At 09:39 24/1/98 EST, Richard Rowlett wrote:
>Day 4; Friday, 23 January 1998:


>NOW I know why there are so few (next to none) reports coming from Pend
>Oreille and Stevens Counties in Washington's northeast most corner. No one
>writes helpful 'negative' reports! Okay, well, here's one :-)) There is
>virtually nothing here.

(Snip)

Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties are very birdy in the summer. The place
is literally crawling with birds. There are birds everywhere in the summer
but most of them are migrants. This summer, the number of resident birds
such as siskins and crossbills was very low compared to other years I have
worked up there. The numbers of Red Crossbills was extremely low this
summer; perhaps that is continuing this winter.

I have spent the last four summers (mid-May to late July) in Pend Oreille
and Stevens counties surveying birds. I will confess: I've never been brave
enough to bird the area in the winter (fear of getting stuck in the snow and
mud).

(Snip.) Great habitat and lots of potential for Northern Hawk and Great
Gray Owls -- too
>much potential habitat actually.

In six years of bird surveys with bird crews of 6-10 birders, we do not have
a single record of a Great Gray Owl. Our study sites are located all over
Pend Oreille and Stevens counties (from Chewelah to the Metalline Falls, on
both sides of the Pend Oreille River) and we bird daily. Many of our
birders would bird the area on their days off. We have never found a Great
Gray Owl (and many of us have tried). The meadows at Big Meadow Lake seem
like the perfect habitat.

Generally, Barred Owls the most frequently seen owl, followed by Great
Horned Owls. Northern Pygmy-Owls are often heard on our bird surveys and we
usually call them in (but we usually don't if we are conducting surveys; it
tends to mess up the data by attracting other birds). Big Meadow Lake is
the only area we have frequently encountered Western Screech-Owls.


(snip) Even the little towns which I explored street by
>street were lifeless avian voids apart from each town having it's single token
>little flock of European Starlings, usually a dozen or less, and Metaline
>Falls boasted an absolute zero for any passerines.

Even in the summer, the towns are rather birdless. I've seen more starlings
around Big Meadow Lake (where there are many cavities in the snags in the
lake) than I have in any of the towns.



On Saturday, Jan. 25, Richard Rowlett wrote:
(snip)

Earlier, at Northport, Stevens Co., on the east bank of the Columbia River and
yet another of those seemingly 'birdless' towns of which there seem to be so
many up in these parts, I was standing on the west bank looking at a
Townsend's Solitare and a little flock of 6 Red-breasted Mergansers (first of
the trip) when I heard a familiar call coming from somewhere way across the
river in Northport. That sounds like a Blue Jay! I made my way north, back
across the bridge, and started poking around Northport. Sure enough, a BLUE
JAY was found about 20 minutes later, the only bird in the entire town! So,
it should be 'easy' to find '-)

Wow! both Blue Jay and Red-breasted Mergansers in Stevens County. I've
never seen either one there.

Thanks for the reports! I have really enjoyed them. I will have to
overcome my fear and explore the area in the winter.

Cheers
Deb

Deb Beutler
Department of Zoology
P.O. Box 644236
Washington State Univerisity
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu