Highlights of an Early Spring E. WA Trip

I found Mountain Bluebirds pretty much everywhere in proper habitat this week. They are one of my favorite birds.

Last week I spent at Lake Chelan in Eastern WA, and got out enough to pick up most of the FOY specialties best seen at this time of year east of the Cascades. I talk about this trip briefly in the intro to The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #10 with John Sterling. Here are photos from the trip managed to capture.

This Loggerhead Shrike who posed on this roadside sign was the only LOSH I saw all week.
This male Dusky Grouse was very hormonally possessed, preening, calling and attacking my car and even pecking at my shoes!
Once I found good sage habitat a bit south of Chelan, this on the Moses Coulee Road, Sage Thrashers seemed to be singing everywhere.
Sagebrush Sparrow was tougher to find, but this one finally popped up.
Say’s Phoebes were essentially everywhere it seemed.
TV
Vesper Sparrow

A good week and good birds.