Subject: "Waterfowl" trip into Columbia Basin
Date: Feb 21 08:35:59 1999
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at wolfenet.com


Tweeters,

Yesterday (February 20), I led a one-day Yakima Valley Audubon Society
course called
"Beginning Waterfowl Identification." This car caravan trip (mercifully, we
squuezed all into three very full vehicles) took us north from Yakima, then
northeast to the Grand Coulee Lakes, followed by a brief detour onto the
still wintry Waterville Plateau trip, then north along Banks Lake to
Northrup Canyon State Park Natural Area (non-waterfowl diversion!), then
south along the plateau country east of Grand Coulee to flooded Wilson
Creek, and finally to a late afternoon rendezvous with the Snowy Owls at
Moses Lake.

Because of elevation differences in the Columbia Basin and timing of this
trip (at the end of winter), we were able to slip into springtime at some
stops and back into winters grip at others.

The WA State Wildlife Access just off State Route 821 at the north end of
the Yakima Canyon (.5 mile west of I-82's Exit 3) provided great views of a
pair of Trumpeter Swans. Apparently these birds have been here for much of
the winter.

Lenore Lake (at Milepost 82 on Hwy 17) in the Lower Grand Coulee, was a
good stop. I like sharing this spot; the towering basalt cliff walls, lake
scene, and birding activity always makes for a memorable stop. Here we
found:

Canada Geese
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Ruddy Duck
Common Merganser
I
On the nearby Waterville Plateau, Atkins Lake was a different world.
Although only about 1,000' above the coulee lakes, the plateau was a frozen
scene. Atkins Lake had only the tiniest slivers of open water, apparently
induced by the "Black Body" effect of black dirt clods along the lake shore
(same effect trees have upon the snowpack at the base of their trunks in
winter). These small areas of open water were crowded with a few Canada
Geese, hundreds of Mallards, and a few Northern Pintails, the usual
vanguards of the spring waterfowl migration. The attraction here was not
waterfowl, but a scene of swirling Horned Larks. Many hundreds, perhaps a
1,000 were feeding in the wheatfield edges by the frozen lake edge. Our
excitement rose as we set scopes on Snow Buntings hopping about on the ice
near shore. In a second, my imagination took me (and I had to share this
with the group) to a Inuit yard in the low Arctic 1,500 miles north where
Snow Buntings replace juncos, House Finches and other temperate birds as
the common "Yard birds." When I mentioned this to novice birder Linda
Knutson, she very aptly reflected "then, this is Florida for the Snow
Bunting." For most in our group the Snow Bunting was a Life Bird, a real
thrilling site on the icy waste, with a stiff northeast wind (filling the
impressive storm to the south spawning a Rocky Mountain snowstorm, as I
write this). Interesting here also was that a significant number (not
quantified) of the Horned Larks appeared to be of the arctic race
(arcticola). My quick impression here was that the resident Columbia Basin
Merrill's Horned Lark was on territory and actively singing just a few
hundred yards back from the desolate wintry scene near the lake edge where
non-singing arcticola was keeping company with the Snow Buntings, both
arctic species. Another arctic visitor was here also, but try as I could, I
couldn't get a visual on the several Lapland Longspurs going "brrrt"
amongst the larks.

Cold winds stifled birding along Banks Lake. We took a "Time Out" on
waterfowl in Northrup Canyon State Park Natural Area and walked down into
the open forest of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir in this awesome gorge.
Bald Eagles played and called far above on the south canyon rim while a
lone adult Golden Eagle provided a beautiful scope study on the opposite
side of the coulee. The conifer and riparian grove seemed devoid of birds,
not even a chickadee. Far above I did pick out a Canyon Wren singing from
the cliff walls.

After the obligatory (gull watching for me, though there was but a handful
of Herring Gulls, dam viewing for others) 5-minute stop at Grand Coulee
Dam, we headed upward, south and homewards (sort of ) by switchbacking
straight up to the plateau southeast of Grand Coulee on the Almira Road,
again re-entering winter. Atop the plateau, we stopped and scoped a lone
Rough-legged Hawk, which was sharing a wire with the only Snow Bunting I
saw on that plateau. The fields between 50 NE and 47 NE that line the road
on the abrupt descent off the snowy plateau into snowfree Almira had a
concentration of Rough-legged Hawks, ~ 10 in all. We also had the only
Prairie Falcon of the day along that stretch.

Our final waterfowl stop was along Wilson Creek at the Tri-colored
Blackbird marsh (only Red-wings today). Though cold and windy with a
threatening sky, we had great views of many waterfowl:

Tundra Swan-125
Canada Goose-300
Mallard-500
Northern Pintail-250
American Wigeon-1
Canvasback-100
Redhead-15
Lesser Scaup-300

Another large flock of diving ducks was noted along here, but not looked at
in detail.

Our last stop for the day was at 5 pm in Moses Lake. Here, along and near L
NE from Wheeler Road south 1 mile, we spied on 3 immature Snowy Owls in
the cold winds and gathering dusk.
A great ending for a day we were supposed to be looking at waterfowl. You
gotta be flexible in this business.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA