Hotline: Lower Columbia Basin
Date: December 10, 1996
Phone: 509-943-OWLS
Compiler: Bob Woodley
Transcribers: Bill and Nancy LaFramboise, wlafra at oneworld.owt.com

Birds reported:

Short-eared Owl
Snowy Owl
Merlin
Snow Bunting
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire and Varied Thrushes
Lapland Longspur
Pacific Loon
Mew Gull
Glaucous Gull
American Tree Sparrow
Blue Jay
Hermit Thrush
Prairie Falcon

-transcript

This is the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society Bird Alert for December 10,
1996. For any questions regarding LCBAS call Mike Lilga at 946-8966.

To bypass the announcement, push the star button on your phone and leave a
message after the tone.

On November 30, Ron and Carol Louderback stopped to photograph 2 SHORT-EARED
OWLS at the junction of Foley and LeMaster Roads about 4 miles northeast of
Othello and flushed a SNOWY OWL in the process. The following day they
photographed the owls all at the same location. They also reported a MERLIN
at Rainier and 2nd Place in Kennewick.

Also on November 30, Bill and Nancy LaFramboise and Ruth Fischer found 19
SNOW BUNTINGS along Case and Crooks Roads on the south side of Rattlesnake
Mountain.

On December 2, Randy Hill of Othello found a female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD along
Morgan Lake Road on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

Mary Lilga reported a male VARIED THRUSH and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE in her
Richland yard on December 4, while later in the week, on December 7, the
Lilgas hosted 6 Varied Thrushes in their yard.

Ruth Fischer and I (Bob Woodley) birding in the Horse Heaven Hills on
December 4, found about 20 SNOW BUNTINGS and 1 LAPLAND LONGSPUR among Horned
Larks along Tyacke Road between County Well and Cemetery Roads.

On December 5, Dennis Rockwell reported that the PACIFIC LOON is still on
the lagoon at 2 Rivers Park particularly in the early morning.

Mike Denny observed an adult MEW GULL and 80 Hooded Mergansers on Casey
Pond, a first winter GLAUCOUS GULL on the compost piles near the Wallula
Pulp Mill and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW at Madame Dorian Park all on December 6.

The 2 BLUE JAYS that frequent Hood Street in Richland were seen again by
Steve Weiss on December 7 and seen again by Ruth Fischer today, December 10.

Dennis Rockwell found a HERMIT THRUSH on Bateman Island on December 7 and
indicated that little else was present.

Lastly, Ron and Carol Louderback again birding in the Othello area, found a
PRAIRIE FALCON at the corner of Foley and LeMaster Roads on December 7.

To report your own sightings, please give your name, phone number and
sightings after the tone. Thank you.


Bill and Nancy LaFramboise
Richland, WA
wlafra at oneworld.owt.com