Left Tonasket at 0530 with fine intentions of being home by noon. BUT, gave
in to sudden impulse and veered left at Bridgeport, and well.... another day
shot!

Waterville Plateau, Douglas Co., WA (03Mar96). Weather: overcast, wind calm,
intermittant wet snow 1030-1330hrs, no accumulation, but compromising
visibility at times, air temp. 26-35F.

Hawks -- 27 Rough-legged, 10 Red-tailed, 2 American Kestrel

Owls -- Great horned owls are nesting -- several birds sitting on nests
observed. A saw-whet was tooting at mid-morning before the snow started,
heard eminating from a pine/juniper plantation around a distant ranch while I
was way out in the open range land. Short-eared owl <see tree sparrows
below>. Still jinxed on long-eared - couldn't find any.

A "singing" northern shrike was seen further south along "13 NE" Road,
opposite a frozen flooded field containing a flock of 65-70 tundra swans (3-4
mi WNW St. Andrews) -- another 'promising-looking' brushy area worth
checking.

Tree Sparrow -- Foster Creek WMA; flock of 9 at south end, in the lone willow
and brush, 50 meters north of the culvert over Foster Creek (Dyer Hill Rd).
[No sharp-tailed grouse this time, but I didn't do much more than just scan
tree tops]. Two more tree sparrows were seen 6 miles east, and one mile
south, at the corner of "L NE" and "13 NE" Roads -- excellent brushy spot
worth checking any time you are over in that area. A short-eared owl was in
the grassy field on the west side of the road here, despite heavy wet snow
falling at the time.

Snow Buntings & Horned Larks -- The huge snow bunting flocks of mid-January
are long gone so it seems. Horned larks have dispersed all over the place
with only the occasional lingering snow bunting(s) mixed in. Snow buntings
were very hard to find, never more than 2 or 3.

----------------

Moses Lake, Grant Co., WA (03Mar96). Partly cloudy, SUNNY (1600-1730), wind
calm, temp. ~45F

Snowy Owl -- What better way to end this trip with a sunset over the Cascades
and watching the two snowy owls, bathed in 'pink', and perched out on the
irrigation sprinkler lines, moon one day shy of full rising right over them!
I watched them from 1600-1730. Easy access off I-90 (though I came from the
north via Coulee City & Gloyd Seep WMA). For 'normal' folks, take exit #179
(WA rt.17, Othello, Moses Lake). Immediately, take Kittleson east for 0.5 mi
to "L NE"; then left on "L" 1.0 mi to Nelson Rd. Owls perched on east side
of "L" on both sides of Nelson. Count 18 "wheels" south on the the first
sprinkler line, and the owl is usually found perched on or just in front of
the white gear box -- completely exposed BUT blends in perfectly with the box
& easily overlooked -- locals say that is it's favorite spot. The other bird
was on the north side of Nelson, on the the 3rd row of sprinklers, but
further out. They may not be there too much longer as tilling the fields has
started some, having displaced the owls already from one favorite field.

Richard Rowlett <pagodroma at aol.com>
Bellevue, WA, USA