Hi Kas -- Just short & sweet this morning. No time to titter around. An
interesting day yesterday (January 21, 1997) along the Snake and Grand Ronde
Rivers (Asotin Co., Washington). I am amazed by the numbers of Canyon and
Rock Wrens. Didn't know that they would so widespread and numerous in winter.
Mostly Canyon Wrens yesterday (28+) in the really steep cliff areas with only
6 Rock Wrens in the more talus less steep terrain. The Chief Joseph Wildlife
Area and all along the Joseph Creek Road to the Oregon border was quite birdy
with flocks of several hundreds of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins feeding
in the sprinkling of scrubby oaks on the berries. Bighorn Sheep and plenty of
Elk seen through there. The headquarters area at Chief Joseph Wildlife Area
is maintained with feeding stations for passerines and quail. Lots of birds!
Nothing out of the ordinary but there really *could be* and it's a really neat
place!

Probably everyone knows this already, but there is a GLAUCOUS GULL on the
sand/mud bar with the Ring-billeds and Herring and one other (Glaucous-winged
I think but maybe a hybrid of some sort) at Swallows Park, Clarkston, at 3pm
Thursday, Jan 21. The bird looks to be near adult (if not, maybe 3rd yr.
molting into 4th). The new 'birding Idaho' ABA guide is excellent. Tested it
out for a couple of hours late in the afternoon for Lewiston. That HUGE flock
of 'thousands' Barrow's Goldeneye mixed with Commons, Scaup, Bufflehead,
etc.. right off the grain elevators in the Clearwater River is AMAZING! Why
there I wonder?? Is it the spilled grain I wonder?? Gotta run. Looks kind
or snowy becoming rainy today but maybe nothing persistent. ...Or... maybe
really rainy!? Yuck. Oh well, 'Intellicast radar' doesn't look too bad at
the moment. So, off I go explore Pend Oreille Co anyway. Cheers! --Richard

Richard Rowlett (Pagodroma at aol.com)
(on the road out of northeast Spokane)