Hello Tweets,

My mother and I birded mainly Douglas Co., with minor birding to and from
destinations in Chelan, Kittitas, Grant, and Okanogan Cos. on the 27th and
28th of January, with the main highlight being 20 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE at two
locations near Bridgeport in Douglas Co., despite nearly half a day with
lost birding done on Waterville Plateau on the 27th(yesterday), after
leaving Orondo, due to very dense fog, and low clouds persistant in the
area, creating very poor birding conditions, with very minimal visibility,
along with heavy snow covered surroundings, created white-out conditions,
both for birding, and for driving,which is somewhat common in winter in this
region of northcentral WA. Despite this condition, we continued with our
trip as planned, and were fortunate throughout the remainder of the trip,
with other quality species, but the weather mainly stayed cloudy, with low
clouds, and drizzle at times, from the fog, but NO significant
percipitation, and low temperatures at about 10 degrees, noted as we slept
near Bridgeport for owling purposes.

Our trip started out on the 27th, between MP 135 and 136 along Hwy.2, just
south of Orondo in Douglas Co., where we scoped good numbers of waterfowl
"rafts" on the Columbia River, where highlights included:

1 EURASIAN WIGEON
54 CANVASBACKS
65 REDHEADS
113 GREATER SCAUPS(in a single flock, with 340 Lesser Scaups counted nearby)

In a small woodlot across the highway, in thick Russian Olive trees, with a
nearby orchard consisted of:

1 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
2 HERMIT THRUSHES
13 VARIED THRUSHES
145 CEDAR WAXWINGS
1 female PURPLE FINCH

Up from Orondo, we entered the Waterville Plateau, with our first of several
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES of the trip was found, in the uphill climb from Orondo
to Waterville, were poor birding conditions prevailed throughout, as only a
few notable species were counted, as we drove through Waterville, and
Mansfield, then to Bridgeport. The main highlights were as followed:

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK(low number, due to very foggy conditions, as was true with
all raptors)
1 at Mansfield
1 near the S.R.172 and Woods Rd. interesection

Gray Patridge(a fairly common species in Douglas Co., but noteworthy, as
being our only ones of the trip)
8 at Waterville
12 at Mansfield along S.R.172

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE
1 at Douglas

SNOW BUNTING(several small flocks throughout, but our biggest flock at one
time consisted of 75 birds, with a few Horned Larks mixed in, along the
north end of Woods Rd., just south of S.R.172)

At Bridgeport, we checked the lower end of Chief Joseph Dam, where a single
PACIFIC LOON, was noted, then a fairly extensive walk through Bridgeport
State Park in Okanogan Co., produced a single BARN OWL, as we located very
good evidense of roosting owls, including remains in the form of pellets,
and feathers(located under most of the evergreen trees), from nearby coveys
of California Quail, and rodents, eaten by the Barn Owl, and other large
owls, and droppings of probable Northern Saw-whet Owls, at several conifer
trees, scattered throughout the isolated park grounds, situated on the
shores of Lake Roosevelt. Other birds of note at this location included:

1 BROWN CREEPER
1 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE

Due to increasing cloudiness, and limited visibility in the area, we headed
to Central Ferry Canyon Rd., within the Wells Wildlife Area near Bridgeport,
where we arrived at 3:30pm, and birded until dark. We parked along the lower
end of the extensive upper Ponderosa pine forest, where we mainly stayed
along the road, then a strenuous hike through snow covered fields in
"posted" Sharp-tailed Grouse habitat, below the main forest, until dark with
the following noteworthy species:

1 immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK
2 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE
1 BARRED OWL(found in a dense stand of birch and aspen trees, before being
flushed, being possibly a first Douglas County record)
5 Great Horned Owls
2 Steller's Jays
Red-breasted Nuthatch(good numbers throughout the main forest, along with
Red Crossbills, probably due to a abundant seed crop from the Ponderosa pine
trees)
15 PYGMY NUTHATCHES
2 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES
1 NORTHERN SHRIKE
13 COMMON REDPOLLS

At 7:30pm, we owled in the extensive pine forest, as we have in past years,
being one of our prime birding areas in Douglas Co., where the temperatures
began to fall quickly, and silence persisted, but we were able to locate a
least 3 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, during two attempts, as they gave only the
"skew" call note, and not the primary call, along with 2 of the 5 Great
Horned Owls calling, otherwise the night was very quiet, as we slept through
the very cold, and frigid night.

The next day(today the 28th)our first main stop was made along Bridgeport
Hill Rd., just south of Bridgeport, where we located 18 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE,
roosting and feeding in Water Birch trees, along Foster Creek, but were
flushed soon upon detection, as they were noted flying upslope from the
creek basin, and out of sight, which is a location that we have encountered
this species in past years in winter, as being always a target bird for us.

We rechecked Bridgeport State Park, before heading south into Grant Co., and
located the BARN OWL again, and a Great Horned Owl, so this site is probably
a main winter roosting location, as the combination of somewhat plentiful
food sources, excellent roosting trees, and relatively NO human disturbance,
creating prime conditions for roosting owls, and other birds, as our only
Cooper's Hawk, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the trip were encountered here on
our second visit, as was many the previous species encountered here, being
our first time at this location.

In Grant Co., we drove along S.R.17, south of Dry Falls Dam, and encountered
8 CHUKARS, just south of Sun Lakes S.P., directly on the highway, as they
crossed, then flew up to the heavy basalt cliffs, then at Soap Lake a single
flock of 20 EARED GREBES,was observed, among good numbers of nearby Ruddy
Ducks. Our only other notable highlight, as we were on our way home from
Grant into Kittitas County, was 11 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, which were all
present along a 34 mile stretch of I-90, from Kittitas west to Cle Elum.

Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net