Birds of Eastern Washington

I could probably post three photos a week for the rest of my life from my inventory of yard photos, but they are going to have to be put on hold for awhile. On Wednesday I took my good camera back to Seattle for shipment to Nikon for a minor, but irritating, problem. So I’ll be without my camera for a minimum of about four weeks while it is being evaluated/repaired… hopefully under warranty. The timing is not good… Thursday in the yard we saw a Yellow-rumped warbler, a Wilson’s warbler and a male Red Crossbill. On Friday we had a very rare Mourning dove in the yard most of the day, and just before dark I could hear it calling. It reminded me of Texas, although I’m not ready to acquire Mourning doves at a cost of 100-degree days and a severe lack of rain. On Saturday the Rufous hummingbirds were visiting our yellow irises which would have made for good photos.

However I’m not without photographs. Earlier this week we took a brief trip over to Eastern Washington and birded the Winthrop area. So the birds I’ll display in this post will be from that trip.

This small bird, which I originally thought was a thrush, turned out to be a flycatcher (I think).  It was located near water in deciduous forest and brush.  My wife managed to attract it by mimicking a Swainson's thrush call.  I'm guessing the bird is a member of the genus Empidonax and therefore unidentifiable.  (I have more photos if anyone wants to make a guess as to species.) 

I discovered a short trail to the pond with a nice log on which I could comfortably sit and spent a considerable amount of time waiting for an unusual bird to come along.  It was a perfect setting... I had light, I was looking down a row of reeds with a partially submerged log adjacent to the reeds.  However all that landed there were Red-winged blackbirds. 

On one of our drives through the Methow Valley of Eastern Washington we encountered this Killdeer which, instead of moving away from our car, actually approached it.  I took a quick picture because I was distracted by other birds and it wasn't until I got back home and processed the photo that I realized that the Killdeer was a juvenile.  

We saw several Western kingbirds (and also Eastern kingbirds along the roads... 

At Beaver Pond I managed to find at least two Cedar waxwings that were fly-catching.  Judging by their behavior I suspect that they had a nest nearby.  In this photo you can see all the distinguishing markings of this remarkable bird... the crest, the black mask, the reddish-orange on the tips of its wings and the yellow band along its tail.  Every one of these birds I've ever seen look like they were sculpted in porcelain... they are perfect.  

 

Finally, on our way home we happened on a small mixed flock of birds all of which were very active.  I finally isolated one or more Townsend's warblers from the flock and managed to photograph them.  I feel very fortunate to have been able to obtain photographs of the bird due to its relative rarity and activeness.  In a good year we sometimes sight one pass through the yard in the fall.