Subject: HOTLINE: Northern ID/Eastern WA (March 4, 1994)
Date: Mar 8 00:57:51 1994
From: PETERSON, STACY JON - petest at WWC.EDU

Hotline: Northern Idaho / Eastern Washington
Number: (208) 882-6195
Compiler: Cass Demeroux [sp?]
Transcriber: Stacy Peterson
Date: Friday, March 4, 1994

Apologies in advance for misspellings of some birders' names.

******TRANSCRIPT******

This is Cass Demeroux [sp?] for the Northern Idaho, Eastern Washington
bird hotline for Friday, March 4th. This hotline, sponsored by Palouse
Audubon is updated every Friday sometime before the dinner hour. Bird
trips are announced at the end of the recording.

Birds of note reported this week include:

Brant
Snow Goose
Tundra Swan
Glaucus Gull
Sage Sparrow
Albino Canada Goose
Some other early migrants.

The single Brant, formerly Black Brant, was found in Swallows Park in
Clarkston, Washington during late January by Jim Acton and Warren Hall,
has been relocated on the Lewiston side of the river. Winnie Hepburn,
Mark Grotow [sp?], and the Canyon Birders found it with Canada Geese at
the grain terminals in the port of Lewiston on February 26th. I saw it
on March 1st, and Dale Goble reports seeing it on March 2nd. The bird
seems to be happy at the grain terminal and is easy to find. Enter
Lewiston via US 95 and/or US 12 turn right (West) at the first traffic
light you come to. This is Third Avenue North, and is right before the
bridge. Travel about 6/10 of a mile, and the grain terminal will be on
your left. For the next 2/10 of a mile, keep looking for the geese. The
Brant is there, but often lurks behind the much larger Canada Geese and
the dirt pile. Please call the hotline if you see this bird during the
week. This is about the eighth state record for Brant, so it's a good
bird to go look for.

On February 26th, Mike Denny reports 900 + Barrow's Goldeneye in the
Clearwater River right next to these same grain terminals, and they were
being harassed by a Cooper's Hawk.

Winnie Hepburn and Carole Vande Voorde report Tundra Swans in the
Lewiston/Clarkston valley this past week, and Ken Knittle also saw Snow
Goose, which has been favoring the area near the Quality Inn in Clarkston
and the Clarkston grain terminal.

Mike Denny reports five first and second winter Glaucus Gulls for the
Walla Walla River delta and the poop piles north of US 12/US 730
junction, near the slaughterhouse in western Walla Walla County. (See
Washington DeLorme page 40, D, 1).

Mike also saw a single female sage sparrow, the earliest record ever for
Walla Walla County, south of Touchet on February 26th. The bird was at
the end of the Stateline Road. (See Washington DeLorme page 40, D, 3).

Mike saw an albino Canada Goose at Chief Timothy State Park just west of
Clarkston, Washington on February 26th. The park is about five miles
west of Clarkston along US 12. (See Washington DeLorme page 43, A, 7).

Although Phyllis Wick still has a Rough-legged Hawk in her Moscow back
yard, spring migrants are appearing. Carole Vande Voorde reports a
common nighthawk near the Clarkston grain terminal on March 1st, after
seeing a Say's Phoebe in her Asotin yard earlier that day.

Canyon Birders have some trips planned for March. On the twelfth they
plan to bird the Tucanon Wildlife Game Range and Swallows Park near the
boat launch at 8:00 AM. On March 18th and 19th they plan to bird the
Umatilla Wildlife Refuge. It's their annual trip to see courting
Long-billed Curlews. If you can't make it on the 18th, join them on the
19th.

Looking ahead, they have a trip planned for April 2nd, birding along the
Grande Ronde River to Troy, Oregon. It's a good trip to see deer, elk,
mountain sheep, and of course, birds! Departure is from Swallows Park
boat launch at 8:00 AM. If you have any questions about any of these
three trips, or are interested in the Umatilla trip, please call Winnie
Hepburn at (208) 843-5347.

Good birding!

******END TRANSCRIPT******