We spent Saturday (5/18) birding the Spokane area and found a singing
Clay-colored Sparrow. The bird was seen on Centennial Trail off Harvard
Road just east of Spokane essentailly at the same location that CCSPs were
seen last year. (Delorme page 89 T25N R45E Section 9). Take Exit 296 off
I-90 and go north. Park in the gravel parking lot on the east side of
Harvard Road and walk Centennial Trail to the west along the Spokane River
for less than 1 mile. Walk past the 5 mile mark painted on the trail (i.e.,
5 miles from the Idaho border) and look/ listen for the bird to the south
(i.e, left of the trail). The bird was singing from a bush (service berry?)
approximately 100 ft from the trail.

Other birds of interest were:

Eastern Kingbird (at Centennial Trail)
Double-crested Cormorant (Turnbull NWR) uncommon for Spokane CO. according
to Washington birder list
A pair of Sandhill Crane (Turnbull NWR)
Several Black Terns (Turnbull NWR)
Wilson's Phalaropes (Flooded fields just south of Newman Lake) (Delorme page
89 T26N R45E Section 14) Many thanks to the two birders we met who shared
the location of the phalaropes with us.


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