Subject: April 5 - Grant/Douglas Counties
Date: Apr 6 09:57:22 2003
From: Doug Schonewald - dschone8 at bentonrea.com


Our plan on Saturday was to head to Soap Lake for the annual Long-billed
Curlew gathering, then to Dry Falls Overview to try for White-throated
Swifts, and finally north to the Waterville Plateau to review the sites that
will be on the upcoming 'The Great Washington State Birding Trail - Coulee
Corridor' map.

Birds were plentiful in some areas and woefully absent in others, but we had
a great time. Here are a few of the highlights.

HWY 17 (south of Soap Lake):
Long-billed Curlew - 4
Northern Shrike - 2

Soap Lake:
Eared Grebe - many, some in nice breeding plumage

Lake Lenore:
Barrow's Goldeneye - 12
Greater Scaup - 2 mixed in with many Lesser Scaup
Swallow Kettle - Hundreds, perhaps more. The Chironomids (large midges) had
hatched on Lake Lenore and the wind had blown them into the grass and sage
on the north end of the lake. Swallows by the hundreds were swirling around
the sage on both sides of the road. Cliff Swallows and Violet-green Swallows
made up the bulk of those observed. But inter-mixed were 6 or more Northern
Rough-winged Swallow, a few Tree Swallow, and at least one adult Barn
Swallow. The only swallow not observed was a Bank Swallow, though with the
swirling mass there could have been one easily. Also observed were at least
2 White-throated Swift.

Blue Lake/Park Lake:
Common Loon - 1 one on each lake in nice breeding plumage

Dry Falls Visitor Center:
White-throated Swift - 1

St. Andrew's Road:
Rough-legged Hawk - 1

Junction of HWY 17 & HWY 174:
Northern Shrike - 1

Coulee Playland (Banks Lake):
Cedar Waxwing - 14
Glaucous Gull - 1 first winter light bird

Osborn Bay/Steamboat State Park Boat Launch:
Turkey Vulture - 1 at each site

Steamboat Rock State Park (campground area)
White-throated Swift - 1

Doug & Barb Schonewald
Moses Lake, WA
dschone8 at bentonrea.com