Hello Tweets,

After I birded mainly the Lower Columbia Basin Cos., and SE WA the first
part of last week, I birded with Ken Knittle and Dave Beaudette mainly the
Waterville Plateau east and north to Togo Mtn.(Ferry Co.), then the
Colville Valley, east to Calispell Lk.(Pend Orielle Co.), then south to the
Spokane area. Temperatures remained surprisingly mild, with H low 60's and
L upper 30's -low 40's. Weather was mainly clear, with partly cloudy in the
Spokane area, and local valley fog.

We started on Oct.22nd(Thursday)where we started birding on the Waterville
Pateau near Douglas(Douglas Co.) along Hwy.2, where a 12 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY
FINCHES, and a small scattering of LAPLAND LONGSPURS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS
east to Atkins Lk. Atkins Lake produced 7 DUNLIN, 135 TUNDRA SWANS, 5
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and single GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Futher
east in Grant Co. at Coulee City Park at the SE corner of Banks Lk. 5
RED-NECKED GREBES were noted among Am.Coots and other waterbirds. An adult
PEREGRINE FALCON was observed NE of Hartline near along R NE Rd(Hartline
Rd.), and a single MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and 2 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES at
Hartline.Continuing north near Long Lake south of Grand Coulee on 50 NE, 8
CHUKAR were seen running along the road, then dropping down to SR 174
overlooking Coulee Heights 4 EVENING GROSBEAKS were heard and seen above
the community.We took the Keller Ferry on Lake Roosevelt from the Lincoln
Co.side into Ferry Co. We observed 12 GRAY PARTRIDGE and a NORTHERN SHRIKE,
south of Keller, before heading north on Hwy.21 to Sanpoil Lk., south of
Curlew Lake, where 1 GR.W.F..GOOSE and 3 CANVASBACKS were present amongst
other common waterfowl, then a quick ceck at Curlew Lake S.P., produced 1
GREATER SCAUP within a few Ring-necked Ducks. We travelled east from Curlew
to Hwy.395 over Deer Crk.-Boulder Pass, then north of Orient to Little
Boulder Creek.Rd., then west to FR 300, where we met Mark Houston of
Spokane, who joined us on Togo Mtn to search for BOREAL OWL and other Ferry
Co.mountain birds, which we continued north from FR 300 on on a narrow 4WD
road to the top at 6043'. We attemted owling from 7:30pm-10pm, with distant
BARRED, Great Horned, and N.SAW-WHET OWLS, then a BOREAL OWL, which gave a
quick, fairly loud "sneeze" variation of the typical "skew" call note, then
flew across the road, observed only in indirect light from "our"
flashlights as we attempted to locate it unsuccessfully at "our" camp spot,
which the owl was heard ad briefly seen at around 58-5900' in appropriate
habitat with pockets of dense Sub-alpine Fir, and Logdpole pine. The next
morning(Oct.23rd)we birded walked to the top from our trucks, where
highlights included 25 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, 1 PINE GROSBEAK, and a probable
COMMON REDPOLL. Going back down the mountain in our trucks, we flushed 6
BLUE GROUSE from the road into nearby trees, on our way to bird Stevens and
Pend Orielle Co. The remainder of the day was quite slow in both these
Cos., but notables included 5 RED-NECKED GREBES and a COMMON LOON on Waitts
Lake SW of Chewelah(Stevens Co.), 1 MERLIN(S of Chewelah in Colville
Valley), and 7 CANVASBACKS and 1 NORTHERN SHRIKE at and near Calispell Lake
in Pend Orielle Co. SW of Cusick. From that location, we headed south to
Spokane, where we stayed at Mark's place, then birded to 12pm the next day,
before Ken,Dave, and I headed for west for home over Stevens Pass. The next
and final day(Oct.25th)we all started near the Spokane River, where Mark
took us to a "stake out" AM.DIPPER, then birded the SW corner of Riverside
SP, where a male PINE GROSBEAK, 1 CANYON WREN(heard only), and several
Brown Creepers were noted. We ten headed south to Turnbull NWR near Cheney,
which was quite slow, then continued south to Rock Lake(Whitman Co.),
driving through Hole-in-the-Ground(Rock Creek)with several BEWICK'S WRENS,
all 3 nuthatches, 5 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS(Kenova), and a single HERMIT THRUSH
as notables. Extensive checks of Rock Lake, Crooked Knee, Folsom, and Sheep
Lakes, after departing from Mark,produced 1 PRAIRIE FALCON, several EARED
GREBES, 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES, 15 GRAY PARTRIDGE, and 1 V.RAIL(heard), then a
BONEAPARTE'S GULL at the Sprague STP, and a quick unsuccessful check in
finding any quality ducks at Sprague Lk., such as scoters, Oldsquaw, or
R.B.Merganser, so we headed for home.

Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net