Richard Rowlett's posts inspired us to bird Douglas/Okanogan county over the
weekend.

The birding was great. Temperatures were well above freezing during the
day. Snow was melting rapidly. Forest roads were very muddy. (We could
have made some good 4-wheel drive commercials). It was nice to meet fellow
Tweeter Gene Revelas from Tacoma at Foster Creek WMA.

Birding highlights are as follows:

Snow Buntings: 800+ birds all within a 0.25 square mile area along
Cameron-Wakefield Road. Absolutely an incredible sight. They lined the
utility wires and flew in clouds reminding one of starlings.

Lapland Longspur: 3 birds with the Snow Buntings. One male was in
transition to alternate plumage (Black throat and breast well developed and
chestnut nape visible).

Ruffed Grouse: 1 male - Also along Cameron-Wakefield Road This is a
familiar bird to us from our native Connecticut, but it's our first
observation in WA.

White-winged Crossbills: 1 male and 1 female. Eating from Engelmann spruce
cones along the road from Havillah to Chesaw (about two miles from Chesaw)

White-headed Woodpecker: 1 female at Highland snow park.

Common Redpoll. approximately 75 birds at Mary Ann Creek (the Sharp-tailed
Grouse wildlife management area near Chesaw).

Pileated Woodpecker: Also at Mary Ann Creek.

Bohemian Waxwings: 24 birds at Elmer City (just north of Grand Coulee Dam)
Eating fruit from some ground cover and then flying to the tree above it.
(The water spilling over the dam was spectacular too.)

Dippers: 5 along Beaver Creek. One was singing.

The sounds added a pleasing dimension to this weekend's birding: the
dipper's song, the intensity of the calls in the large flocks of Snow
Buntings and Common Redpolls, and the Pygmy Nuthatch repeatedly calling from
the top of a tree.


Other Douglas and Okanogan County birds seen:

Great Blue Heron (Bonoparte Lake Road)
Canada Goose, Tundra Swan
Mallard, N. Pintail, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Canvasback
Red-tailed, Rough-legged Hawks, Bald Eagle, N Harrier
Ring-billed Gull
American Coots, Killdeer
Common Snipe
Great Horned Owl 3
Hairy Woodpecker, N Flicker
Horned Lark
Clark's Nutcracker, Black-billed Magpie, C. Raven, A. Crow, Steller's Jay
Mountain and Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, RB & Pygmy Nuthatch
Western and Mountain Bluebirds
Townsend's Solitaire
A. Robin
Northern Shrike
DE Junco
Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark
Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch



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