- RBA
* northern Idaho / eastern Washington / northeastern Oregon
* as above
* November 18, 2001
* IDWA0111.18

- birds mentioned

Ross's Goose
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Snowy Owl
Pine Grossbeak
White-throated Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrpw
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll

- transcript

hotline: northern Idaho / eastern Washington / northeastern Oregon
Date: November 18, 2001
Phone: (208) 882-6195
Compiler: Kas Dumroese
Transcriber: Kas Dumroese - dumroese at iglide.net

This is Kas Dumroese with the Northern Idaho / Eastern Washington /
Northeastern Oregon bird hotline for Saturday, Nov 18 (2001). This hotline,
sponsored by Palouse Audubon, is updated every Friday evening. Transcripts
of this RBA and membership info are available on-line at
http://www.palouseaudubon.org

If you wish to bypass this recording and simply leave a message for me,
including the date of your sighting and the DeLorme atlas page numbers and
coordinates if you have them, push the star button on your telephone now.
Otherwise wait for the beep at the end of the tape. Please give me good
directions, your fellow birdwatchers will appreciate it.

A SNOWY OWL pictured in the Spokesman-Review newspaper was finally tracked
down this past week in Spokane Co WA. The bird is south of the south hill.
To get to it from I-90, take the Freya exit in Spokane. Take Freya south to
the Palouse Hwy (about 3 miles or so). It may be marked South Palouse Hwy at
that point. Turn left, south, and follow the Palouse Hwy for about 3 miles.
At South Baltimore Road (Hangman Creek Golf Course) you start downhill. As
you emerge from the pines near the bottom of the hill there will be mown
fields. On the left will be lots for sale with some large new homes. The
dirt road at the bottom is Hoffman Lane (private). These fields are where
the owl has been found, both sides of the Palouse Hwy.

And while you're there, you might as well see the CATTLE EGRET too. Continue
east from Hoffman Lane and the Snowy Owl for about 2.5 miles. There will be
a large cattle pasture on the right. At the east end is Weger Road. The
egret was with the cattle both times today, toward the east end near Weger
Road. Also in the area were AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS around the second house
on the left on Weger Road and a NORTHERN SHRIKE. WA DeLorme 89, D-5. Thanks
to Gene Lynch for the great directions. Both the owl and egret were seen
today, 18 Nov.

CATTLE EGRETS popped up in a few other locales as well. One CATTLE EGRET is
in Davenport, Lincoln Co, WA according to Chris Jannett. The bird is being
seen on the lawn of the Davenport Retirement Center across from Edna's
Drive-Inn along US 2. Call Chris at 509.725.0545 for details. WA DeLorme 87,
C-7. It was still being seen as of 17 Nov.

One or two more CATTLE EGRETS are in Orofino, Clearwater Co ID according to
June Cleveland. The bird or birds have been around for about 2 weeks in the
vacant field next to Barney's Excell Grocery along US 12. ID DeLorme 55,
extreme upperleft corner.

Make sure you make sure of your egret IDs, a GREAT EGRET is persisting on
the Columbia NWR near Othello, Adams Co WA according to Randy Hill.

A single ROSS'S GOOSE was with other geese on the south end of Sprague Lake
on 12 Nov according to Cindy McCormick. Sprague Lake, Adams Co, WA straddles
the Lincoln and Adams county line just south of I-90. WA DeLorme 71, BC-8.
As a note, Cindy also reports a few SNOW BUNTINGS near Davenport as well...

A flock of 6 PINE GROSBEAKS and another with 8 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were
on Mt Spokane, Spokane Co WA on 10 Nov according to Denny Granstrand. He saw
the birds walking up the road above the sno-park area. Mt Spokane is at the
end of WA 206 about 15 miles due northeast of Spokane. WA DeLorme 89, A-8.

A flock of COMMON REDPOLLS were found in northeastern Oregon by Trent Bray.
He found the birds near the corner of Howell and Summerville roads, 2 miles
west of Imbler which is 13 miles from La Grande along OR 82. You may also
want to check 0.5 mile farther north at the Summerville Cemetery. OR DeLorme
86-87, BC, 4-5.

COMMON REDPOLLS also were popping up in other places as well. On 18 Nov Bob
Flroes found 2 flocks in Ritzville, Adams Co WA at the intersection of
Chelan Street and Third. About 50 birds total. A flock of about 100 was in
Moscow, Latah Co ID according to Jane Westervelt. These birds were in the
birches at the Univ of Idaho Plant Science Farm about 2 miles east of
Moscow. The birches are at the north end of the ornamental plantings in the
center of the farm. A few more redpolls were about a mile south along the
Lenville Road according to Carole Vande Voorde.

On 17 Nov in the East Kennewick, Two Rivers County Park, and Sacajawea State
Park in Benton and Franklin counties were some great birds, including some
good sparrows. At Two Rivers County Park, Dennis Rockwell found 27 roosting
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, a slate-colored FOX
SPARROW, a HARRIS'S SPARROW, a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, a GOLDEN-CROWNED
SPARROW in Sacajawea SP and a very late SAY'S PHOEBE
along the river in East Kennewick.

If you have any questions about birds on the report, call me before 9 pm at
208.883.0943. If you see any of the birds mentioned in this report, be sure
to let me know.

Good birding.

Kas