Tweeters,

Here's a late report of birds seen on a late May trip to various northern
Columbia Basin birding areas and the adjacent Okanogan Highlands:

COLUMBIA BASIN AND SANPOIL RIVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
26-28 MAY, 2001

Kraig and Kathy Kemper, and Ellen and myself birded the Columbia Basin and
the Sanpoil River Valley this past Memorial Day weekend. We covered the
range of habitats in the Columbia Basin and sampled the westernmost parts of
Washington's "Northeast Corner."

WILSON CREEK. We were granted a mid-morning breakfast setting at the Chapel
Inn B & B, so headed off at dawn to Wilson Creek on the 26th. We enjoyed
wonderful birding here including good views of a Ferruginous Hawk on its
nest, many waterfowl and shorebirds typical of the Columbia Basin, and
Tri-colored Blackbirds.

COULEE LAKES. The highlight here was a Franklin's Gull amongst the swarms of
Ring-billed and California Gulls on Lake Lenore. We also viewed a Red-necked
Grebe from the Lake Lenore Caves parking lot. Apparently a pair or two nest
in this area, a bit of an unusual site. There were also swarms of people in
the area, and the heat was close to oppressive (940 F), so we bailed out of
this area and headed to higher and cooler elevations east of Grand Coulee.

SWANSON LAKES. Quickly becoming a favorite of mine is the Swanson Lakes
Wildlife Area. Water and wading birds were abundant, as were birds of the
shrub-steppe and grasslands. We spent dusk here on the 26th 2 miles north
of the old Schoolhouse on Swanson Lakes Road and enjoyed watching a pair of
Burrowing Owls forage. Hovering with rapid beating wings high above the
steppe seemed to be one hunting strategy. At least 4 Short-eared Owls were
also in evidence. Kraig awoke at 3 AM or so (!) the next morning and owled
some, nabbing Great Horned and Long-eared Owls. The morning of the 27th we
returned to the steppe on Swanson Lakes Road and had superb views of Vesper,
Savannah, and Grasshopper Sparrows.

SANPOIL RIVER. The highlight of the trip for me was birding the 53-mile
stretch of the Sanpoil River in western Ferry Canyon. Ken Knittle revealed
to the birding community the breeding bird diversity of this area when he
tallied 89 species one one morning in mid-June 1996. The evening of the 27th
found us on the West Fork of the Sanpoil River amidst a wonderful chorus of
Veeries. The following morning we began birding the Sanpoil River along
SR-21 from Republic to Keller in earnest. This drive is along many miles of
the finest riparian habitat in all of Washington, in my estimation. Dry
Ponderosa Pine groves alternating with wetter Douglas-fir forests, increase
birding opportunities, We had 91 species along this highway by early
afternoon. "Eastern" species such as Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Veey,
Gray Catbird, and Northern Waterthrush were common; American Redstart was
present in smaller numbers. Many other birds typical of the riparian and
conifer forests of the West were also noted.

Bird species noted:

W- Wilson Creek
C-Coulee Lakes
Sw-Swanson Lakes
Sa-Sanpoil River


Pied-billed Grebe - W, C, Sw
Red-necked Grebe - C
Eared Grebe - Sw, nesting
Western Grebe - C
American White Pelican - W
Double-crested Coemorant - C
Great Blue Heron - C, nesting in rookery north of Dry Falls Dam
Black-crowned Night-Heron - C, as above
Canada Goose - W, C, Sw, Sa
Green-winged Teal - W, Sw, Sa
Mallard - W, C, Sw, Sa
Northern Pintail - W, Sw
Blue-winged Teal - W, Sw
Cinnamon Teal - W, Sw
Northern Shoveler - W, C, Sw, Sa
Gadwall - W, C, Sw, Sa
American Wigeon - W, C, Sw, Sa
Canvasback - 5 at Sw
Redhead - W, C, Sw, Sa
Greater Scaup - 5 at Republic Sewage ponds
Lesser Scaup - C, Sw, Sa
Common Goldeneye - male in Aeneas Valley
Barrow's Goldeneye - C
Bufflehead - Sw
Hooded Merganser - C,
Common Merganser - C, Sa
Ruddy Duck - W, C, Sw
Turkey Vulture - C
Osprey - Sa
Bald Eagle - C
Northern Harrier - W, C, Sw
Swainson's Hawk - Sw
Red-tailed Hawk - W, C, Sw, Sa
Ferruginous Hawk - 2 at W
Golden Eagle - C, with 2 eaglets
American Kestrel - W, C, Sw, Sa
Ring-necked Pheasant - W, C, Sw
Ruffed Grouse - Sa
California Quail - W, C
American Coot - W, C, Sw
Semipalmated Plover - 4 at Sw
Killdeer - W, C, Sw, Sa
Black-necked Stilt - W, C, Sw
American Avocet - W, C, Sw
Spotted Sandpiper - W, C, Sw, Sa
Long-billed Curlew - Sw
[Pectoral Sandpiper -a maybe at W, very distant views of 4 birds that were
either Least or this species, had a distinctly "long-necked profile," were
foraging in water up to 2" deep]
Long-billed Dowitcher - 2, Sw
Common Snipe - W, Sw, Sa
Franklin's Gull - 1, C
Ring-billed Gull - W, C, Sw
California Gull - W, C, Sw, Sa
Caspian Tern - W, C
Forster's Tern - W
Black Tern - Sw
Rock Dove - W, C, Sw
Mourning Dove - W, C, Sw, Sa
Great Horned Owl - Sw
Burrowing Owl - Sw
Long-eared Owl - Sw
Common Nighthawk - Sw
Vaux's Swift - Sa
White-throated Swift - C, Sa
Calliope Hummingbird - Sa
Belted Kingfisher - Sa
Lewis's Woodpecker - Sa
Red-naped Sapsucker - Sa
Hairy Woodpecker - Sa
Northern Flicker - C, Sw, Sa
Pileated Woodpecker - Sa
Western Wood-Pewee - C, Sa
Willow Flycatcher - Sa
Hammond's Flycatcher - Sa, common
Dusky Flycatcher - Sa, 1 only
Gray Flycatcher - Sw, pine woods, also Fort Spokane
Say's Phoebe - W, C, Sw
Western Kingbird - W, C, Sw, Sa
Eastern Kingbird - W, Sw, Sa
Cassin's Vireo - Sa
Warbling Vireo - Sa
Red-eyed Vireo - Sa (common)
Horned Lark - Sw
Tree Swallow - W, C, Sw, Sa
Violet-green Swallow - W, C, Sw, Sa
N. Rough-winged Swallow - Sa
Bank Swallow - C
Cliff Swallow - W, C, Sw, Sa
Barn Swallow - W, C, Sw, Sa
Steller's Jay - Sw, pine woods
Clark's Nutcracker - Sa
Black-billed Magpie - W, C, Sw, Sa
American Crow - Sa
Common Raven - W, C, Sw, Sa
Black-capped Chickadee - C, Sa
Mountain Chickadee - Sw, pine woods, Sa
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sw, pine woods, Sa
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sw, pine woods
Pygmy Nuthatch - Sw, also Fort Spokane
Brpown Creeper - Fort Spokane
Rock Wren - W, C, Sa
Canyon Wren - C
House Wren - Sw
Marsh Wren - W, Sw, Sa
American Dipper - Sa
Western Bluebird - Fort Spokane, Sa
Mountain Bluebird - Sw
Veery - Sa, common!
American Robin - W, C, Sw, Sa
Gray Catbird - Davenport Cemetery, Sa (common)
Sage Thrasher - Sw
Cedar Waxwing - Davenport Cemetery, Sa
European Starling - W, C, Sw, Sa
Orange-crowned Warbler - Sa
Nashville Warbler - Sa
Yellow Warbler - Sw, Sa
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Sa
Townsend's Warbler - Sa
American Redstart - Sa
Northern Waterthrush - Sa
MacGillivray's Warbler - Sa
Common Yellowthroat - W, Sa
Wilson's Warbler - Davenport Cemetery
Yellow-breasted Chat - Hawk Creek
Western Tanager - Sa
Black-headed Grosbeak - C
Lazuli Bunting - W, C, Sw, Sa
Spotted Towhee, Sa
Chipping Sparrow - Hawk Creek, Sa
Brewer's Sparrow - Sw
Vesper Sparrow - Sw
Lark Sparrow - W, Sa
Savannah Sparrow - Sw
Grasshopper Sparrow - Sw
Song Sparrow - W, C, Sw, Sa
Dark-eyed Junco - Sa
Bobolink - Sa, Aeneas Valley
Red-winged Blackbird - W, C, Sw, Sa
Tricolored Blackbird - 6 at W
Western Meadowlark - W, C, Sw, Sa
Yellow-headed Blackbird - W, C, Sw
Brewer's Blackbird - W, C, Sw, Sa
Brown-headed Cowbird - Sw, Sa
Bullock's Oriole - W, C, Sw, Sa
Cassin's Finch - Hawk Creek, Sa
House Finch - Sa
Red Crossbill - Sw, Sa
Pine Siskin - Sa
American Goldfinch - Sw, Sa
Evening Grosbeak - Sa
House Sparrow - Sa

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA
Steppie at nwinfo.net