Hi Folks,

Just got back from Ritzville, yesterday, where I volunteer to complete a Breeding Bird
Survey route for the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center people. They've got about
3,000 routes across the country - and Canada - and are usually looking for birders to
spend a pleasant morning in June to complete some of the 'unsubscribed' routes (hint,
hint - USGS contact Keith Pardieck at Keith_Pardieck at usgs.gov if you're interested in
volunteering for next year...."Birding with a Purpose").

Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes extend for 25 miles along roads. The observer gets out
of the car, counts every bird seen or heard (within 1/4 mile) for 3 minutes, jumps in the car,
drives 1/2 mile and does it again, and again, and again for 50 stops. The count starts at
the crack of dawn (4:26 AM), when the birds are wide awake - even if I'm not - and you
finish in about 4-4.5 hours.

The "Keystone" Route (named after the Keystone siding and wheat silo along the Burlington
Northern route), begins at Cow Lake about 10 miles east of Ritzville, then follows north,
crosses I-90 and the BN tracks, across Crab Creek, then up along Lords' Creek to within
6 or 7 miles of Harrington. The Adams County portion goes through a landscape about
1/2 wheat and the rest grassland - including some sagebrush 'steppe'. Part of this grass-
land is "mounded" prairie, which was obviously created by the same forces that created
the Mima Mounds south of Olympia. The Lincoln County portion of the route is heavy to
wheat and fallow wheat ground, except in the stops along the two creeks. It's really obvious
that the sagebrush steppe (even the 'overgrazed' stuff) and the Conservation Reserve
Program lands are the only places where there are any birds in this country - the wheat
grounds are empty of birds except for horned larks displaying over the fallow ground
and cliff swallows foraging above.

Yesterday, June 10th, began with the Full Moon lighting up the roads east from Ritzville.
There were lots of Horned Larks along the road (does anyone have an idea of why horned
larks roost on the roads?), as well as a short-eared owl with a rodent in its talons. As I
waited for the appointed hour of 4:26 to arrive, coyotes shrilled from the rimrock above the
lake. There were a few light, high clouds in the sky, the wind was blowing from 5-18 mph,
and the temperature ranged from 56-66* F. In all, I counted:

Common Nighthawk 2 1 stop
Mallard 4 2 stops - including a brood of ducklings at Crab Creek
Gadwall 4 3 stops
Cinnamon Teal 9 2 stops
Coot 3 1 "
Blue-winged Teal 1 1 "
Ring-billed Gull 83 24 "
California Gull 12 7 "
Spotted Sandpiper 2 2 "
Killdeer 11 9 "
Black-cr Night Heron 1 1 "
White Pelican 22 2 "
Gray Partridge 1 1 "
Ring-necked Pheasant 20 18 "
Short-eared Owl 5 5 "
Great-Horned Owl 1 1 " Standing in window of old barn
Rock Dove 34 2 "
Mourning Dove 10 6 "
Am Kestrel 1 1 "
Red-tailed Hawk 8 5 "
Swainson's Hawk 6 4 "
Ferruginous Hawk 1 1 " Good View!!
Western Kingbird 12 8 "
Eastern Kingbird 9 6 "
Say's Phoebe 3 3 "
Willow Flycatcher 1 1 " Along Lord's Cr.
Starling 24 8 "
Raven 5 3 "
Black-billed Magpie 14 13 "
Barn Swallow 9 6 "
Cliff Swallow 135 19 "
Bank Swallow 8 1 " Small colony along Lords Cr.
Robin 8 6 "
House Wren 4 4 " All at trees in 'homesteads'
Sage Thrasher 3 3 "
Wilson's Warbler 1 1 " In willows Along Lords creek
Horned Lark 109 36 "
W Meadowlark 142 37 "
Yellow-headed Blackbird 57 2 "
Red-winged Blackbird 30 8 "
Brewer's Blackbird 26 10 "
Brown-headed Cowbird 10 4 "
Song Sparrow 1 1 " Along Lords Cr.
Savannah Sparrow 102 27 "
Grasshopper Sparrow 35 20 "
Vesper Sparrow 27 15 "
Brewer's Sparrow 3 3 "
House Sparrow 16 5 "

9 mule deer were counted, as well as a *lot* of cattle

50 species isn't too bad. There's a lot of other birds in the area - you just don't get them
all in a 3-minute count at 50 stops. At Cow Lake the evening before were a number of
Caspian Terns and Marsh Wrens (not seen/heard for the count), as well as a beautiful
drake wood duck swimming alongside a big ol' White Pelican! There were a lot of
Sphinx moths drinking from a wild thistle.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net