Hotline: Lower Columbia Basin
Date: March 12, 2000
Phone: 509-943-OWLS
Compiler: Bob Woodley
Transcribers: Bill and Nancy LaFramboise, wlafra at owt.com

Birds reported:

Greater White-fronted Geese, Bald Eagle, Merlin
Eurasian Wigeon
Sandhill Crane
Cooper's Hawk, Hermit Thrush
Western Sandpiper, Virginia Rail, Short-eared Owl, Dunlin
Loggerhead Shrike, Long-eared Owl
Great Egret, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler
Ferruginous Hawk, Say's Phoebe
Prairie Falcon, Rock Wren, Rough-legged Hawk, Sage Sparrow

-transcript

This is the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society Bird Alert for March 12,
2000. For any questions regarding LCBAS call Mike Lilga at 946-8966. To
skip the message, push the star button on your phone and give your name,
phone number, and sightings after the tone.

On March 1, Nancy LaFramboise and I (Bob Woodley) birded the Paterson
Slough Unit of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge in southern Benton
county. Notable among the 32 species seen were 90 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GEESE and 4 BALD EAGLES, 3 of which were adults, sunning themselves on the
river bank. Also we saw a MERLIN at the Columbia Crest Winery but no owls.

Ruth Fischer found a male EURASIAN WIGEON feeding on the lawn of the
Richland Marina Park on March 2, and on March 3, she reported 6 small
flocks of SANDHILL CRANES over her south Richland home. Also on March 3,
Ruth and I (BW) saw a large female COOPER'S HAWK and a HERMIT THRUSH among
other species on Bateman Island.

Dennis Rockwell indicated that the LCBAS Bateman Island Bird Walk saw 10
WESTERN SANDPIPERS on the Yakima Delta as well as 2 very vocal VIRGINIA
RAILS and presumably a SHORT-EARED OWL on the island. The following day,
Dennis found 30 DUNLIN on the Yakima Delta.

Madeleine Brown reported 12 SANDHILL CRANES over the HAMMER Training
Facility on Horn Rapids Road on March 6.

On March 7, Dennis Rockwell found a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE at Horn Rapids Park
and found a LONG-EARED OWL there on March 8.

Also on March 8, Ruth Fischer and Laurie Ness observed 2 GREAT EGRETS, a
VARIED THRUSH, a HERMIT THRUSH and 4 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS at Ringold.

On March 9, Nancy LaFramboise and I (BW) observed a FERRUGINOUS HAWK on a
nest on the Hanford Reservation and a pair of SAY'S PHOEBES along Kingsgate
Road in North Richland. The following day we found a pair of PRAIRIE
FALCONS and 2 amorous ROCK WRENS along the Old Inland Empire Highway as
well as a very pale ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and several SAGE SPARROWS on the
south side of Rattlesnake Mountain.

Also on March 10, Ed Rykiel reported the continued presence of the pair of
EURASIAN WIGEON at the Columbia Park Duck Pond.

Lastly, Dennis Johnson observed a FERRUGINOUS HAWK over Badger Canyon Road
on March 11.

To report your own sightings, please give your name, phone number and
sightings after the tone. Thank you.



Bill and Nancy LaFramboise
Richland, WA
wlafra at owt.com