland Longspur spent a few days at Point Roberts. A Tennessee Warbler in Adams during July was just the second summer record for the state. In early June a Chestnut-sided Warbler was found in Adams, a Magnolia Warbler was in Kittitas, and an Ovenbird was in Douglas. More surprising was the state’s 5th Hooded Warbler, a singing bird found on Independence Day that lingered through the summer. A “Myrtle” Yellow-rumped Warbler in Clallam was a very surprising mid-summer find, and a Hermit x Townsend’s Warbler spent the summer on territory at Mount Baker. The hybrid isn’t normally found north of King in the Cascades.

A family of Chipping Sparrows in late June provided a rare breeding record for Seattle. A Clay-colored Sparrow spent a week at Neah Bay. Other rare sparrows included a Brewer’s Sparrow at Neah Bay in early June, a Vesper Sparrow at Lake Ozette in late June, and a Lark Sparrow at Ridgefield NWR in late June. Two apparent “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrows at White Pass in July were farther north than their known range extends to. A White-throated Sparrow, of which there are only a few summer records in the state, was found paired with a White-crowned Sparrow and being followed by two juvenile Zonotrichia in Whatcom in July. This summer’s lone Rose-breasted Grosbeak was found in King. The Cowlitz Lazuli x Indigo Bunting returned for the third or fourth summer. A Great-tailed Grackle in Pacific was likely the same bird seen 20 miles south in late May. Brant High count for summer: 44 at Dungeness Clallam 6/17 (BWg). Reports included: 2 at Ocean Shores Grays Harbor 7/26 (ScR,EvH) Cackling Goose Rare in summer in e WA: 1 taverneri at Republic Ferry 6/21 to 6/22 (RSh,BWg) Trumpeter Swan Uncommon in summer: 1 at Monroe Snohomish 6/23 to 7/18 (JoM), 1 at Jensen Access Skagit 7/21 (RyM) Swan sp. Late report: 1 at Thorp Kittitas 6/1 (BLe) Wood Duck Reports included: 1 at Washtucna Adams 6/8 (MD,MlD) Blue-winged Teal Uncommon breeder in w WA: 1 female on 8-egg nest at Midway Beach Pacific 6/18

(RyM) Northern Shoveler Nesting report: 1 female with 2 young at Magnuson Park King 6/7 (ScR) Redhead Late reports: 2 at Montlake Fill King 6/1 (JSy), 6 at Ridgefield NWR Clark 6/2 (ByC) Greater Scaup Reports included: 4 at Mud Lake F Ferry 6/22 (RSh), 1 at Dungeness Clallam 7/7 (BWg) Black Scoter Reports included: 1 at Penn Cove Island 6/8 (AMW), 1 at Foulweather Bluff Kitsap 7/12 to 7/18 (BWg) Bufflehead Reports included: 1 at Neah Bay Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) Common Goldeneye Reports included: 9 at Two Rivers HMU Walla Walla 6/2 (MlD,MD) Red-breasted Merganser Reports included: 2 at Hobuck Beach Clallam 6/1 (RSh,CWr) Wild Turkey Uncommon locally: 2 at Stampede Pass King/Kittitas 6/12 (PFa) Eared Grebe Reports included: 7 at Colville Stevens 6/6 (WCu) Western Grebe Reports included: 2 at Jameson Lake Douglas 6/8 (CWr,RSh) Pink-footed Shearwater High count: 5000 at Clallam Co. Clallam 7/17 (PL,SMi) Manx Shearwater Reports included: 2 near Point of Arches Clallam 7/3, 5 near Destruction Island Jefferson 7/11, 4 near Alexander Island Jefferson 7/23 (RyM, A. Willoughby, A. Baker) BROWN BOOBY Rare in WA: 1 at Westport Pelagic Grays Harbor 7/13 (RSh,MCh) American White Pelican Uncommon in w WA: 79 at Altoona Wahkiakum 6/14 (RSh,CWr), 50 at Fort Columbia Pacific 6/17 (AE), 28 at Ridgefield NWR Clark 7/7 (RyM), 20 at Stevenson Skamania 7/12 (Caleb Putnam), 4 at Beacon Rock SP Skamania 7/12 (Zach Slavin, David Quadhamer) Brown Pelican Reports included: 2 at Port Angeles Clallam 6/30 (JMu) American Bittern Reports included: 1 at Inchelium Ferry 6/22 (TMn) SNOWY EGRET Rare in WA: 1 at Columbia NWR Grant 6/6 to 6/12 (Gordon Warrick) White-faced Ibis Uncommon in WA: 1 at Potholes SP Grant 6/2 (AKk), 1 at West Richland Benton 6/14 (BbD) White-tailed Kite Rare locally: 1 at Whidbey Island Island 6/21 (Ralph Jaszkowski) Bald Eagle Reports included: 1 at Two Rivers HMU Walla Walla 6/2 (MlD,MD) Northern Goshawk Uncommon locally: 1 at Waatch River Clallam 6/1 (RSh,CWr) Red-shouldered Hawk Early report: 1 at Julia Butler Hansen NWR Wahkiakum 7/28 (RKo) Swainson's Hawk Uncommon in w WA: 1 at Waatch River Clallam 6/1 (RSh,CWr) Golden Eagle Reports from w WA included: 1 at Willoughby Ridge Jefferson 6/2 (DWg), 1 at Obstruction Point Road Clallam 7/26 (VL) Sora Nesting report: 1 at Iowa Beef Walla Walla 7/13 (MlD,GSh) Pacific Golden-Plover Reports included: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/17 (BWg) to 6/20 (DLa), 2 at Jetty Island Snohomish 7/30 (SP,AMW) Willet Uncommon locally: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/27 (SP,DD), 1 at Walla Walla RD Walla Walla 6/7 (MlD) to 6/8 (BPe) Lesser Yellowlegs Reports included: 1 at Iowa Beef Walla Walla 6/15 (MlD,MD) Long-billed Curlew Reports included: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/14 (McB) Bar-tailed Godwit Uncommon in WA: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) to 6/18 (BWg), 1 at Westport Grays Harbor 7/14 (BS) to 7/26 (ScR,EvH) Marbled Godwit Reports included: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/18 (BWg) with 4 there 6/20 (CBr) Ruddy Turnstone Late report: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/5 (RyM) Red Knot Reports included: 6 at Dungeness Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) with 1 there 6/18 (BWg), 1 at Crockett Lake Island 7/31 (SP,BlB) Semipalmated Sandpiper Rare in WA in early June: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) to 6/14 (McB). Reports included: 1 at Discovery Park King 7/14 (MiF,JSy)

RED-NECKED STINT Rare in WA: 1 at Bottle Beach Grays Harbor 7/21 (CzH) to 7/22 (BWe) Baird's Sandpiper Reports of adults: 1 at Leque Island Snohomish 7/7 (JAm), 2 at Reardan Lincoln 7/17 (JoI), 1 at Crockett Lake Island 7/19 (TmB), 1 at Leque Island Snohomish 7/19 (SGi) Dunlin Reports included: 14 at Dungeness Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr), 5 at Sunlight Beach Island 6/8 (AMW) Stilt Sandpiper Reports included: 1 at Reardan Lincoln 7/17 (JoI) Buff-breasted Sandpiper Rare in WA: 1 adult at Crockett Lake Island 7/20 to 7/21 (SrS) Wilson's Phalarope Reports from w WA included: 1 at Samish Flats Skagit 6/1 (GB), 1 at Kent King 6/2 (SGi), 2 at Ridgefield NWR Clark 6/8 (JGn), 13 at PSB Snohomish 6/15 (Emmett Wild), 2 at Dungeness Clallam 6/18 (CBr), 4 at Swantown Island 7/14 (SEl) Red-necked Phalarope Reports included: 1 at Oakesdale Whitman 6/1 (CLb) Franklin's Gull Reports included: 1 at Gardiner Jefferson 6/1 (LRn), 6 at Walla Walla RD Walla Walla 6/2 (MlD,MD), 1 at Colville Stevens 6/6 (WCu), 1 at Osoyoos Lake Okanogan 6/17 (PKo,BWe) Heermann's Gull Reports included: 1 at Point No Point Kitsap 6/8 (BWg) Mew Gull Late report: 1 at Neah Bay Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) Herring Gull Late report: 1 at Dungeness Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) Black Tern Uncommon in w WA: 4 at Ridgefield NWR Clark 6/8 (JGn) to 7/4 (DaH) Arctic Tern Reports included: 1 at Dungeness Spit Clallam 6/1 (W. Westercamp), 2 at Westport Pelagic Grays Harbor 6/29 (RSh) Long-tailed Jaeger Reports included: 1 at Restoration Point Kitsap 6/8 (BWg) SCRIPPS'S MURRELET High count: 8 at Westport Pelagic Grays Harbor 6/29 (RSh) Ancient Murrelet Late report: 1 near Cape Alava Clallam 7/24 (RyM) Cassin's Auklet Uncommon locally: 5 at Lopez Island San Juan 7/18 (AS), 1 at Bainbridge Island Kitsap 7/28 (Brian Jennings) Horned Puffin Rare in WA: 1 at Lopez Island San Juan 7/12 to 7/15 (Katie Jones, Bill Schmoker) Tufted Puffin Reports included: 105 at Alexander Island Jefferson 7/12 (RyM), 1 at Midway Beach Pacific 7/26 (ScR,EvH), 4 at Ocean Shores Jetty Grays Harbor 7/26 (ScR,EvH) Band-tailed Pigeon Rare locally: 1 at Mary Ann Creek Okanogan 6/24 (CHa). Reports included: 1 at Mount Adams Yakima 7/13 (SDo) Snowy Owl Late report: 1 at Tekoa Whitman 6/1 (CLb) NORTHERN HAWK OWL Rare in WA: 1 at Freezeout Ridge Okanogan 6/23 (MCl,KBl) with 4 there 6/29 (RyM) to 7/8 (Charlie Shoaf) Long-eared Owl Uncommon in w WA: 1 at Hurricane Ridge Clallam 7/2 (RyA) Boreal Owl Nesting report: 1 at Lone Frank Pass Okanogan 7/4 (SSc) Black-chinned x Rufous Hummingbird Rarely reported: 1 at Spokane Spokane 7/14 to 7/28 (MWo,RoW) Black-chinned x Calliope Hummingbrd Rarely reported: 1 at Spokane Spokane 7/31 (MWo) Anna's Hummingbird Reports from expanding range included: 1 at Biscuit Ridge Walla Walla 6/27 (fide MlD), 2 at Badger Mountain Douglas 6/30 to 7/6 (JGv), 1 at Methow Valley Okanogan 7/26 (RVG), 1 at College Place Walla Walla 7/31 (MlD) Red-breasted Sapsucker Rare locally: 1 at Hood Park Walla Walla 6/2 (MlD) American Three-toed Woodpecker Uncommon in the Olympic Mountains: 1 at Hurricane Ridge Clallam 6/20 (Jason Berry) Least Flycatcher Uncommon in w WA: 2 at Corkindale Skagit 6/1 (RyM,GB) with 1 remaining 6/8 (DWg), 1 at Anderson Lake SP Jefferson 6/14 (JBi) to 6/24 (Paulette Ache) Reports from e WA included: 1 at Conboy Lake NWR Klickitat 6/7 (BbS,PCr), 1 near Nespelem Okanogan 6/8 (CWr,RSh), 1 at Leavenworth Chelan 6/8 (DS), 3 at Hardy Canyon Yakima 6/8 (BPe), 2 at Coppei Creek Walla Walla 6/9 (BPe) to 7/4 (MlD,MlD), 1 at Camas Meadows Chelan 6/14 (RyM) with 2 there 6/23

(RSh,BWg), 2 at Telford Lincoln 6/15 (KTh), 1 at Eloika Lake Spokane 6/23 (TLi), 1 at Peone Spokane 7/1 (TLi) Gray Flycatcher Reports included: 1 at Walla Walla RD Walla Walla 6/7 (MlD) Dusky Flycatcher Uncommon in w WA: 1 at Rockport Skagit 6/1 (GB) Black Phoebe Reports included: 1 at Hawk's Prairie Thurston 7/3 (KBd) to 7/22 (BlB) EASTERN PHOEBE Rare in WA: 1 at Calispell Lake Pend Oreille through 6/4 (MaM) Ash-throated Flycatcher Reports included: 1 at Wenatchee Chelan 6/20 (MY) Western Kingbird Reports included: 1 at Brady Loop Road Grays Harbor 6/1 (BS), 6 at Sauk Prairie Skagit 6/1 (RyM), 6 at Waatch River Clallam 6/1 (RSh,CWr), 7 at Corkindale Skagit 6/2 (RyM), 3 at Lake Tye, Monroe Snohomish 6/5 (HHg), 1 at Leadbetter Point Pacific 6/17 (DnF). Uncommon locally: 1 at Mora Clallam 7/20 (MCh) Eastern Kingbird Rare locally: 1 at Ozette Clallam 6/1 (RSh,CWr), 1 at Joseph Whidbey SP Island 6/11 (LkS). Reports from w WA included: 1 at Kent King 6/2 (SGi), 2 at Marymoor Park King 6/17 (George Pagos, Dasha Gudalewicz), 3 at Marblemount Skagit 6/21 (RyM) SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER Rare in WA: 1 at Leadbetter Point Pacific 6/17 (DnF) Red-eyed Vireo Reports included: 1 at Kamiak Whitman 6/18 (MCl,RJB) Western Scrub-Jay Nesting report: pair with 2 young at Bellingham Whatcom 7/10 (JMe) Horned Lark Reports included: 2 at Kalama Cowlitz 6/9 (Chris Warlow) Purple Martin Nesting report: 6 near Randle Lewis 7/9 (Kimberly Mason) Boreal Chickadee Reports included: 3 at Salmo Mountain Pend Oreille 7/5 (TLi) Rock Wren Rare locally: 1 at Leadbetter Point Pacific 6/17 (DnF) Canyon Wren Rare and local in w WA: 1 at Beacon Rock SP Skamania 6/2 (JLd, Nina Bohn), 1 at Silver Star Mountain S Skamania 7/2 (Meredith Millman) House Wren Reports included: 1 at Montlake Fill King 6/4 (CSi), 4 at Samish Island Skagit 6/16 (RyM) Pacific Wren Reports included: 1 at Washtucna Adams 6/8 (MD,MlD) Western Bluebird Reports included: 1 at Mount Baker Whatcom 7/13 (RKn,PhW) Townsend's Solitaire Reports included: 1 at Capitol Forest Grays Harbor 7/7 (Chris Warlow, Joe Dlugo) Veery Reports included: 1 at Saint John Whitman 6/9 (RJB), 2 at Newhalem Ponds Whatcom 6/23 (JGn) Hermit Thrush Uncommon locally in summer: 2 at Moran SP San Juan 7/9 (Matt Kemp) Gray Catbird Rare in w WA: 1 at Marblemount Skagit 6/9 (RyM), 1 at Sucia Island San Juan 6/13 (Lynne Givler) Northern Mockingbird Uncommon in WA: 1 at Neah Bay Clallam 6/3 (Adrianne Akmajian), 1 at Corkindale Skagit 6/21 (RyM), 1 at Cheney Spokane 7/23 (CrC) to 7/25 (TLi), Sage Thrasher Reports included: 1 at Neah Bay Clallam 6/2 (RSh,CWr) MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR Rare in WA: 1 at Montlake Fill King 6/8 (MW,Twe) Lapland Longspur Late report: 1 at Point Roberts Whatcom 6/16 to 6/17 (Richard Swanston) OVENBIRD Rare in WA: 1 at East Wenatchee Douglas 6/2 (JT) Northern Waterthrush Uncommon locally: 1 at Chiwawa Creek Chelan 6/11 (BPe) to 6/17 (GrR) TENNESSEE WARBLER Rare in WA: 1 at Washtucna Adams 7/19 (LAP) Nashville Warbler High count: 16 at Dog Mountain Skamania 6/2 (AHn,CHn) HOODED WARBLER Rare in WA: 1 at Cape Horn Skamania 7/4 through the period (DaH) American Redstart Migrant reports from e WA included: 1 at Lyons Ferry Franklin 6/1 (KBl,AKk), 1 at Ellenger Adams 6/8 (MD,MlD), 1 at Ephrata Grant 6/12 (MY). Uncommon in w WA: 6 at Newhalem Ponds Whatcom 6/21 to 7/19 (RyM), 1 at Sauk River Skagit 6/15 (SA) to 6/16 (GB) MAGNOLIA WARBLER Rare in WA: 1 at Ginkgo SP Kittitas 6/5 (Kathy and Gary Hughes) CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER Rare in WA: 1 at Ritzville Adams 6/2 (RKo)

"Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warbler Rare in summer: 1 at Hurricane Ridge Clallam 7/2 (RyA) Hermit Warbler High count: 62 at Dog Mountain Skamania 6/2 (AHn,CHn) Hermit X Townsend's Warbler Rare locally: 1 at Mount Baker Whatcom 6/6 (RKn) to 7/28 (RKn,PhW) Yellow-breasted Chat Uncommon in w WA: 4 at Vancouver Clark 6/18 (RyA) Chipping Sparrow Nesting report: family at Seattle King 6/25 (RaR,JaH) Clay-colored Sparrow Rare in summer in w WA: 1 at Hobuck Beach Clallam 6/17 to 6/23 (McB). Uncommon in WA 1 at Kettle Falls Stevens 6/16 (AWg,KB), 2 west of Davenport Lincoln 6/21 (TLi) Brewer's Sparrow Rare in w WA: 1 at Waatch River Clallam 6/1 (RSh,CWr) Vesper Sparrow Rare locally: 1 at Lake Ozette Clallam 6/30 (VL). Reports included: 3 at American Camp San Juan 7/2 (GuM), 1 at Buckley Pierce 7/8 (CWr) Lark Sparrow Rare in w WA: 1 at Ridgefield NWR Clark 6/22 (CrL) Black-throated Sparrow Uncommon in WA: 2 at Ginkgo SP Kittitas 6/1 (KB,DYQ) “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow Rare in WA: 2 at White Pass Y Yakima 7/5 (BT,SMi) Lincoln's Sparrow Late reports: 1 at Corkindale Skagit 6/1, 1 at Diablo Whatcom 6/2 (RyM) White-throated Sparrow Rare in summer: 1 at Newhalem Whatcom 7/19 (MCl,RyM) Golden-crowned Sparrow Late report: 1 at Clinton Island through 6/2 (GeH) Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rare in WA: 1 at Enumclaw King 7/30 (Robert Brandt) Lazuli Bunting High count: 24 at Corkindale Skagit 6/21 (RyM) Lazuli x Indigo Bunting Rarely reported: 1 at Cougar Cowlitz 7/6 (MiH) Bobolink Reports included: 100 at Cusick Pend Oreille 7/16 (JnS) Tricolored Blackbird Reports included: 30 at Othello Adams 6/19 (BWg) Yellow-headed Blackbird Reports included: 1 at Montlake Fill King 6/1 (JSy), 1 at Packwood Lewis 6/2 (TMn), 50 at Ridgefield NWR Clark 7/20 (MSu) GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE Rare in WA: 1 at Bay Center Pacific 6/17 to 6/26 (Michael and Diane O'Meagher) Purple Finch Uncommon locally: 1 at Toroda Creek Road Okanogan 6/3 (JoI), 1 at Methow Valley Okanogan 6/16 (ErH), 2 at Ellemeham Mountain Okanogan 6/20 (RSh,BWg), 1 at Winthrop Okanogan 6/28 (MtB) Cassin's Finch Reports from w WA included: 2 at Stevens Pass K King 6/11 (PFa), 4 at Rainy Pass Skagit 7/30, 3 at Hardy Burn Skagit 7/30 (GB,BK) White-winged Crossbill Reports included: 2 at Salmo Mountain Pend Oreille 7/5 (TLi) Lesser Goldfinch Reports from expanding population included: 2 at Puyallup Pierce 6/6 (RSh), 1 at Stillwater King 6/15 (eBird), 1 at Bennington Lake Walla Walla 6/19 (MlD), 15 at Vancouver Clark 7/15 (RyA)

AE Andrew Emlen

AHn Adrian Hinkle

AKk Amit Kulkarni

AMW Ann Marie Wood

AS Andy Stepniewski

AWg Art Wang

BbD Bob Derting

BbS Bob Schmidt

BK Bob Kuntz

BlB Blair Bernson

BLe Barry Levine

BPe Brian Pendleton

BS Bill Shelmerdine

BT Bill Tweit

BWe Barbara Webster

BWg Brad Waggoner

ByC Bryan Crawford

CBr Cara Borre

CHa Carl Haynie

CHn Christopher Hinkle

CLb Carl Lundblad

CrC Craig Corder

CrL Carol Ledford

CSi Constance Sidles

CWr Charlie Wright

CzH Chazz Hesselein

DaH Dave Hayden

DD Dennis Duffy

DLa Dow Lambert

DnF Dan Froehlich

DS Dan Stephens

DWg Dan Waggoner

DYQ Diane Yorgason-Quinn

ErH Eric Heisey

EvH Evan Houston

FL Fanter Lane

GB Gary Bletsch

GeH George Heleker

GrR Gretchen Rohde

GSh Ginger Shoemake

GuM Guy McWethy

HHg Hank Heiberg

JaH Jane Hadley

JAm Josh Adams

JBi Joe Baier

JGn Jordan Gunn

JGv Jenny Graevell

JHo Janeanne Houston

JLd Jon Leland

JMe Joe Meche

JMu Judy Mullally

JnS John Stuart

JoI Jon Isacoff

JoM Joyce Meyer

JSy Joe Sweeney

JT Jerry Tangren

KB Ken Brown

KBd Keith Brady

KBl Kevin Black

KK Ken Knittle

KTh Kim Thornburn

LAP Lily Ann Plumb

LkS Luke Safford

LRn Lee Robinson

MaM Matthew Moskwik

McB Michael Barry

MCh Michael Charest

MCl Mike Clarke

MD Mike Denny

MiF Michael Fleming

MiH Michael Hobbs

MkA Mark Ahlness

MlD MerryLynn Denny

MSu Mark Sullivan

MtB Matt Bartels

MW Michael Wile

MWo Michael Woodruff

MY Matt Yawney

PCr Peter Carr

PFa Peter Fahey

PhW Phil Wegener

PKo Penny Koyama

PL Paul Lehman

RaR Randy Robinson

RH Randy Hill

RJB RJ Baltierra

RK Raymond Korpi

RKn Randy Knapp

RKo Russell Koppendrayer

RoW Roger Woodruff

RSh Ryan Shaw

RVG R Victor Glick

RyA Ryan Abe

RyM Ryan Merrill

SA Scott Atkinson

ScR Scott Ramos

SDo Scott Downes

SEl Steve Ellis

SGi Steve Giles

SMi Scott Mills

SP Steve Pink

SrS Sarah Schmidt

SSc Stefan Schlick

TLi Terry Little

TmB Tim Brennan

TMn Thomas Mansfield

VL Vincent Lucas

WaW Warren Walker

WCu Warren Current

the original aba bird-finding guide: three field trips who ...the original aba bird-finding guide:...

Documents