Hi tweets
Yesterday we got back from a three day trip which started at Grand
Coulee, to Turnbull NWR, Umatilla NWR, Columbia Basin NWR and back home.
Total miles 641.

I will give what were, to us, highlights and lowlights of the trip.
2-14-98
We didn't get started until 9:00 am Saturday our goal for the day was to
bird on the way to Spokane, do some shopping in the big city and stay
somewhere near Turnbull NWR sat. night. Near Reardon, (DeLorme C-0),
Corner of Old State Hwy and Bald Ridge road, a gray phase Gyrfalcon sat
on a power pole for about 10 minutes while we were able to ooh and aah
and get a very positive ID. A Great Horned Owl was right where Howard
Ferguson said it would be. Thanks Howard. From there we got side tracked
to Medical Lake. Nothing unusual there.

Next we hit the big city and COSTCO! While we were in the store Sandy
said "I think I hear a House Sparrow"; sure enough, up in the roof
trusses were two House (store) Sparrows. What a life. They probably
spent the winter in there.

We arrived at Cheney that evening and found a quiet street to sleep.(we
slept in our van) Quiet--whaat is that noise!! We were 100 yards from
the train tracks, and a train went by about every hour.

2-15-98
Upon waking up the next morning, at 4:30 (Sandy thought is was 5:30) we
looked out the window only to see white. It was snowing! Oh GREAT and we
forgot our snowshoes. Drove around town and found a bakery that was open
and made a donut and cup of coffee last an hour.

There was no problem finding Turnbull NWR. There were big signs leading
us right to the entrance. Most of our birding was done from the van, or
close to it because of the weather. Highlights were Hairy Woodpecker-3,
Downy Woodpecker-2, (m-f) Red Crossbill-2, White Breasted Nuthatch-2 (by
Kepple lake overlook sign) Pygmy Nuthatch-1, (1/4 MI past sign),
Mourning Dove-1, Mountain Chickadees, Blackcap Chickadees, and Juncos
were all together at one site. At 9:30am the fog started rolling in and
visibility
became near zero. arrgg. Headed for Tri-Cities.

Freeway birding WOW!!
How do you drive 70 mph, spot a bird, grab the bins. look at the field
guide, ID the bird and stay on the road all at the same time? You don't
by your self. Sandy would spot them waaay ahead, giving me time to look
in the rear view mirror and slow down, sometimes rather quickly.
Screeech!

We were able, for about 5 minutes, to view what we believe to be a Dark
Moph Swainson's Hawk perched on a power pole cross arm on other side of
freeway, and three others that were soaring. At first glance I thought
the ones soaring were Turkey Vultures by their manner of flight. Then
Sandy read that the Swainson's has similar flight characteristics.
(wings angled up) This one is a definite maybe.
Description:
Size of Red -tail Hawk, white patch above beak, no white under beak,
color was rich dark
chocolate brown, reddish tint on breast, primaries extended to tip of
tail, able to view only end of tail which
had white on the tips, legs were orange in color. Comments welcome.

Umatilla NWR was a total bust, mainly because I think they are trying to
keep it a secret. The DeLorme shows the access road as a old rail road
track, which I thought would not be driveable. The very small signs were
set so far back from the highway, that we missed them. By the time we
figured out where it was, the sun was starting to set. Oh well, next
time. Arrived at Othello after dark and stayed in a parking lot.

2-16-98
It was so cold that when we woke up there was frost on the INSIDE of the
windows. Brrr.
We took highway 26 west and then north to George. Near a large orchard
we saw a cloud of Starling.
There must have been 20 to 30 thousand. I mean it looked like a hoard of
locust! It was amazing how they can move as if with one mind telling
them which direction to go at the same time. Along with many Ducks and
Geese we saw one Killdeer.

Along Banks lake we saw two cars parked and some one standing there with
binoculars in hand, hmmm, right! Birders! It was Gene Hunn leading a
group from Seattle. They were looking for the Rosy Finch which Sandy and
I didn't know was in our local stompin grounds.

New birds for us were--White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Killdeer
and Swainson's??

Total number of species seen--50 plus many that we were unable to ID.

All in all a good trip. Lesson learned--don't try to cover so much
ground, better to cover less area more thoroughly.

Jerry and Sandy Converse
Grand Coulee, WA