On Tuesday afternoon I visited Sprague Lake, and on Wednesday I birded from
Banks Lake at Coulee City down the Sun Lakes to meet Tom Munson and Bob
Griffith at Potholes Reservoir, from where we went to Othello and then back
up through the Sun Lakes. Here are some of the highlights.

Sprague Lake is holding a lot of waterfowl of different types now. With
hunting pressure they may be bunched in one area. There were two SURF
SCOTERS at the northwest end of the lake in Lincoln Co., and a Bewick's Wren
at the first boat landing. Bonaparte's Gulls are numerous. In the middle of
the lake in Adams Co, I watched an adult gull with three juveniles come in
and land on the water. Based on wing plumage, head and bill shape of all of
them, and eye color I decided they were THAYER'S GULLS. This is an apparent
first county record and I don't make this call lightly. On the rocks off
Harper Island were about 30 White Pelicans.

The southern end of Banks Lake had a few pelicans also, and some Tundra
Swans, but not much else. Blue Lake held over 40 Common Loons. Maybe
another species or two of loon will show up there in a few weeks. Lake
Lenore had some scattered Surf Scoters, and a wide assortment of ducks and
grebes. On Soap Lake in the early morning I found two LONG-TAILED DUCKS
together, with a group of five SURF SCOTERS nearby. They were about half a
mile north of the southern end. Later in the day it took some time for us to
relocate just one of the Long-tailed guys, who was farther north and spending
about three quarters of his time under water. We also looked for the
previously reported Red Phalarope amongst what seemed like thousands of Ruddy
Ducks, but couldn't find it.

At Lind Coulee at the east end of Potholes Res, there was a flock of
Long-billed Dowitchers, but no Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. On the lake some
distant pelicans and a Surf Scoter or two(!). South of there in Columbia NWR
an adult Northern Shrike. Just northwest of Othello we looked for
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at the Para Ponds and the McCain Potato property, but
didn't find any. We didn't belabor the Sharp-tailed issue, but moved on soon
after arrival. Two Greater Yellowlegs were seen, however.

In the heat of the afternoon a highlight was a close encounter with two
Canyon Wrens along Lake Lenore. They were in a rockfall just below the
highway. At one point while Bob was photographing one of them, the other
checked out his SUV and hopped up into the undercarriage.

At Brooks Lake in the Crab Creek drainage near Wilson Creek there were
thousands of Canada Geese, several SNOW GEESE, and two WHITE-FRONTED GEESE.

Mark Houston
Spokane