I still need alot more Owls to get a picture of all the Owls of Washington
st. so far I have a Snowy Owl, GH Owl,
Barn Owl and a Northern Saw Whet Owl ( My newest), I saw a Long eared and a
Screech but didnt have my camera. So if anyone out there in the Yakima
Valley have a tip on where to see one let me know.   James, Yakima

  p.s looking for a pialated Woodpecker too!!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I've posted a picture of a gull at Priest Rapids Lake in the "Identification
help wanted" gallery. It looks to me like a Herring Gull, but I'm new at gull
identification attempts. Feel free to email me directly.

http://kevinslucas.com/?q=category/image-galleries/identification-help-wanted

Thanks,
Kevin Lucas
Yakima, WA

Hi, Yakkers!

We are actually on Greenway (not Gregory - thanks, Autocorrect) between 18th and
20th. I'll keep an eye out on my morning walk tomorrow and try to let folks know
if I see B.J.
Thanks,
Mary Giovanini

--- In BirdYak@yahoogroups.com, Denny Granstrand  wrote:
>
> Hi Yakkers,
>
> I got an e-mail today from a person who lives at S. 20th Ave. and
> Viola Ave. (3 blocks or so south of Nob Hill) who said there is a Blue
> Jay at their feeder. This is just around the corner from Kevin Lucas
> and Mary Giovanini's place on Gregory, where there was a Blue Jay last
> April. One would suspect it is the same Blue Jay.
>
> I stopped by there at about 5:00 but my ipod battery was dead so I
> couldn't try to call the jay in. Tomorrow is another day.
>
> Denny Granstrand
>
>
> *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
> Denny Granstrand
> Yakima, WA
> dgranstrand AT gmail.com
> Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
> www.granstrand.net/gallery/
>

I did not see or hear a Blue Jay on my walk this morning, but Kevin put out some
black sunflower seeds, just in case one shows up. We do have Western Scrub-Jays
making regular appearances at the feeders and in the neighborhood, in case
anyone is looking for them.
If some intrepid birder does find a Blue Jay - especially in vicinity of 20th
and Viola, or near Greenway - please let me and Kevin (Lucas) know. If you don't
have our phone numbers, please reply to this post, and I can send you the
numbers.
Thanks, and happy birding!
Mary Giovanini

--- In BirdYak@yahoogroups.com, "akratty"  wrote:
>
> Hi, Yakkers!
>
> We are actually on Greenway (not Gregory - thanks, Autocorrect) between 18th
and 20th. I'll keep an eye out on my morning walk tomorrow and try to let folks
know if I see B.J.
> Thanks,
> Mary Giovanini
>
> --- In BirdYak@yahoogroups.com, Denny Granstrand  wrote:
> >
> > Hi Yakkers,
> >
> > I got an e-mail today from a person who lives at S. 20th Ave. and
> > Viola Ave. (3 blocks or so south of Nob Hill) who said there is a Blue
> > Jay at their feeder. This is just around the corner from Kevin Lucas
> > and Mary Giovanini's place on Gregory, where there was a Blue Jay last
> > April. One would suspect it is the same Blue Jay.
> >
> > I stopped by there at about 5:00 but my ipod battery was dead so I
> > couldn't try to call the jay in. Tomorrow is another day.
> >
> > Denny Granstrand
> >
> >
> > *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
> > Denny Granstrand
> > Yakima, WA
> > dgranstrand AT gmail.com
> > Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
> > www.granstrand.net/gallery/
> >
>

At least that's what they sound like. For the last couple days we've had Evening
Grosbeaks in our trees. I got off a few shots before work. There's a link to one
below.
Mike Roper
Terrace Heights


http://www.pbase.com/image/148756325

Since there is a birdyak for Yakima!!! Is there a wildmammalyak for Yakima
Washington???  Also is there a wildmammalyak for Portland Oregon???

Hi Yakkers,

I was driving south from Hwy 22 on the south side of Toppenish on
Casey Road when I saw a falcon sitting on the crossarm of a power
pole. The sun was right behind the bird so I hoped I could drive past
it, then stop and look at it but it flew east as I approached it. It
was a gray morph Gyrfalcon. I got my binos on it as it flew east and I
was able to follow it as it flew most of the way across the field to
the east of the road. Andy was driving behind me but he didn't get as
good a look at it as I did. He did see it briefly but well enough to
see that its pattern of wing beats for different than that of a
Prairie Falcon. I got in his car and we drove the roads to the east
searching for it. This is about the same area where the Snowy Owl was
in January 2012. Andy commented several times that the area seemed
like good habitat for a Gyr, so it is possible it has set up a winter
territory. It will be worth searching for.

Denny Granstrand


*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/

Nope, but feel free to go for it! I'd subscribe.


Scott Ray
Yakima, WA
mryakima at gmail dot com




On Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 3:18 PM, lukekratt <lukekratt@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> Since there is a birdyak for Yakima!!! Is there a wildmammalyak for Yakima
> Washington??? Also is there a wildmammalyak for Portland Oregon???
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

For anyone interested in hair splitting at great distances, here's a link to a
readable article on trying to distinguish Arctic from Pacific and Common Loons:

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ctlee/BirchLeeLoonBirding.pdf

Kevin Lucas
Yakima, WA

--- In BirdYak@yahoogroups.com, Denny Granstrand  wrote:
>
> Hi Yakkers,
>
> I spent today on the YTC and at Priest Rapids. I saw a loon swimming
> close to the island across the lake in Grant County that appeared to
> be an Arctic Loon. I should say that Andy and I saw a Common Loon
> several weeks ago that showed white patches on the sides like an
> Arctic Loon but it was definitely a Common Loon.
>
> Because of the great distance, nearly all of the way across the lake,
> my photos are not good. They might even be rated closer to pathetic.
> This will need other observers getting closer looks at the bird. I am
> fairly certain that it was not the same loon that Andy and I saw. The
> photos I took don't show it but I did see a very small white patch
> near the rear end of the loon, which further indicates Arctic Loon.
>
> On my first stop this morning on the YTC, the focus knob on my scope
> broke, so I couldn't focus the scope. As I was looking at the Tufted
> Duck, I got the idea to try to slide the eyepiece in and out a little
> to see if that would focus the scope. With a little practice I was
> able to get the scope to focus. The photos of the Tufted Duck,
> White-winged Scoters and the loon were take with the scope focused
> that way. There are times you just can't give up!
>
> Highlights:
>
> Tufted Duck on Priest Rapids Lake about three miles north of the dam.
> Six (6) White-winged Scoters about two miles north of the dam.
> Close look at a Canyon Wren while along the lake.
> Two Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches on Hog Butte Ranch near the top of the ridge.
>
> Only one Red-tailed Hawk along Priest Rapids, none on the YTC.
> No Rough-legged Hawks or American Kestrels.
> One Golden Eagle on the YTC and three Bald Eagles along Priest Rapids.
>
> Photos of some of the birds mentioned above, including Tufted Duck,
> White-winged Scoters, Canyon Wren and the loon are in the new photos
> folder on my website:
>
> http://www.granstrand.net/gallery/newphotos
>
> Denny Granstrand
>
>
> *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
> Denny Granstrand
> Yakima, WA
> dgranstrand AT gmail.com
> Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
> www.granstrand.net/gallery/
>

Hi Yakkers,

Kevin Lucas stopped by the house on 20th Ave. where the Blue Jay was
reported and saw a Western Scrub-Jay. The guy who reported it sent me
a second photo that showed the bird much better than the first photo.
It was a Western Scrub-Jay. It further proves Dennis Paulson's
statement: "Common birds are much more common than rare birds". Or it
might have been:  "Rare birds are much rarer than common birds". This
is a valuable thing to keep in mind while we are out birding. We are
more likely to see common birds than we are rare birds.

It is interesting that we can call Western Scrub-Jays common now. In
Andy Stepniewski's book "Birds of Yakima County, Washington",
published in 1999, he said scrub-jays were casual visitors to Yakima
County. They moved into the area around Fort Simcoe in 2002. My first
sighting in Yakima County was at Fort Simcoe on Sept. 23, 2002.

Now they are well established in several Yakima neighborhoods and
Selah. That is quite a colonization in just 10 years.

Denny Granstrand


*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/

Hey all,
I just witnessed a California Gull fly right over me as I was waiting to be
picked up at school. It gave me great looks at it as it flew over slowly. See
the eBird checklist link for more details. I suspect that they're already on the
JV baseball field , where they're regular in spring-summer (especially baseball
season). It was a year bird, putting me at 110 for this year.
  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12947963

Thanks, Eric

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Jeffrey St Clair" <sitka@...>
To: birding@...
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 1:00:28 PM
Subject: [birding] Starving Snowies

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/oscar-only-one-of-six-snowy-owls-to-surv\
ive-after-campbell-river-care-1.71260





Jeffrey St Clair
sitka@...

"When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers,
we call it patriotism."

-- Edward Abbey


_______________________________________________
birding mailing list
birding@...
http://midvalleybirding.org/mailman/listinfo/birding

Chirp,

As the Great Backyard Bird Count starts this Friday, I ventured out to Galloway
Drive just north of the Suntides Golf Course.  Over the past several years, the
trees on the golf course and the surrounding neighborhoods have drawn thousands
of Robins to roost at this time of year.

I arrived close to 5 pm and first made a loop off of Galloway Drive, passing
along Suntides Blvd and Larson Roads.  I estimated 250 Robins at the tops of
bare deciduous trees.  Their pattern seems to be to linger high in the trees
until some degree of darkness moves individual or groups of Robins to dive into
the denser conifers to find a protected perch for the night.

I then moved back down Galloway Drive to Courtland Way, a paved one block long
houseless cul de sac.  This location has served as an excellent vantage point to
tally incoming Robins in GBBCs past as it affords good views of the skies to the
south, west and north.  In most years, the flocks have been thickest to the
northwest (Naches/Mt Cleman) and south (Naches Heights.)

Tonight was a bit disappointing as I estimated just under 2,000 Robins.  And
most of those were between 5:10 and 5:20 viewed to the northeast...coming from
the Selah Heights area.  At 5:30, a ten minute count to the southeast (the
bluffs east of the golf course) was good for close to 500 birds. Perhaps these
birds came from Yakima by following the Naches River. To pick up the flying
black dots (birds), I had to rely on my spotting scope as a binocular just
didn't reach out far enough.

It may be that the years with the mega counts were more severe winters with lots
of snow cover to the north of the valley.  In a mild winter, perhaps the Robins
are able to disperse further north in the state and into Canada.  In a bad
winter, they may mass in the valley (until the weather breaks) surviving on
unpicked fruit and grapes...well, maybe grapes are actually a fruit.  If not,
they certainly are my favorite vegetable.

Robin masses or not, consider participating in this year's Great Backyard Bird
Count.  All levels of birders are welcome, the four day count starts this Friday
and continues through midnight Monday.

Full details available at:

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html

Later,
Rich,
Befuddled Birder by 3700 Bonnie Boon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I was just getting ready to make a report to ebird about my family's
American Robin adventure when I stumbled across this report by Richard.

We had just sat down for dinner (about 5:10) when my wife looked out our
back window near our dinner table and remarked about all the robins passing
by. We started paying attention and during our whole dinner thousands of
robins were flying low over our house. Once we finished dinner (about 5:30)
we went out in the front with the kids and tried to count. We estimated
about 200 robins flying over every minute, and this was a conservative
estimate. The flights ended about 5:40. So for half an hour at 200 birds a
minute, that makes 6,000 robins. The kids loved it. I've been at the spot
in Gleed that Richard reported on and seen these sorts of flights but not
so low as they were tonight. I had noticed in the past couple days that
there have been large flights near dusk but nothing like what happened
tonight.

Maybe the robins have changed their feeding or roosting locations here in
the valley? (by the way we live in Terrace Heights)

Luke

On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 9:13 PM, <Rich712@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
>
> Chirp,
>
> As the Great Backyard Bird Count starts this Friday, I ventured out to
> Galloway Drive just north of the Suntides Golf Course. Over the past
> several years, the trees on the golf course and the surrounding
> neighborhoods have drawn thousands of Robins to roost at this time of year.
>
> I arrived close to 5 pm and first made a loop off of Galloway Drive,
> passing along Suntides Blvd and Larson Roads. I estimated 250 Robins at the
> tops of bare deciduous trees. Their pattern seems to be to linger high in
> the trees until some degree of darkness moves individual or groups of
> Robins to dive into the denser conifers to find a protected perch for the
> night.
>
> I then moved back down Galloway Drive to Courtland Way, a paved one block
> long houseless cul de sac. This location has served as an excellent vantage
> point to tally incoming Robins in GBBCs past as it affords good views of
> the skies to the south, west and north. In most years, the flocks have been
> thickest to the northwest (Naches/Mt Cleman) and south (Naches Heights.)
>
> Tonight was a bit disappointing as I estimated just under 2,000 Robins.
> And most of those were between 5:10 and 5:20 viewed to the
> northeast...coming from the Selah Heights area. At 5:30, a ten minute count
> to the southeast (the bluffs east of the golf course) was good for close to
> 500 birds. Perhaps these birds came from Yakima by following the Naches
> River. To pick up the flying black dots (birds), I had to rely on my
> spotting scope as a binocular just didn't reach out far enough.
>
> It may be that the years with the mega counts were more severe winters
> with lots of snow cover to the north of the valley. In a mild winter,
> perhaps the Robins are able to disperse further north in the state and into
> Canada. In a bad winter, they may mass in the valley (until the weather
> breaks) surviving on unpicked fruit and grapes...well, maybe grapes are
> actually a fruit. If not, they certainly are my favorite vegetable.
>
> Robin masses or not, consider participating in this year's Great Backyard
> Bird Count. All levels of birders are welcome, the four day count starts
> this Friday and continues through midnight Monday.
>
> Full details available at:
>
> http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html
>
> Later,
> Rich,
> Befuddled Birder by 3700 Bonnie Boon
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Luke and Yakkers,

Below I have pasted a post I made back on Feb 14, 2006.  That year, the masses
of Robins were flowing from the Moxee/Terrace Heights area and were eventually
tracked to the Suntides roost.  That was a particularly windy day and I
speculate
the wind currents determine the Robins altitude.  Jeff did find a roost that
year in
the Terrace Heights area but Suntides, over the years, has been the most
reliable
location.

Again, the post below was sent in 2006!


Chirp,

At 4:40 this afternoon, I received a phone call from my sister...her voice
full of excitement. My niece had stepped outside and observed a flock of red
birds rushing overhead. She glimpsed a hawk and thought it had roused the
entire neighborhood's avian population.

The hawk disappeared quickly but the birds continued to pass overhead in
waves. My niece roused my sister out to share the phenomenon. Next came the
call to me. As the birds were still coursing overhead she implored me to drive
down in hopes of catching a portion of the spectacle.

My sister, Sherry, lives near 9th Ave and Nob Hill Blvd. I checked the
skies over 37th Ave and Nob Hill as I left home and noted nothing. Sherry stated
that the birds were coming out of the east and heading towards the
northwest. Keeping one eye on the road and the other on the sky (not an easy
task with trifocals), I transversed the two miles rather quickly.

I saw nothing until I was on 10th Avenue where scattered birds were rushing
overhead. I jumped from my truck, got my bins up and discovered the ninth
wave of bright Robins. I continued to Sherry's house and we continued to watch
the endless stream of Robins until 5:25. At first they were fairly low,
then much higher and finally lower, in very gusty winds, once again.

I was counting between 50 to 100 Robins every 10 seconds. Calculating 400
Robins per minute for 45 minutes, I came up with a low-ball estimation of
18,000 Robins total.

I related this tale to a group of grizzled Audubon old-timers (well, I'm
actually older in calendar years but much greener in birding expertise) and
thought I would have a hard time selling the 18 grand total. They didn't bat an
eye. It's an annual event at this time of year, it seems.

Why once, back in the day, when orchards were still on perimeter of 40th Ave
and Englewood, a roost of 60,000 Robins descended on the residential edge of
that area and settled in on ornamental conifers for days on end. To this
day, worms have not yet reestablished a presence in that 20 square block area.

With my puny 18 grand, I was shot down several times in succession building
up to the 60 grand tale. Like the rural carrier at the post office used to
say, "The first liar doesn't have a chance in here."

When I got home, I checked my copy of "The Birds of Yakima County." The
account for the American Robin described a survey of a Robin roost in the area
mentioned on Feb 10, 1988. That morning an estimated 40,000 Robins and 15,000
European Starlings were present at 7:00 am near 32nd Ave and Englewood.

What can I say? Obviously, 22,000 Robins flew by Sherry's house BEFORE my
niece stepped outside and we started the official tally.

So I put it to you out there in BirdYakville. Keep your eyes on the skies
between 4:30 and 5:30. Where are these Robins roosting? How many are flying
over your neighborhood? My friends from tonight's meeting assure me that the
waves will reoccur for days.

The wise worm will borough a little deeper until the orange plague passes!

Later,
Rich



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hey Folks,

My girlfriend and I looked for the Gyrfalcon Tuesday evening after it was
reported and Wednesday afternoon. We covered a few roads: Casey, Larue,
Division, and down fort.  We also looked around pump house, old goldendale and
lateral C thinking the Gyr might be attracted to the waterfowl populating the
refuge.  We didn't have any luck, maybe it moved on south or east... Numerous
harriers and red-taileds were hunting the orchards and fields.

I also looked for the Pine Grosbeak Tuesday morning-afternoonish at Snow
Mountain Ranch with no luck. I don't know when the last time they were spotted
there. White-throated and golden-crowned sparrows were present near the duck
ponds. A Great Horned Owl was perched on the Western part of the Ranch.

Good Birding,

Kevin Black
Richland, WA

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 12, 2013, at 4:30 PM, "Denny Granstrand"
<dgranstrand@...<mailto:dgranstrand@...>> wrote:



Hi Yakkers,

I was driving south from Hwy 22 on the south side of Toppenish on
Casey Road when I saw a falcon sitting on the crossarm of a power
pole. The sun was right behind the bird so I hoped I could drive past
it, then stop and look at it but it flew east as I approached it. It
was a gray morph Gyrfalcon. I got my binos on it as it flew east and I
was able to follow it as it flew most of the way across the field to
the east of the road. Andy was driving behind me but he didn't get as
good a look at it as I did. He did see it briefly but well enough to
see that its pattern of wing beats for different than that of a
Prairie Falcon. I got in his car and we drove the roads to the east
searching for it. This is about the same area where the Snowy Owl was
in January 2012. Andy commented several times that the area seemed
like good habitat for a Gyr, so it is possible it has set up a winter
territory. It will be worth searching for.

Denny Granstrand

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com<http://gmail.com>
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/<http://www.granstrand.net/gallery/>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Chirp,

I was "exploring" Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) results and noted that Kelly
Kindelspire tallied almost 19,000 Robins at/near the Suntides Golf Course roost
site Friday evening.  Hoping he will post something to clarify which direction
the biggest flows were coming from.

Yakima County is on the board with several good sightings.  The count will
continue Saturday, Sunday and all day Monday.

Hope all Yakkers can find/make time to chip in with a list or two or three...

This year the GBBC has gone from a US/Canada count to a worlddwide count.  Full
info at:

http://birdsource.org/gbbc


Later,
Rich
Befuddled Birder by 3700 Boonie Boon




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Just as we were arriving home in Terraced Estates we noticed robin after robin
flying northwest toward Selah Gap.   We were so excited after reading about this
phenomenon on Birdyak. The n a few minutes later another group flew by closer to
the hillside. We didn't spot robin red breasts in these and they seemed to be a
mixture of sizes. They are still flying by minutes later!

I think my previous post regarding birds of different sizes is explained by the
varying distances and heights. They appear black due to the light coming from
above since it is now dusk. 40 minutes later and they are still coming from the
east. We saw the last one at 5:44 tonight. I look forward to learning more about
this flight behavior from you experts.   What an exciting event!

Yakkers,

Below I have pasted a shortened account from Birds of North America Online
regarding the flocking/roosting behavior of American Robins.  I find it
interesting that male Robins will leave their nesting territory during breeding
season to roost with other males at night.  Hard to believe that the spring,
singing Robin you hear at dusk (8 pm or later) then leaves your neighborhood for
a few hours only to return at 3:30 am to seranade you once again.

Quote begins:

Roosting is common, especially during the nonbreeding season; spring and summer
robin roosts documented by Brewster. The consensus appears to be that robin
roosts are attended by all birds during the winter months, by adult males during
the breeding season, by adult females once nesting is completed, and by
offspring of both sexes as soon as they can negotiate the trip to the roost.
Communal robin roosts have been estimated to be as large as 250,000 birds.  More
typical roost sizes are on the order of 20–200 birds. Robins studied in New
Jersey from Jun to Nov 1987 were found to roost within 3 km of their “diurnal
activity centers” (DACs), but sometimes shifted to new DACs 7–9 km away at
the end of the breeding season. Roost-switching (i.e., using a roost that is
different from the one used the previous night) occasionally occurs (12% of the
time; Morrison and Caccamise 1990), but only rarely do birds switch to roosts >2
km away. Nocturnal winter roosting probably provides both foraging and
antipredator benefits rather than a thermoregulatory benefit. “Roosttime
restlessness” is known to occur in captive robins and first appears at the age
when a young wild robin would be expected to make its first visit to the roost.

End of quote.

Many Robins, as evidenced by local Christmas Bird Counts, do spend the winter
months in the valley.  Hard to say how many of those are "resident" birds as
oppossed to Robins retreating south from Canada to tough out the winter season
as close to their breeding grounds as possible.

Later,
Rich
Befuddled Birder by 3700 Boonie Boon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Yakkers,

There is still time to participate in this year's Great Backyard Bird Count. 
The process is painless and you do not have to be an expert bird watcher to join
the fun.  I think most participants actually think it is a kick in the
pants...in a good way.

The count continues Sunday and all twenty-four hours of Monday.

I am attempting to paste a link for Yakima County results...last time I looked,
66 species had been reported.  If the link works, you should a complete list of
the species along with the location of the sighting and the name of the  MOST
RECENT observer.  Any text in blue can be clicked to order the list for High
Count, First Sighting, etc.  Fun to play with.  You can also change the location
to another county or to the entire state of Washington or any country in the
world.  Amazing!


http://ebird.org/ebird/gbbc/sightings?listType=last&locInfo.regionType=subnation\
al2&locInfo.regionCode=US-WA-077&beginYear=2013&endYear=2013&continuous=false

So indulge yourself.  Submit a list and put your name up in lights.

Later,
Rich
Befuddled Birder by 3700 Bonnie Boon




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Yakkers,

Chris and I spent two hours on the Skagit Flats west of Conway, Skagit
County, Friday afternoon. We came across a flock, or gathering, of
Snow Geese that was hard to believe. I gave a conservative estimate of
12000 geese! There could easily have been 16000-18000. It was amazing!
It was incredible! It is really hard to describe.

I took several videos with my cell phone. If you would like me to send
two of them to you, please e-mail me. I am sure you will enjoy them.

This morning I spent two hours on the Samish Flats, which if northwest
of Mt. Vernon. One bird I wanted to find was a Eurasian Wigeon.  I saw
76 of them. There were 25 in one flock of about 400 American Wigeons.
(John Hebert left a message for me when I was driving home saying he
found two Eurasian Wigeons along Old Goldendale Road today.) Also 64
Bald Eagles. Lots of swans and several thousand more Snow Geese. And a
female Rusty Blackbird!

Denny Granstrand


*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/

Is Wind River Ranch publically accessible?  If so, how does one get there?

Lots of good birds reported from there recently.

== Michael Hobbs
== www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
== BirdMarymoor@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Richard,

I trust I am not the only person who will benefit from your extensive
knowledge of the GBBC. Is there a way to submit a list to ebird, then
have it sent to the GBBC?

Thanks,

Denny Granstrand


*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/

Denny,
This year you can submit it to either and they will exchange data. The simple
way is to submit regular checklists to Ebird and any Ebird checklist this
weekend will be included as part of the GBBC.

Scott Downes
downess@...
Yakima WA
WA GBBC reviewer 2008-2012


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Denny Granstrand
   To: BirdYak
   Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 4:31 PM
   Subject: [BirdYak] A question for Sir Richard, Lord of the Great Backyard Bird
Count



   Hi Richard,

   I trust I am not the only person who will benefit from your extensive
   knowledge of the GBBC. Is there a way to submit a list to ebird, then
   have it sent to the GBBC?

   Thanks,

   Denny Granstrand

   * * * * * * * * * * * *
   Denny Granstrand
   Yakima, WA
   dgranstrand AT gmail.com
   Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
   www.granstrand.net/gallery/




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Chirp,

I joined Kelly Kindelspire at the usual Suntides Robin GBBC count point this
evening.  Kelly tallied to the northeast while I watched Naches Heights to the
southwest.  Between the two of us, we came up with a grand total of 25,325. 
Kelly alone had ~20,000.  The birds were fairly high/distant again this evening
at the count site so it was a bit of the "pepper in the sky" effect that Angela
mentioned in her post yesterday of the evening flight over the Terraced Estates
in Terrace Heights.  Looking at the GBBC data, it appears that Jeff K. had a
bonanza flight in that same area this evening with a total of 27,900.

Wondering if there could be some overlap in these two flights, I looked at the
eBirds hybrid maps of the area.  Could it be possible that the Terrace Heights
Robins are leaving the Sunquist Orchards out on Bittner Road, flying over
Terrace Heights and then bending through the Selah Gap, over Selah Heights and
then dropping down to the Suntides area?  I was at the Painted Rocks last
evening watching for Robins overshooting Suntides to the west and/or following
the Naches River to Suntides from north Yakima.  I had 800 headed towards Yakima
and 500 going towards Suntides, so I doubt if the Terrace Heights birds are
staying south of the ridges and reaching Suntides.  It is entirely possible that
there is another roost site(s) hosting the Terrace Heights birds.

If anyone has observations of 5 o'clock Robins, perhaps you can help piece the
puzzle together.  I think many Yakkers have some interest in this thread and
would enjoy shared stories of GBBC adventures.

Later,
Rich
Great Backyard Buffoon



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I've seen them flying over the old Moxee school. At that point they were flying
higher. I suspect they are flying through Konnowac Pass.

On Feb 17, 2013, at 9:36 PM, Rich712@... wrote:

>
>
> Chirp,
>
> I joined Kelly Kindelspire at the usual Suntides Robin GBBC count point this
evening. Kelly tallied to the northeast while I watched Naches Heights to the
southwest. Between the two of us, we came up with a grand total of 25,325. Kelly
alone had ~20,000. The birds were fairly high/distant again this evening at the
count site so it was a bit of the "pepper in the sky" effect that Angela
mentioned in her post yesterday of the evening flight over the Terraced Estates
in Terrace Heights. Looking at the GBBC data, it appears that Jeff K. had a
bonanza flight in that same area this evening with a total of 27,900.
>
> Wondering if there could be some overlap in these two flights, I looked at the
eBirds hybrid maps of the area. Could it be possible that the Terrace Heights
Robins are leaving the Sunquist Orchards out on Bittner Road, flying over
Terrace Heights and then bending through the Selah Gap, over Selah Heights and
then dropping down to the Suntides area? I was at the Painted Rocks last evening
watching for Robins overshooting Suntides to the west and/or following the
Naches River to Suntides from north Yakima. I had 800 headed towards Yakima and
500 going towards Suntides, so I doubt if the Terrace Heights birds are staying
south of the ridges and reaching Suntides. It is entirely possible that there is
another roost site(s) hosting the Terrace Heights birds.
>
> If anyone has observations of 5 o'clock Robins, perhaps you can help piece the
puzzle together. I think many Yakkers have some interest in this thread and
would enjoy shared stories of GBBC adventures.
>
> Later,
> Rich
> Great Backyard Buffoon
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The robins last night were flying considerably south of my house than on
Saturday evening.  I could make them out with binoculars and started observing
them at 5:15.  The tide was already flowing and I got some estimates of around
900 per minute.  I kept checking every 5 minutes or so to see if the flow was
continuing at that pace (I was in charge of of cooking dinner so I couldn't
count continuously).  By 5:45 I couldn't see them any more so I stopped counting
then.  I am sure I missed many thousands because I didn't think they were flying
in my area because I couldn't see them until I decided to check with binoculars.

Jeff Kozma

Yakima (Terrace Heights)

Hi Yakkers,

If T. K. Archer is a member of BirdYak, will you please e-mail me?

Thank you,

Denny Granstrand


*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/

Hi Yakkers,

I put a load of new photos on my website from my trip to the Skagit
and Samish Flats and Mulkilteo. Included are photos of three different
Blue Geese (blue form of Snow Goose):

http://www.granstrand.net/gallery/newphotos

Denny Granstrand


*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:
www.granstrand.net/gallery/