At least one N. Mockingbird was still present in south Grant County this
afternoon at 5pm. Craig Kemper and I found a singing bird on the shorter of
two power transmission towers north of the northernmost group of shrubs. The
bird(s) may be found as follows:

>From the Vernita Bridge (DeLorme p.
>49, cross to the north side of the Columbia River, head west on Hwy 243
towards
>Vantage a little over 2 miles to the steel high poles which cross the highway.
>At the west end of the wires on the north side of the highway there is a clump
>of "high bush" which stands out in the shrub-steppe.

For the shorebirders...

Black-necked Stilts are breeding at the Quincy industrial "sewage" ponds.
Several adults and one downy chick were observed feeding in a pond
immediately north of the irrigation canal. Also present were several Least
Sandpipers and 3 Dowitchers sp.

A Great Egret was present along Lind Coulee in southeastern Grant County.
The water level in the coulee (and Potholes Res.) was high with very little
visible mud for shorebirds and no shorebirds were noted in the coulee.

The Othello sewage pond gate was locked but distant phalaropes were visible.
No shorebirds were seen on the Othello potato settling ponds NW of town.

Scott Ray
Yakima, WA
scray at wolfe.net

[click *here* to view my web page]