With the temperature over 100 degrees for the week we decided to get up
at 5 am Saturday and Sunday and beat the heat. Thought we could make it
home by 11 or so,
but it was closer to 1pm both days and very hot!
Saturday we headed toward Brewster. Just east of Brewster we drove up
Indian Dan
Canyon over to Pleasant Hill road and back to Brewster.

On the way to Brewster we saw several of the road cleanup crew
(Ravens). At Leahy junction we saw some Common Nighthawks roosting.
Birds of note at a large pond (or small lake) in Indian Canyon were in
order of sighting:
Pied-bill Grebe
Ruddy Ducks
Cedar waxwings
Western Bluebird
Lazuli Bunting
Spotted Towhee
Western Wood Peewee
Mountain Bluebird

On the road to Pleasant Hill Road we saw:
White breasted Nuthatch
Mountain Chickadee
Spotted Sandpiper
Male Kingfisher

Total Species for Saturday 48

Sunday up at 5 am again. We went to Crab Creek via Almira, Hartline and
south to Wilson Creek. We saw several Red-tailed Hawks on the way. We
spent sometime at
Crab Creek. Headed west to Soap Lake and came home along Lake Lenore and
Banks
Lake. Spent the afternoons napping in our nice air-conditioned house.

On the way to Crabcreek we had a young Porcupine waddle across the road
in front of us. They never seem in a hurry. On the road from Wilson
Creek to the north side viewing area of the Crabcreek wetland, we saw:
White Pelican-92 in the wetland
Ferruginous Hawk-2 on power poles
Lazuli Bunting
Lark Sparrow-lots of them
Western Grebe

At the North viewing area (by the railroad tracks) we saw:
DB Cormorant-3
Yellow headed Blackbird-2
Redwinged blackbird-3
No Tricolored :-(
Barn Owl chicks-3 They look more like Barn Owls now--Heart shaped face.
Black-Crowned Night Heron-several juvenile

On to Lake Lenore (south end). There we saw:
Avocet-2
Western Sandpiper-3
Wilson's Phalrope-2
Black Tern-1

At Atkins Lake -- if you can call it a lake -- with all this HOT
weather, it is evaporating fast! We drove across the road that goes thru
the middle of the lake. It was high and dry. Most of the lake is covered
with WAPATO-Sagittaria latifolia and some WATER SMARTWEED-Polygonum
amphibium. Very few birds. We did see what we believe to be (after 15
minutes of viewing) two BAIRDS SANDPIPERS. Also saw :
Least Sandpipers-3
Greater Yellowlegs-2
Coots-a few
Mallards-naturally

Our final stop before heading home was at the WWTP at Coulee City. Birds
seen:
Ring-billed Gulls
Redhead-14
Lesser Scaup-3
and some more ducks waaay down at the other end of the pond.

Total species for Sunday: 45

Headed for home--quickly--no A/C in the car!

Jerry and Sandy Converse
Grand Coulee, WA