Hi Tweets,

I tried writing this a few hours ago, but just as I got it written and =
before I sent it, a thunder storm rolled through and knocked out the =
power for 30 seconds. Of course, the message was lost. My best prose, =
too....

Just got back from a couple weeks of vacation, away from work, phones, =
and computers. Kind of nice. As usual, we started the vacation in =
Ritzville, where I do a Breeding Bird Survey route annually, this year =
on 10 June. The count runs from Cow Lake east of Ritzville in Adams =
County to near Harrington in Lincoln Co. Most of the birds are those of =
the grasslands and wheat country - meadowlarks and sparrows in the =
pasture/meadows and horned larks in the wheat. Few of the stops are =
near farmsteads, so the diversity on the count is relatively low. The =
Conservation Reserve Program grasslands have about 10 years in place, =
without farming, grazing or burning, and seem to have the healthiest =
Meadowlark, Savannah Sparrow, and Grasshopper Sparrow populations. I =
enjoy going back to the same place each year and hearing/seeing old =
'friends' - such as the Curlew that calls at the 3rd stop. A single =
Willow Flycatcher was seen/heard where Platter Rd crosses Lord's Creek =
but I didn't see the Song Sparrow there this year, although I got a =
great view of a Sage Thrasher at 10 yards just above where Doerschlag Rd =
drops down to cross Crab Creek. It's neat to see the Swainson's Hawks - =
5 on the count.

That afternoon, we went to camp at Hawks Creek, about 13 miles NW of =
Davenport. There's a US Park Service campground there - $10 fee, pit =
toilet, no wood, water may be available later in the year. Lake =
Roosevelt is drawn down enough so that the 25-foot falls do *not* drop =
into the reservoir, but there's a 1/4-mile stretch of the creek running =
from the falls to the lake. Quite a colony of Cliff Swallows at the =
falls, and a pair of Dippers kept taking food to a nest (that I never =
could see...). In the brush near camp were several Yellow Warblers, =
Yellow-breasted Chats, Robins, Song Sparrow, American Goldfinch and a =
couple Willow Flycatchers. Four Ravens worked the slope, and out over =
the cliff swallow colony area - I never did see whether they were trying =
to harrass/prey on the swallows, but the swallows really got agitated =
when they flew over.

Next day, we went over east of Colville (where the guy at the Les Schwab =
tire place - a whole story in itself - noted: "It's CALL-ville, not =
Coal-ville!") to the area marked on the maps as the "Little Pend Orielle =
Wildlife Recreation Area". Got there to find out that the US Fish & =
Wildlife had resumed authority over the area from the Wash Dept (Fish =
and) Wildlife in 1994, and it was now the Little Pend Orielle National =
Wildlife Refuge - new staff, new buildings, and maybe a new direction =
for management? We camped at Bayley Lake, at the south end of the =
Refuge. This was a nice spot for a camp: no fee, no firewood, no water, =
few other campers, moderate mosquitos. Fly fishing only here, so not a =
lot of tourist traffic. The lake had 2 pair of Red-necked Grebes (which =
give quite loud wake-up calls at 4:45 a.m.) and a pair of Pied-billeds, =
two broods of Common Goldeneyes, three broods of half-grown Canada =
Geese, several Spotted Sandpipers, and about a dozen turtles (species =
not determined - sorry Kelly...). Lots of Ring-necked Ducks paired up, =
but no broods seen. The pond above the lake had a few pair of Ruddy =
Ducks, with the males' electric-blue bills, and a small colony of =
Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Interestingly, I saw more Black-capped =
Chickadees than Mountains...

On the 13th, we went on up to Big Meadow Lake, about 8 miles west of =
Ione, in Pend Orielle County. Another nice place, no fee, 16 sites, no =
wood, no water. Found out that the lake is full of Yellow Perch (a =
deleterious exotic species?) and planted rainbow trout, easy to catch =
for the kids, and we ended up staying here for most of a week. We were =
wakened each morning to the calls of Warbling Vireos, Ruby-crowned =
Kinglets and Swainson's Thrush. Gray Jays performed their functions as =
"Camp Robbers". Heard the Barred Owl call a few times, but no other =
owls were vocal. A pair of Ravens worked the lake, and there were quite =
a few yellow warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Juncos and Red-naped =
Sapsuckers in camp. Willow Flycatchers and Song Sparrows were common in =
the wet meadow where the creek exits the lake. Snipe winnowing every =
evening were neat - and, it took me the longest time to figure out what =
the brown bird perched atop a 40-foot Englemann's Spruce was, until I =
realized it was a snipe with its head tucked under its wing! An Osprey =
hunted the lake, and probably did better than the fishermen.

I never saw it, but a few other campers saw a moose (young bull) in the =
meadow below the lake; last year there was a cow and calves seen there. =
I put up my mist-net a few times, and caught 2 breeding-condition male =
Northern Waterthrushes! Didn't hear or see them before that. Also =
caught and banded a Hammond's Flycatcher, as well as juncos, Chipping =
Sparrows, sapsuckers, Audubon's Warblers, etc. Russell Rogers told me =
that there are Redstarts there, but I didn't see/hear any of them, =
either. Neither did I see any Spruce Grouse in the area, although we =
saw several broods of Ruffed Grouse along the roads. The lake had 2 =
broods of Common Goldeneye, a brood of 5 Bufflehead, a brood of 4 =
Mallards, a sly Pied-billed Grebe or two, and lots of paired-up =
Ring-necked Ducks. Juvenile Juncos were everywhere, but they were the =
only young passerines I saw. Saw a few Varied Thrush, although I wasn't =
hearing them call....

After this, we mostly touristed back west, and I didn't do any intensive =
birding. But I did note that someone has placed bluebird nest boxes on =
fence posts, etc., all up the Aeneas Valley and down the Tunk Creek =
Valley, south and east of Tonasket. On the 20th, the Tunk Creek road =
seemed to be lined with both Western and Mountain Bluebirds. I don't =
know who put the effort into building and placing these boxes, but Kudos =
to whomever it was! It sure made a nice drive even nicer, to see these =
bright blue highlights to the sage and bitterbrush.

Some nice country in the NE part of our State; I'd never been up in that =
area before, but I'll likely go back. There's a lot of it I haven't =
seen, yet.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net