OREGON & WASHINGTON 
the W.V, Bentons 2nd Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 
enlivened Corvallis 15 May (RH). Single gnat- 
catchers stopped at Fields 4 May (M) and 
Malheur 24 May (AC); this species is a very 
uncommon breeder in some of the juniper- 
filled canyons of Harney, but gnatcatchers 
rarely appear in that county’s migrant traps. 
After consecutive record springs, Mountain 
Bluebirds again showed well in w. Washing- 
ton, with 21 between 16 Mar and 7 May; 5 at 
Marymoor Park 9 Apr was the maximum 
(MH). Oregon again lagged far behind, equal- 
ing last year’s meager showing with just five 
reports 20 Mar-10 Apr. Seven Townsend’s 
Solitaires were encountered in the lowlands of 
w. Oregon, including a maximum of 3 at Port- 
land’s Mount Tabor Park 22 Apr (G. Lillie). 
An olive-backed Swainson’s Thrush (swflin- 
soni group) was an unexpected find on Eu- 
chre Mt., Lincoln 26 May (tDB); local breed- 
ers are of the russet-backed type (ustulatus 
subspecies group). This bird, a presumed mi- 
grant, was likely still northbound, as swain- 
soni make up much of breeding population in 
British Columbia. Three migrant Gray Cat- 
birds were noted from Harney oases 24-30 
May, including 2 together at Malheur 26 May 
(AC). A paltry 6 Northern Mockingbirds 24 
Mar-25 May were all in Oregon. American 
Pipits at N.S.C.B. 28 May (KC, DL) and Eu- 
gene 29 May (H. Reinbard) were at least two 
weeks tardy. Thirty Bohemian Waxwings at 
Summer L., Lake 17 Mar (PL) was an excep- 
tional tally so far removed from their expect- 
ed haunts in ne. Oregon. 
A male Tennessee Warbler at Portland 28 
Apr (tj. Hayes) was about a month earlier 
than the normal vagrant window and may 
have wintered in the w. United States; another, 
at Malheur 25 May (TS), fell within the ex- 
pected pattern of occurrence. A Virginia’s War- 
bler at Twin Buttes, Malheur 24 May (AS, ES) 
was in an area that has produced about one 
third of Oregon’s 14 antecedent records; it is 
believed that this species is a rare-but-regular 
breeder in Malheur, but remote patches of 
suitable habitat are extremely difficult to ac- 
cess. This season’s Chestnut-sided Warbler 
graced Frenchglen, Harney 24 (HN). A male 
Magnolia Warbler, not quite annual in the Re- 
gion in spring, visited Hagelstein Park, Kla- 
math (KS); this is about the 30th record for 
Oregon, half of which have fallen 20 May-15 
jun. This spring’s lone Black-throated Blue 
Warbler brightened Fields 20 May (M). A Her- 
mit Warbler at Eugene 14 Mar (B. Green) had 
surely wintered locally, while one at Daven- 
port, Lincoln 18 May (tM. Mathis et al.) con- 
tinues a string of eastside reports far from ex- 
pected breeding habitat. Seven Palm Warblers 
constituted a typical spring showing; 6 were 
on the coast, where expected, while one at 
Malheur 25 May (TS) was on the eastside, 
where less than annual at any season. Primari- 
ly a fall vagrant in the Region, a singing Black- 
poll Warbler at Sun Lakes/Dry Falls S.P. 24 
May (ph., tDS, BS) provides just the 2nd 
spring record for Washington; surprisingly, 
this marks the 3rd consecutive year that a 
northbound Blackpoll has visited the eastside. 
The season’s only Black-and-white Warbler, 
the first in w. Washington since May 2003, 
graced Kent Ponds, King 24 May (ph. O. Oliv- 
er, M. 62: L. Crawford); Washington averages 
about one per year, with records widely scat- 
tered throughout the seasons. Single migrant 
American Redstarts at Ginko S.P., Kittitas 13 
May (CW) and s. of Fields 24 May (TS) were 
about two or three weeks early; most reports 
of northbound birds come in early Jun. North- 
ern Waterthrushes are extremely rare spring 
vagrants in w. Washington, so one at Fir I., Sk- 
agit 9 May was noteworthy (D. Abbott). A wa- 
terthrush found in suitable breeding habitat n. 
of Sisters 22 May (RHo) was in area with no 
documented nestings; one at Fields 31 May 
(TR) was the only report from the Harney mi- 
grant traps. A male Hooded Warbler found 
singing at Coast Range at Elliot S.F in e. Coos 
29-31 May (JB) was the 4th May-Jun bird dur- 
ing the past three years in Oregon, which had 
just nine records prior to 2007. Five Yellow- 
breasted Chats in w. Washington 2 May-i- be- 
speaks this species’ continuing comeback in 
that subregion. The flight of 175 Western Tan- 
agers that passed PN.P 9 May (BW, G. Gerdts, 
j. Acker) was the seasonal maximum but pales 
in comparison to the Regional record 1450 tal- 
lied there 16 May 2008. 
A gathering of 250 Chipping Sparrows at 
Liberty, Kittitas 12 May (CW) far surpasses 
any previous Regional tally; 150 along Gray 
Rock Trail, Yakima 23 May 2005 is the only 
other published triple-digit tally. A Clay-col- 
ored Sparrow visiting Bainbridge L, Kitsap 4 
May is just the 4th spring season bird from w. 
Washington (BW). We’ve come to expect 
Brewer’s Sparrows on the westside in recent 
years, but they remain quite rare in the P.T.; 
Snohomish's first was near Brier 25 May (TB). 
The declining ET. breeding population of Ves- 
per Sparrows is almost entirely confined to 
Pierce and Thurston, so singles at Seattle 5 Apr 
(C. Sidles) and Van Horn, Skagit 9 May (GB) 
were unexpected. A Vesper at Toledo, Lincoln 
16 Apr (C. Philo) was surprising, as they are 
rare on the coastal slope n. of Coos. Two terri- 
torial Vespers along Bethel Mountain Rd. e. of 
New River, Coos 18 Apr-25 May were at the 
northernmost coastal site with suspected 
breeders. Though there are no recent Umpqua 
Valley breeding records, a Lark Sparrow near 
Glide, Douglas 21 Apr QH) was in an area h 
where they nested somewhat regularly 25 ! 
years ago. Three Black-throated Sparrows at i 
Mickey Hot Springs, Harney 23 Apr (SD) were 
five days earlier than the record arrival date jj 
for the Region. Another Black-throated that ;|i 
visited a Selah, Yakima feeder 27 Apr was both ( 
early and far from known breeding sites {fide 
DC), while one at Hanford, Benton 20 May j 
was simply out of place Q- Abel, NL). Now an- 
nual in both states, single Red Fox Sparrows , 
(iliaca subspecies group) enlivened Bain- ! 
bridge 1. 5-6 Apr (BW) and Florence, Lane 28 ^ 
May (DPe). Harris’s Sparrow, which averages 
about 5 per spring in the Region, was a near || 
no-show; one at Cape Meares, Tillamook 17 | 
Apr-1 May (M. Tweelinckx) furnished the 1 
only report. White-crowned Sparrows of the 
subspecies oriantha are rarely reported away ^ 
from montane breeding sites on the eastside; 
thus 2 banded near Finley, Benton 29 Apr Q- i 
Lucas, NL) and another at Richland 2 May ; 
(BL, NL) were of interest. The 100+ Lapland * 
Longspurs noted along Oregon’s coast 2 1 
Mar-9 May likely makes a seasonal record for ' 
that state, where single-digit spring tallies are j 
the norm. Most of these reports involved small 
flocks of fewer than 10 birds, with 35+ at Cape 
Blanco 7 Apr representing the daily maximum 
(KA, LM). The Region’s 4th spring, and Wash- 1 
ington’s 6th, Chestnut-collared Longspur was 
near Tacoma 15 May (tR. Moore, V Elliot, J. 
Wherry, M. Heckert). A Snow Bunting on De- 
struction 1., Jefferson 20-22 May fell one day 
shy of tying the latest spring record for Wash- i 
ington (P. Hodum). j 
The Northern Cardinal saga continued, i 
with three more appearances by this species 
along the P.T.AV.V corridor. Females visited 
feeders in Salem 3 Mar (fide HN), and Van- 
couver, Clark 28 Apr (D. Goddu), while a 
male reported from Aurora, Marion 25 Mar 
had apparently been present since 31 Jan 
2009 (fide OS). Despite obvious questions of 
provenance, the recent string of sightings is 
beginning to fuel serious speculations about 
natural occurrence, as it is difficult for some 
to imagine that so many cardinals (particular- 
ly females) are being transported into the Re- 
gion. Five Rose-breasted Grosbeaks 30 
Apr-31 May was about half the recent sea- 
sonal norm; another, found during late Feb at 1 
Suncrest, Stevens, was present through 13 1 
Mar (TL, G. Sheridan, MW). Three Indigo 
Buntings 1-26 May were all on the eastside, 
where annual in spring; the earliest, at Ken- 
newick, Benton 1-2 May (S. Peterson, R. 
Weeks, T. Greagor), was about the 25th for 
Washington. A male Dickcissel at Grants 
Pass, Josephine 27 May (ph. P. Hicks) was the 
Region’s first spring record since 1995; Ore- 
496 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
