Marv Breece and I left Gold Bar at 3am Sunday morning heading for the Waterville Plateau. After going over Stevens Pass we had a
Mt. Lion type and shape of an animal slip off the side of the road. It was quite a bit bigger than a Bobcat which we have seen
several times previously. At 6am we pulled off Hwy 172 heading south to look for Sage Grouse only to find the road was deep in
snow. We detoured down Foster Creek and quickly checked for Sharp-tailed Grouse--none. Then on to Leahy Jct. where we found a pair
of Great Horned Owls on eggs. The male was one of the grayest Great Horned Owls that I have seen in Washington with very long ear
tufts. We were too late for Sage Grouse and there was quite a bit of snow here also. Then on to Moses Coulee where lots of singing
Sage Sparrows were setting up territories in the sage and 2 Golden eagles patrolled the Rim Rock. We drove on some back roads on
the snow until the front-wheel drive tires on the Geo sank into the snow in which we put tire chains on and went a little farther
where the snow was too soft for father driving. Way back in no-mans-land we found a very early Vesper Sparrow. Seems like 10 days
earlier then normal. We didn't get all the way back in for the lek and it was again too late in the morning.

Finally we found ourselves heading south of Hwy 2 where a large herd of Mule Deer were feeding. We birded south into Grant Co. and
found our first pair of Mountain Bluebirds. We tried to figure out where Matthew Moskwik and his dad found the Upland Sandpiper
last summer. One hillside did look good for Grasshopper Sparrows which should be in around the end of the month.

Soap Lake was again full of Ruddy Ducks with 7 Eared Grebes at the north end and both Goldeneyes were everywhere. Lake Lanore
feeders were again not in use as this is a great place for Rosy-Finches on most years. One lone Northern Shrike was at Dry Falls.
Crossing Dry Falls Dam we noted several Trumpeter swans below the dam. Here Tundra is the expected species, but everything we noted
was Trumpeter.

We drove north on the Hartline Rd. and had great views of a pair of Prairie Falcons and many Rough-legged Hawks. Horned Larks
weren't in large flocks as in Nov., but in smaller (family?) flocks scattered everywhere. Bagdad Junction, one of Washington's
colder spots was still in winter mode and no Rosy-Finches or Longspurs or Snowy Owls were noted as previously seen in this area.

Bridgeport Bar was full of White-crowned Sparrows, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow, 1 Townsend's Solitaire, a fast flying flock of possible
Redpolls which would not stop for proper ID, and 2 American Goldfinches. We raced up Central Ferry Canyon and instead of the common
Red Crossbills everywhere we had lots of Pygmy Nuthatches instead, plus a calling Great Horned Owl, and 1 Hairy Woodpecker in at the
Packwood Cem. Our 65'th species of the day was a Cooper's hawk flying across the Columbia River into Douglas County.

Ken Knittle, Gold Bar, WA
xenops at msn.com