Tweeters,

I participated in a Yakima Valley Audubon Society fieldtrip targeting Snowy
Owls at Moses Lake yesterday February 13.

Enroute, we had great views of an immature Merlin ripping into a passerine
on the asphalt on the Old Vantage Hwy west of the Ginkgo Interpretive
Museum. We also watched this sleek beauty make a brief pass at a kestrel.

We were skunked at 10 am at the favored Snowy Owl spot (on L NE .5 mile
north of Nelson Rd.,
(reached by exiting I-90 at Exit 179, then going north .2 mile to
Kittleson, then east 1 mile to L NE, then left). Maybe it was on account of
bright conditions. We spent about an hour in the area. The highlight in
this area was goose music overhead; there was a near constant procession of
Canada Geese flying southwest overhead, presumably from favored feeding
fields to safe loafing areas on Moses Lake. I suggested we return to this
area at dusk for another chance for the Snowy Owls. It has been my
experience here that the owls can disappear during midday hours, especially
on sunny days.

We headed north to Stratford, then east on Hwy 28 to east of Wilson Creek.
At the Tricolored Blackbird nesting area, we spent about an hour scoping
the hundreds of waterfowl below the basalt rim. We all agreed this was a
very pretty spot and there was plenty to see:

TundraSwan - 150
Canada Goose - 50
Green-winged Teal - 2
Mallard - 1,000
Northern Pintail - 150
American Wigeon - 1 (yep, only 1!)
Canvasback - 100
Redhead - 50
Ring-necked Duck - 5
Lesser Scaup - 200
Common Goldeneye - 100
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Rough-legged Hawk - 1

Along Lenore Lake in beautiful, warm sunshine we added:

Barrow's Goldeneye - 4
Common Goldeneye - 25
Ruddy Duck - 250
Herring Gull - 10

At Dry Falls Dam, scanning the south end of Banks Lake, there were:

Greater Scaup - 50
Common Goldeneye - 25
Bald Eagle - 1

Returning to L NE at about 5 pm, two Snowy Owls were easily found, one very
barred (immature?), one much lighter, but still faintly barred bird. This
made for a very satisfying finale and a Life Bird for several on the trip!

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA