Sunny Walter's
Washington Nature Weekends

Links to BirdYak Bird Sightings

(all external links open in new windows)

Bird Yak: Yakima County Birders' Email list
BirdYak Photo Albums (Birds and Locations) (many reports are from Yakima  Valley Audubon Society members).	Bird Sightings Start (Nov 2, 2000) Message #105  (Jan 1, 2001) Message #350  (July 5, 2001) Message #605 (Jan 1, 2002) Message #931  (July 1, 2002) Message #1250  (Jan 1, 2003) Message #1614  (July 1, 2003). Message #1943  (Jan 1, 2004)
Sightings of Special Interest: 2000-01
Priest Rapids Nov 12, 2000 Horse Heaven Hills / Bickleton (lots of deer) - Dec 26, 2001 Andy Stepniewski Gray-crowned Rosy Finches in the Yakima Canyon - Feb 26, 2001 Andy Stepniewski Grande Ronde Expedition (including bighorn sheep, wildflowers) June 1-3, 2001  Andy Stepniewski Lower Yakima Valley - June 12, 2001 Richard Repp.	Shorebird Hotspots in Yakima County  (esp. Wenas Lake) - Denny Granstrand Aug 4, 2001 Aug 12, 2001 Sept 9, 2001 Timberwolf Mountain - Sept 11, 2001 Andy Stepniewski Malheur National WilfelifeRefuge Oct 9, 2001 Bev (CMCYAKIMA)
Back to Top

Sightings of Special Interest: 2002
Sandhill Crane Field Trip March 26, 2002 Richard Repp Fort Simcoe - April 8, 2002 Kathleen Ross Bluebird Encounter of the Weird Kind April 20, 2002 Richard Repp Toppenish NWR - April 26, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Cleman Mountain in the Snow April 29, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Bank Swallow Colony near Wapato May 13, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Edgar Rock and the Nile Burn June 16, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Breeding Great Gray Owls East of Walla Walla - June 24, 2002 Denny Granstrand for Ryan Shaw Yakima Canyon Aug 19, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Migraqnt Shorebirds at Wenas Lake Aug 22, 2002 Andy Stepniewski	Migrants at Fort Simcoe Sept 2, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Rimrock Lake Sept 9, 2002 Debie Brown Yakima Greenway Sept 30, 2002 Richard Repp Eastside Eruption of Sea Ducks Oct 13, 2002 Ken Turley Common Mergansers Nov 7, 2002 Vera Backstrom Common Mergansers Kathleen Ross Toppenish Christmas Count Dec 17, 2002 Andy Stepniewski Wanapum Dam - 4 Loon Species Dec 30, 2002 Scott Ray Loons Ken Turley
Back to Top

Sightings of Special Interest: 2003
Selah Butte Hike Feb 10, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Fort Simcoe Feb 10, 2003 Richard Repp Southwest WA Winter Weekend Feb 17, 2003 Andy Stepniewski East Valley - Feruginous Hawk, Piute Ground Squirrels March 7, 2003 Scott Ray Feruginous Hawk Andy Stepniewski Moxee Great Horned Owl Chicks March 13, 2003 Scott Ray Ellensburg Bald Eagles March 16, 2003 Deborah Hessman Long-billed Curlews Near Moxee March 23, 2003 Denny Granstrand More Curlews Parke Creek March 24, 2003 Deborah Hessman Vredenburg Bluebird Trail April 1, 2003 Richard Repp Black Canyon - Lower Wenas Valley April 6, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Toppenish NWR to Fort Simcoe April 13, 2003 Andy Stepniewski April 28 Wenas May 1, 2003 Andy Stepniewski White Pass Hwy May 6, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Spotted Owl Trip June 6, 2003 Denny Granstrand Hardy Canyon Hike June 16, 2003 Andy Stepniewski	Butterfly Trip - Bethel Ridge/Oak Creek July 1, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Harts Pass July 23, 2003 Denny Granstrand American River and Mesatchee Creek July 28, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Yakima Training Center Aug 4, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Wenas Lake Shorebirds Aug 14, 2003 Denny Granstrand Aug 21 Aug 24 Aug 27 Goat Rocks Birds, Goats, Elk Aug 25, 2003 Andy Stepniewski North of Chinook Pass Raptors Aug 31-Sept 1, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Wenas Lake Egrets Sept 1, 2003 Scott G. Downes Westport Pelagic Triip + Ocean Shores Sept 13-14, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Lower Yakima Valley Sept 21, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Ahtanum Woodpeckers Sept 21, 2003 Denny Granstrand Norse Peak Hike Hawks Sept 21, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Priest Rapids Lake Oct 5, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Lewis's & Acorn Woodpeckers Near Lyle Oct 7, 2003 Denny Granstrand Priest Rapids Lake Nov 2, 2003 Andy Stepniewski Poppoff Trail / South Elton Ponf Nov 7, 2003 John Hebert
Back to Top

Sightings of Special Interest: 2004
Yakima Canyon January 4, 2004 Mac Knight  (17 bighorn sheep) Buchanan Lake January 17, 2004 Richard Repp  (107 Common Goldeneye) Horse Heaven Hills to the Columbia January 31, 2004 Andy Stepniewski  (diving ducks, mule deer) Kittitas Valley, Yakima Canyon February 8, 2004 Mac Knight  (raptors, blackbirds) Skagit and Whidbey Island Trip February 14-15, 2004 Andy Stepniewski  (raptors, shorebirds, grebes, ducks, swans)
Back to Top

Species of Special Interest to Sunny (in reverse order - most recent sightings first)
White Pelicans Satus Wildlife Area (53) August 31, 2003 Byron Wildlife Area (50) July 16, 2003 Yakima River (20-30) May 4, 2003 May 6 Wapato (24) May 1, 2003 Dodson Road (200+) (on ponds west of road just north of Winchester Wasteway Fishing Access) Sept 9, 2002 - Sunny Toppenish (15) June 23, 2002 Yakima River (40+) June 5, 2002 Selah Ga (30) May 13, 2002 Sunnyside-Mabton Road May 13, 2002 Moxie (25) May 9, 2002 Satus WRA, Granger (40-50) April 24, 2002 Parker Heights / Toppenish (85) May 31, 2001 Yakima River / Selah (22) May 22, 2001 Satus WRA, Granger (lots) May 5, 2001 Satus WRA, Granger (200+) April 29, 2001..	Bluebirds Vredenburg Bluebird Trail April 1, 2003 North Wenas Road and Hardy Canyon July 2, 2002  Bickleton June 3, 2002 Vredenburgh Bluebird Trail Weird Encounter April 19, 2002 Wenas Rd and Hardy Canyon August 2, 2001 Wenas Rd and Hardy Canyon May 31, 2001 Wenas Rd and Hardy Canyon May 10, 2001 ..
Sandhill Cranes  Old Goldendale Road Sept 27, 2002 Sandhill Crane Festival Mar 27, 2002 Sandhill Crane Festival Mar 27, 20011 ..	Swans Para Ponds Tundra Swans (75+) Mar 2, 2002 Ellensburg (12) Mar 15, 2001..
Burrowing Owls Mieras Road, Yakima (postbreeding) - June 5, 2002 Sheep Company Rd - June 18, 2001 Directions Artificial Nesting Structures ..
Back to Top

2003 Osprey Nest Observations (in reverse order - most recent sightings first)

June 30 (Kerry) Osprey nest at Indian Church Rd and Hwy 223 (not Hwy 224)- 1 adult visible and one chick visible, the chick was very active stretching it's wings. June 27 (Sue) Between the Wapato exit and Zillah, we know of at least 4 active nests. The Toppenish nest (I-82 & Exit 50) hatched two young. An Osprey was perched on a power pole on Knight Hill Road, north of Buena, and east of Sawyer. As I went across Clark Rd, headed west to Hwy 12 in Sawyer, I saw an Osprey with a fish in it's talons headed east. June 27 (John) At the Osprey site that Kerry is "monitoring" (Hwy 22 and Indian Church) mom was doing her best to shade one very hot chick. June 26 (Rich) I was waiting for some of our Greenway walkers to claim the Buchanan Lake and Myron Lake nests. I think there is another at the Union Gap end of the path. Also, we hopefully have lower valley posters for the three (?) along I-82. If anyone knows the location of the Wenas Lake nest, I could do that one...I watch bluebird nest boxes in Hardy Canyon. June 22 (Kerry) Indian Church Rd. just West of Hwy 224 - 1 adult Osprey and at least one young on nest.  June 17 (Rich) Buchanan Lake - 1 adult Osprey on the nest with two chicks visible at times.

Back to Top

Go To:

URL: http://www.sunnywalter.com/WhereView-WNW-BirdSightings-BirdYak.html Links checked and updated on: February 25, 2004 Text and photos are copyright © Sunny Walter  (unless otherwise noted) For more information, contact sunny@sunnywalter.com