Yesterday Carolyn Eagan and I were finishing up a three day birding trip to the Okanogan and we decided to check out all the spots that had been posted in the Wilson Creek area. We could not find the Tricolored Blackbirds. It was late afternoon and everything was pretty quiet. What birds we could see flying were on the far side of the marsh and the ID would have been difficult. We checked out the flooded field along Hwy 28 east of town by milepost 71 as posted in the Birdbox Transcription 7/10/00 (copied below). We did not see the Franklin's or Bonapartes Gulls. We scoped this extensive flooded field from above walking across an old hiway and thru grass and sage. It was very productive. Highlights were:

1 SNOWY EGRET
2 GREAT EGRET
1 WHITE-FACED IBIS
12 WILSONS"S PHALAROPES
There were many RING-BILLED GULLS, several each of LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 3 GREAT BLUE HERONS, about 6-8 DOWITCHER species, several KILLDEER and other smaller peeps that we could not identify from our distance. There were several duck species and the ones that we could identify for sure were MALLARD and AMERICAN WIGEON.

The following message was copied from the WA Birdbox transcription from Monday, July 10, 2000....

> Monday, July 3, 10:16 AM. Hi, this is Steven Mlodinow. Yesterday Dennis
> Duffey, Casey Beechum and I birded Grant County mostly. Highlights included 3
> adult FRANKLIN'S GULLS and a couple of BONAPARTE'S GULLS in a flooded >field near the town of Wilson Creek itself. This is along the highway there, just
> by milepost 71. Also on the shores of that flooded field was a male
> TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD, presumably from the nearby breeding colony. At the > colony itself we missed TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS, but that was likely due to
> going there in the early afternoon when things are pretty quiet.

We also checked out Brook Lake west of the town of Wilson Creek and found two AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS and four WESTERN GREBES. There were also several DOUBLE-CRESTED COROMORANTS and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. (Thanks to the Sullivan post on 7/2/00).

I hope others get to see the Ibis...it was a beautiful bird in the late afternoon sun. This was a great was a great way to end what had been two wonderful birding days spent wandering thru the Okanogan area. Phyllis Stark was with us on that leg of the trip but that part of the trip will have to wait for another time.

Mary Anne Thorbeck
maryannethorbeck at home.com