-RBA

* northern Idaho / eastern Washington / northeastern Oregon
* May 2, 1997
* IDWA9705.2

-birds mentioned

Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe
Snowy Egret
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Marbled Godwit
Solitary Sandpiper
Black-bellied Plover
Dunlin
Red-breasted Merganser
Ross's Goose
Snow Goose
Bonaparte's Gull

-transcript

HOTLINE: northern Idaho / eastern Washington /
northeastern Oregon
Date: May 2, 1997
Phone: (208) 882-6195
Compiler: Kas Dumroese
Transcriber: Dale Goble
gobled at uidaho.edu


This is Kas Dumroese with the northern Idaho / eastern Washington /
northeastern Oregon bird hotline.

It always happens. I download the messages from the machine, write
the report, call the machine to update the recording only to find a new
message has snuck in. Usually I swear under my breath, but tonights
message was a good one -- SNOWY EGRET. Today, May 2, Mike and
MerryLynn Denny report a SNOWY EGRET at Crow Butte State Park in
extreme southernwestern Benton Co., WA. This is only the 5th or 6th
state record. The bird was along the causeway. Crow Butte is in the
Columbia River, accessed by WA 14, about 12 miles west of
Patterson. In the same locale today was a RED-NECKED GREBE, and
on April 26 the Denny's saw a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
there. WA DeLorme 28, B2.

On April 26 at the Walla Walla River Delta in western Walla Walla Co,
WA, Mike and MerryLynn saw an alternate-plumaged BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER, a MARBLED GODWIT, exactly 197 DUNLIN, 40+ AMERICAN
AVOCET, 9 BLACK-NECKED STILT, and several GREATER
YELLOWLEGS. The delta is just north of the jct of US 730 and US 12,
about 15 miles southeast of the Tri-Cities. WA DeLorme 40, D1.

On the Idaho side, all the reported action was at Mann Lake, just east
of Lewiston. On April 26, John and Cody Montgomery saw 10
BLACK-NECKED STILT but a half-hour later Dan Svingen and I found
another to bring the total to 11. Also there were 32 SNOW GEESE.
On April 27, Dave Holick found 2 AMERICAN AVOCET, 9
BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 15 EARED GREBES, and 2 YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRDS. On May 1, Dan Svingen added a WESTERN
SANDPIPER, a COMMON LOON, 3 ROSS'S GEESE and 10 SNOW
GEESE, while later that day Dave Holick saw 2 BLACK-NECKED
STILTS and a solitary SOLITARY SANDPIPER. ID DeLorme 54, A1.

Approaching Lewiston from the north, take US 12 into Lewiston, cross
the Clearwater River and immediately take the turn lane left toward
East Lewiston. At the stop sign, turn left onto Main and follow it to
the blinking yellow lights. Turn right onto Lindsay Creek Road and
follow it a few miles until it terminates at Grelle Avenue. Turn left
onto Grelle and after Grelle makes a sharp right turn, turn left onto
Powers Avenue and follow it about a mile to the reservoir. Continue
straight past the grain towers.

The BLUE JAYS are still present in north Moscow.

Saturday May 10 is National Migratory Bird Day and Bird Count. Dale Goble
is organizing a count for Latah County, Idaho. If yu want to
participate, please call him at 208/882-8697. If you're somewhere
else in Idaho, you can still participate. Jim James is the Idaho
compiler. His telephone number is 208/388-2269. If you count birds
that day, please send him your results to 2607 Holden Lane, Boise,
83706. His e-mail is JDJ9090 at idahopower.com and he would like all
results by May 24.

Good birding!