This past weekend the E. Lake WA AS (ELWAS) had their annual field trip to E.
Wash. led by Len Steiner. We start from Wenatchee, go up the east side of the
Columbia R. to Chelan Falls bridge, check out Chelan, then go to Pateros and
up the Methow R., visiting Alta L. area. We usually stay a the Idle-A-While
Motel in Twisp, but it was full and so was everything else in the area because
this was a three day weekend. So we drove back down to Pateros to the Lake
Pateros Motor Inn which worked out very well. On our way up the east side of
the Columbia while we were stopped and looking at waterfowl, Sandy and Jerry
Converse stopped and talked to us. They indicated that birding was a little
slow because of the warm weather and lack of snow. We ended up with 44 species
for Sat. on a very nice day. Highlights:

14 waterfowl species including Redheads
5 Common Loon
11 Bald Eagle
8 Red-tailed hawk
Townsend's Solitaire and No. Shrike at Alta Lake area
25 Bohemian Waxwing in one tree in Methow.

Sunday we went to Brewster, Bridgeport, Hwy 17 to Hwy 172 thru Mansfield and
Withrow, down to Hwy 2, west thru Douglas and Waterville and back to Wenatchee
by noon. We only saw 27 species with seven new ones for a total trip of 51.
Highlights included:

3 Northern Harrier
2 Bald Eagle
7 Red-tailed Hawk
4 Rough-legged Hawk
1 Great Horned Owl in usual place in grove of trees at abandoned dwellings a
few miles west of Mansfield.
Horned Lark - large numbers

Disappointments were not seeing Snow Buntings, Gray Partridge, or Snowy Owls.
It was a great trip in probably the best weather for traveling we have ever
had, but not the best for seeing birds.