Hotline: Lower Columbia Basin
Date: February 2, 1998
Phone: 509-943-OWLS
Compiler: Bob Woodley
Transcribers: Bill and Nancy LaFramboise, wlafra at oneworld.owt.com

Birds reported:

Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow
Bohemian Waxwing
Townsend's Solitaire
Thayer's Gull
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Say's Phoebe
Western Gull
Golden Eagle, Canyon Wren, Northern Shrike
Brewer's Blackbirds (600-800)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Tundra Swan

-transcript

This is the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society Bird Alert for February 2,
1998. For any questions regarding LCBAS call Mike Lilga at 946-8966.

To skip the message, push the star button on your phone and give your name,
phone number, and sightings after the tone.

On January 21, Nancy LaFramboise and Ruth Fischer birding along the Audubon
Nature Trail in Columbia Park found a WINTER WREN, 2 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS,
3 HERMIT THRUSHES and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

On the following day, Nancy, Ruth and I (Bob Woodley) again found a WINTER
WREN, 1 HERMIT THRUSH, and the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and added a VARIED
THRUSH and a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW.

On January 25, Ed Rykiel reported about a dozen BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in a
mixed flock with about 30 Cedar Waxwings in the trees along the Columbia
River on the WSU campus in North Richland.

Nancy LaFramboise and I could not relocate the Bohemian Waxwings, but we
did find a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE near Snyder and Enterprise Streets in North
Richland and a THAYER'S GULL on the upper end of Nelson Island (Groves
Park) on January 26.

On January 28, Nancy LaFramboise and Ruth Fischer relocated a solitaire
near Skagit and Easton and found 2 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES near Snyder and
Enterprise Streets in North Richland, but again no Bohemian Waxwings.

On January 29, Bill LaFramboise found a very early SAY'S PHOEBE in an area
inaccessible to the public but look for this species locally now.

An adult WESTERN GULL joined the gull flock on the upper end of Nelson
Island on January 30.

The following day Craig Corder, Judy Stevens and I observed a GOLDEN EAGLE,
3 CANYON WRENS, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE along the south side of the Columbia
River upstream from the Vernita Bridge. There were 2 THAYER'S GULLS at the
Richland landfill and an estimated 600-800 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS in Groves
Park near the Richland Water Plant intake.

But the real prize was reported that afternoon (1/31) when Tony Greager
discovered a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK just upstream from the Twin Bridges near
West Richland. Several of us saw this new Benton county record on February
1, the day after its discovery.

Lastly, Ellen Schmit-Roth (sp?) observed 8 TUNDRA SWAN on the downstream
end of Nelson Island this morning, February 2.

To report your own sightings, please give your name, phone number and
sightings after the tone. Thank you.



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