Subject: Waterville Plateau Sat. 2/23
Date: Feb 24 14:36:21 2003
From: Rahne Kirkham - rahnek at foxinternet.com


Christine Vadai and I travelled over the Snowy Pass to try for the snow
bunting on Saturday and had a great day birding. You can see some of the
results by visiting her website at www.christinevadai.com/ The sunshine was
clear and bright until late afternoon and the birding was excellent.
Altogether we saw 49 species but I'm only going to report the best ones.

We travelled from Federal Way across Snoqualmie Pass and hit 97 North at
Ellensburg. In the ponds beside the freeway west of Ellensburg, we saw:
TUNDRA SWANS (MATURE AND CYGNETS).
We travelled North on 97 (where we saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK perched on the
top of a sign) and, in the little lakes you pass just before you turn east
to climb to Waterville, we saw such a plethora of waterfowl that I'm only
going to mention:
CANVASBACKS
REDHEADS
AMERICAN COOTS
NORTHERN PINTAILS
GREATER SCAUP
LESSER SCAUP (conveniently swimming next to the above)
AMERICAN WIDGEON
(We had a four grebe day. We saw:
HORNED GREBES
EARED GREBE
PIED-BILLED GREBE
WESTERN GREBE.

*********Best birds of the Day******************
Up on Waterville Plateau, we saw hundreds of HORNED LARKS, some of whom were
in breeding plumage. We found SNOW BUNTINGS first at F & 6th NE, and then
for some time after. Then we saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in flight (beautiful
with the snow for a backdrop) with a BALD EAGLE higher in the sky. The piece
de resistance for the whole trip was a SNOWY OWL in full flight and very,
very close to us. It was moving too fast to get a picture of but you can
find pictures of all of the other Plateau birds we saw on the website
(except the eagle. too high).(Oh, we also saw a LAPLAND LONGSPUR. After I
did the dance of joy since the Snow Bunting was a life bird and the Owl was
the best sighting of one I have ever had (the other sightings were mostly of
white blobs in the distance), we headed down and wended our way to Moses
Lake and then Othello where we turned North to try for the Yellow-billed
Loon at Wanapum. During this leg of the journey we saw a NORTHERN SHRIKE and
a HERRING GULL at O'Sullivan Dam. No loon but incredibly fierce winds at
Wanapum and a few COMMON LOONS in winter plumage. Earlier in the day, we saw
a COMMON LOON in breeding plumage.
We hit Gingko State Park with a remote and unfulfilled hope for chukar and
then we turned for home, tired and satisfied. Note: I do not recommend
eating at the Dry Falls Inn.
Love in birding,
Rahne
Rahne Kirkham
Federal Way, Washington
rahnek at foxinternet.com
"If you can't be naked, be warm and fuzzy"