Dennis and Tweets,

Yes, indeed, Kahlotus Lake is a marvel and near the top of my list of
favorite places. I first discovered it's wonders around 1987. At that time
the water was much higher than it is now. In those days I launched a small
boat just out from that fibreglas outhouse there at the end of the road on
the west. Currently it must be 200 yards from there to the west edge of
the water. That whole alfalfa field was mudflats or under water then. I
wasn't a dedicated birder in those days, but I have a vivid memory of a
mid-June morning and dragging my little boat across the mud to the water
while around me a dozen or more large, long-billed shorebirds - I think they
were Marbled Godwits - frantically fed and ignored the humans moving through
their flock. Incidently, the fish (smallmouth bass, crappie and pumpkinseed
sunfish) were large and plentiful then.
A visit on March 7, 1992, found more than 400 Tundra Swans present and
the lake reduced to less than five surface acres. I was crushed to see the
loss of wildlife habitat.
A visit in the summer of 1997 found the lake dry. It was a birdless
wasteland to my eyes.
The present lake is only a shadow of it's former self, but it abounds
with life at present. Which brings me to this question. Can anyone tell me
why the volume of this body of water fluctuates so much recently? No map
I've seen has suggested that Kahlotus Lake was an intermittent body of
water, like Atkins Lake in Douglas County for example. Yet, today the
surface area probably isn't 40 acres, 4 years ago it was dry and 14 years
ago it was in excess of 100 acres. What's the deal?
When I was there on May 17 I counted 37 White-faced Ibis in flight
over the lake and town, also identified a Greater Yellowlegs on the mudflats
on the west end of the lake, saw a dozen Buffleheads and four Lesser Scaup
as well as all the other birds you mentioned. Your comment about the
Ringed-billed Gulls reminded me of a field trip I led into the Juniper Dunes
Wilderness in mid-May a couple of years ago. During that morning I observed
a steady stream of ring-billed Gulls passing over/by on a line that would
have carried them from Kahlotus to the Tri-Cities. Could they be flying all
the way from their nesting islands in the Columbia River at Richland to Lake
Kahlotus to forage?

Dennis Rockwell Kennewick, WA dennis.rockwell at gte.net

One fifth of the people are against everything all the time.
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)


-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Paulson <dpaulson at ups.edu>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 10:21 AM
Subject: Kahlotus Lake


>We visited Kahlotus Lake, Franklin County, on Sunday, June 3, and counted 8
>White-faced Ibis feeding all around the edge; there may have been more, as
>there are tall bulrushes that make plenty of little coves unviewable from
>the cliff. A Canyon Wren sang persistently, virtually at our feet. A road
>goes down to the east end of the lake, where there is a $3 fee for parking;
>I assume it's private land. The shallow marsh there was alive with stilts,
>avocets, and phalaropes, as well as all three teal species, a mini-Malheur
>to delight those who can't make it to the real thing. The avocets and
>stilts were doing frantic distraction displays, although we couldn't find a
>nest in a brief search. There was also a Greater Yellowlegs, presumably a
>late spring migrant. The willows to the east held Bullock's Orioles, the
>smaller, brightly marked Song Sparrows of the Columbia Basin, and a
>Yellow-breasted Chat.
>
>The lake itself has as many birds on it as any wetland of its size in
>Washington, I think. There's a big colony of Eared Grebes near the west
>end, and ducks and coots absolutely galore. A male Bufflehead was the most
>surprising duck seen, but I'll admit I didn't check every duck on the lake.
>The Yellow-headed Blackbird population was in full "song." Flocks of
>Ring-billed Gulls flew down the valley - what are they doing there at this
>late date?
>
>Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
>Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
>University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
>Tacoma, WA 98416
>http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html
>
>