The ninth annual Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe, a day of field trips, exhibits and hands-on activities for outdoor lovers and kids, returns to the Umtanum recreation site in the Yakima River Canyon.
The various field trips focus on quests for (or expert-led discussion about) such diverse shrub-steppe and/or river inhabitants as snakes, birds, bugs, fish and beavers and native plants. Some trips involve geology, native plants and landscape photography.
For a full schedule for the free event, go to www.kittitasee.net.
Migratory bird event set at wildlife refuge
An outing to celebrate Migratory Bird Day is scheduled Saturday at the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge, where Yakima Valley Audubon Society members will lead trips on the refuge to look for migrant and marsh birds.
Activities begin at 9 a.m., with an open house, bird-banding and mist-netting demonstrations on tap, as well as a presentation of live hawks, falcons and owls by Marsha Flamm of the Raptor Rehabilitation Center, with the Audubon-led trips planned to begin every half-hour between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trip leaders will have spotting scopes, but participants should bring binoculars and scopes if available.
To reach the refuge, take Highway 97 southwest from Toppenish and, after five miles, turn right at the refuge sign and proceed one-third mile to the headquarters. For more information, call Kerry Turley at 509-837-6930.
Bird Alert: Migrants returning en masse
Birders in Yakima County have listed an impressive 207 species of birds so far this year and the count continues to grow as new migrants return. New arrivals this week included a migration of common poorwill, heard calling nonstop for five minutes as they flew over Rattlesnake Ridge at Konnowac Pass, and a male black-backed woodpecker spotted along the middle fork of the Ahtanum.
A black-throated gray warbler -- rarely found in spring, especially in the lowlands of Yakima County -- was spotted along the Greenway. This area also produced sightings of Cassin's vireo, Cedar Waxwing and Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
The Yakima Training Center was the place to see owls, with great horned, burrowing, long-eared, and short-eared owls all being observed on one visit. Other birds of note in the shrub-steppe include greater sage grouse, sage thrasher sage sparrow and a peregrine falcon.
Sightings around the Valley included evening grosbeaks, western kingbirds, Wilson's warblers, Nashville warblers, orange-crowned warblers, Townsend's warblers, Vaux's swift, white throated sparrow and Bullock's oriole.
This is also a good time of year to visit one of our premier birding spots, the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge. American bittern, Wilson's phalarope, blue-winged teal, Swainson's hawk, sora, Virginia rail, Wilson's Warbler, common yellowthroat, rufous hummingbird, calliope hummingbird and a singing black-headed grosbeak were all noted there this week.
Please call your bird sightings into the Yakima Valley Audubon phone line at 248-1963
This week's correspondent: Kerry L. Turley
AROUND AND ABOUT
NEW FISH BYPASS: Starting this spring, a 290-foot water slide will aid Columbia River salmon smolts on their journey towards the Pacific Ocean. After three years under construction, the completion of the $35 million Wanapum Fish Bypass makes it possible for the Grant County PUD utility to meet a federal requirement for 95 percent survival of salmon smolts passing Wanapum Dam, located five miles south of Vantage. For more on the bypass, including photos, go to www.gcpud.org.
ON THE CALENDAR
TODAY: The Yakima Valley Audubon Society will hold a bird-watching walk along the Poppoff trail at the south end of the Yakima Area Greenway (at the east end of Valley Mall Boulevard), beginning at 8 a.m. This will be easy walking for two to three hours along the mostly paved path, and should provide looks at many colorful spring migrants. If you need more information, call trip leader Richard Repp at 965-1134.
CASCADIAN WEEKEND: The Cascadians plan a hike of Stafford Ridge on Cleman Mountain on Saturday and, on Sunday, an intermediate hike up Swakane Canyon out of Wenatchee. For meeting time and place for both Saturday and Sunday hikes, call Maurine Peck at 453-4244.
TUESDAY: The planned Cascadians hike is Hamilton Mountain. Tuesday hikers meet at 8 a.m. at the 40th Avenue Bi-Mart parking lot and carpool from there, usually breaking into faster and slower groups.
WEDNESDAY: Mount Adams Cycling Club road cyclists meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Fred Meyer parking lot off 40th Avenue for a 25-mile loop ride to Naches. You need a helmet and you need to be able to maintain at least a 12 mph average speed; a faster group (averaging 16 to 18 mph) leaves at 6 p.m. For info: e-mail to anotherjones@earthlink.net
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