On May 6, James and I visited Heyburn State Park. The drive from Pullman to
Heyburn was rather uneventful. A WINTER WREN was singing at the rest area.
We spotted a BALD EAGLE just before the park.

We began our birding excursion at the Hawley's Landing Campground, at 1030
PDT. We stopped in the vicinity of the rest rooms; Dr. Johnson and his
ornithology class had located two Black-backed Woodpeckers here over a week
earlier. Unfortunately, we didn't find the BBWO. A BROWN CREEPER was
foraging in a tree at eye-level but quickly moved high into the trees when
James got the camera out. A CASSIN'S VIREO (my first for the year) and a
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER were singing incessantly from the tree tops. Three
PILEATED WOODPECKERS were foraging on the ground just behind the rest rooms.

We then hiked down to the dock. A pair of OSPREY were calling incessantly
overhead. I think they may be trying to nest near the dock but I suspect
the hoards of boaters and campers later in the season may scare them off.
They were carrying nesting material to a snag just above the dock but there
wasn't much of a nest there. The TREE SWALLOWS were staking out their
claims on the pilings. They would fly right up to the holes and fuss at
each other. It was really fun to watch. I saw my first SPOTTED SANDPIPER
of the year as we approached the dock; it quickly disappeared around the
bend when we reach the dock. The courtship of the RED-NECKED GREBES was in
full swing; we could hear their strange calls all along the lake. I was
disappointed to not find any loons on the lake. I did see several WESTERN
GREBES and a pair of WOOD DUCKS.

We then walked along the lake shore from Hawley's Landing to Plummer Creek.
The SONG SPARROWS were in full voice. There weren't very ducks on the lake.
We did find a pair of MALLARDS, several pairs of WOOD DUCKS, a pair of
NORTHERN SHOVELERS, several CANADA GEESE (no chicks), several pairs of
BUFFLEHEADS, AMERICAN WIGEON, RING-NECKED DUCKS and several female COMMON
MERGANSERS. The whole time we were walking, the OSPREY were putting on a
grand show. Whenever we were in the trees where they couldn't see us from
the bay, one would fly directly over us and start calling, as if to alert
the other one to our location. We watched as they caught several fish
(small, bulky fish, definitely not trout). There were several GREAT BLUE
HERONS hunting in the shallow bay. The landbirds were rather sparse; we
heard MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES
and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS in the cedars and saw DARK-EYED JUNCOS
everywhere. Noticeably absent were any thrushes (other than AMERICAN
ROBINS) and the usually vociferous WINTER WREN. A beautiful purple
fairy-slipper was in bloom under a massive cedar.

When we reached the Plummer Creek wildlife blinds, I waited there with the
two cameras while James went back for the car. For at least twenty minutes,
a male RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (my first of the year) pounded weakly on a dead
tree. He never moved but just kept pounding slowly in the same spot. It
didn't look like any wood was being removed but he kept out of it. There
were hundreds of swallows over the inlet of Plummer Creek. Most were TREE
and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS but I did see a few CLIFF SWALLOWS and a
brown-backed swallow I think was a BANK SWALLOW. Of course, the RED-WINGED
BLACKBIRDS were calling and chasing through the cattails.

Our last stop was the Lake Chatcolet boat basin. I was surprised to see ten
HORNED GREBES in beautiful breeding plumage. I don't remember seeing them
here in breeding plumage before.

We revisited the area around the campground rest rooms to look one more time
for the Black-backed Woodpecker. Still no luck but we did hear a TOWNSEND'S
WARBLER singing weakly from the tops of the pines. It wasn't doing a very
good job though; he sounded awful! The CASSIN'S VIREO and YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER were still in full song at 1500 PDT.

Notable by their absence: Steller's Jay, Varied Thrush, Swainson's Thrush,
Yellow Warbler, flycatchers of any species, Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

Deb Beutler
Dept. of Zoology
Washington State University
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA

dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu