Many Cowiche trails close
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy once again closed its trails at the Uplands and Snow Mountain Ranch due to worsening mud Monday afternoon.
The main Cowiche Canyon trail and Konnowac Pass trails remain open. For the latest updates, go to cowichecanyon.org/trails.
Bird Alert
The Yakima Area Arboretum is arguably one of the most beautiful places in central Washington, a serene urban oasis spanning 46 acres of meticulously cultivated gardens, tree collections, and natural spaces. and for those in the know, a fall and winter hotspot for birds. This week, local bird enthusiasts tallied around 30 species of birds here. The highlights included a sharp-shinned hawk looking for an easy meal and a couple of bald eagles. The woodpecker family was represented by the usual flickers and downy woodpeckers and an unexpected Williamson's sapsucker was observed clinging to the top of a tree along the river. Over 40 cedar waxwings were observed, but unfortunately no bohemian waxwings were found in the bunch.
The arboretum bird blind can be found in the northeast corner of the Arboretum property, just north of the Cottonwoods in the natural area. This is a great place to study the sparrow family and hone your identification skills. This week, fox sparrow, dark-eyed junco, white-crowned sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, song sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow and spotted towhee were all noted enjoying the seed that was scattered on the ground for them. The blind was also visited by seven California scrub-jays and lots of black-capped chickadee.
Email bird sightings to [email protected] and be sure to like The Yakima Valley Audubon Society on its Facebook page or visit yakimaaudubon.org.
-- Kerry Turley
Calendar
SATURDAY: The Hard Core Running Club will host its weekend fun run of 3 to 6 miles, with all paces and abilities welcome. Meet at 9 a.m. at Chesterley Park in the parking lot between the YMCA and North 40th Avenue.
ALSO SATURDAY: The Yakima Area Arboretum will host a Christmas Centerpiece Class taught by trained florist Marci Venable. The cost is $50 for YAA members and $55 for non-members. For more information and to register, go to ahtrees.org.
Getting outdoors
SATURDAY: The Cascadians will host an easy to intermediate snowshoe outing at a place to be determined. Mileage will be determined by snow conditions and participants, but expect a minimum of five miles. Drivers will most likely need a Sno-Park pass. Go to cascadians.org/Calendar for more details.
TUESDAY: The Cascadians will hike 3-4 miles on rolling terrain at the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy's Uplands, from the South Rim trail to the Tieton Andesite trail, then up to the Historic Jeep trail for a loop back to the parking lot. Go to cascadians.org/Calendar for more details.
ALSO TUESDAY: The Cascadians will host a downhill skiing day at White Pass. A season pass or daily lift ticket is required. Go to cascadians.org/Calendar for more details.