In Thursday, Harold and Karen Cottet, and myself
ventured to the southeast corner of the state. In
particular, we were targeting Yellow-Breasted Chat,
Chukar, Three-Toed Woodpecker, Cordilleran Flycatcher,
and Green-Tailed Towhee.

On the trek down Hwy 195, Great Horned Owl was the
first trip bird. Along the riverfront section in
Lewiston, we saw quite a few Vaux's Swifts. I was
rather expecting White-Throated rather than Vaux's.
Are Vaux's regular here?

As we drove up Asotin Creek Road up through the
canyon, we had good views of cooperative Canyon and
Rock Wrens, numerous Lazuli Buntings, quite a few
Nighthawks, Lark & Vesper Sparrows, Bullock's Oriole,
Eastern & Western Kingbirds, Say's Phoebe, and both
Red-eyed & Warbling Vireos. Although we heard several
"Western Flycatchers", we only had a distant view of
one near the junction of S. Fork & Lickfork Roads.

We only heard one Chat and dipped completely on
Chukar. Although we had arrived at dawn, birds weren't
over enthusiastic about singing.

Utilizing the Tweeters posted directions to the
Green-Tailed Towhee, we easily found the cairn and
headed down the precipitous slope. This is only area
of the state that I have seen the shrubby evergreen
tree, Mountain Mahogany.

Juvenile Chipping Sparrows, Juncos, and a Dusky
Clark's Nutcrackers, Stellar's Jays, Flycatcher were
scattered in the mountainside chaparral and Doug Firs.
As I approached the brushy draw, I practically stepped
on a Blue Grouse before it flushed in a thundering
fury.

As I was gazing upon the incredible vista of distant
mesas and mountains, I saw a greenish backed bird fly
up to the small fir trees. A Green-Tailed Towhee began
singing, but remained under cover. I was able to pish
it up once for a very brief view, but it quickly
disappeared. We tried waiting for a return visit, but
no more GTTOs were to be seen.

As we waited expectantly, a young Coyote passed below
us. Since it was upwind, it did not detect us until it
reached the ridgeline. The chipmunks and ground
squirrels gave all kinds of warning calls as the
predator passed.

As we moved on toward Wikiup C.G., we ran into a large
contingent of Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Townsend's
Warblers, Mt. Chickadees, Cassin's Vireo, & RB
Nuthatches. We saw a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers, but
not Three-toed.

As we continued to seek Three-Toes in the numerous
snags along route, we encountered a family of Mt.
Bluebirds, Cassin's Finches, House Wrens, and more
Juncos and Chipping Sparrows. We saw another Blue
Grouse hen sitting on roadside stomp. Although there
was plenty of excellent habitat for Three-Toes, we
never came up with one.

As we turned up Devil's Tailbone Road, we were in
climax forest of Englemann Spruce and Subalpine Fir.
While we scanned trees for woodpeckers, Harold said
"there is an owl". Directly in front of us, a huge
gray raptor flew across the track. Since I saw
predominantly gray color on the bird, I said
"goshawk". However, I could see that the broad winged
bird had a flat face with a small lighter colored area
near the center of its face.

It was indeed an owl, not a Goshawk. What owl is at
least as large as a Great Horned, but is gray colored
with little contrast between the undersides and the
back? The bird flew no more than twenty yards in
front of us, but I only had a few seconds to view it
before it disappeared into the forest below. None of
us got any glass on the bird.

Hoping that it landed nearby, we searched the area for
a while. However, we couldn't find it again. It was
nice to cross paths with a Great Gray Owl, but it was
really frustrating not to have had a longer view of
the bird.

The location of our Great Gray sighting was DL Pg. 43
- C5. The bird was in a relatively small clearing
about .2 miles up Devil's Backbone Road off FR 40.

Our next stop was Alder Thicket C.G. that Mike Denny
suggested to stop for Williamson's Sapsucker. We
easily found several WISS there.

Since we still wanted better views of Cordilleran
Flycatcher, we jogged down Blind Grade Road into
Columbia County. Ken Knittle had suggested bridge
crossings over the Tucannon River for this species. As
we birded the Cummings Bridge area, we were rewarded
with great views of a mostly silent Cordilleran
Flycatcher. As Ken mentioned, they are much browner on
the back than the traditional Pacific-Slope.

Although it was midday, there quite a few birds
around. Red-Naped Sapsucker, Vaux Swift, Dipper,
families of Warbling Vireos and Yellow Warblers,
Western Tanager, and Black-Headed Grosbeaks all helped
to enliven our visit.

On our return leg, we made stops at some of the
migrant traps in Franklin County. Lyon's Ferry S.P.
cost us five dollars, but only produced a Caspian
Tern, and some roosting Common Nighthawks. Palouse
Falls S.P. held a few White-Throated Swifts and an
impressive waterfall. An Osprey was skimming the water
at Windust Park and a couple of White Pelicans were
puttering around Lower Monumental Dam.

In summary, we dipped on the Chat visual, Chukar, and
the Three-Toed Woodpecker. We had brief views of GTTO
& a Great Gray Owl. We nailed our target Cordilleran
Flycatcher. Western Kingbird was the winner for the
most ubiquitous bird of the day. However, the
beautiful vistas of the Blues, the serene setting of
the Tucannon River, and the exploration of some of the
migratory meccas made for a very pleasurable trip.

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA





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