WOS Field Trip to eastern Washington produced 162 Species of birds over the weekend and Monday morning (this is counting the 2 species seen Friday on the way to Creston; Western Scrub-Jay north of Satus Pass in Yakima Co. 0.8 mile south of milepost 44 and Mike and MerryLynn Denny's Tricolored Blackbirds). Targeted species not seen - 1 (White-rumped Sandpiper) Figured since they are early migrants in their normal migration routes, that this would have been the most likely weekend to nail one down. Having the high pressure move into eastern Washington mid week didn't help either.

This field trip was set up with two targets. The first day was to target migrants such as unusual shorebirds while the second day was to scout over Garfield County trying to figure out where there might be shorebirds and/or migrant traps for passerines.

Saturday at 4:30 am as we climbed out of our sleeping bags we were listening to Common Poorwills and a Great Horned Owl from the ravine below. Roosevelt Lake lay far below and out of sight. We all knew we had a long day ahead of us and lots of miles and lots of birds to see before again crawling into the sleeping bags around 10 pm. Other participants arrived at our starting point at sunrise at Swanson Lakes south of Creston, Lincoln County. Saturdays field trip would lead us from Swanson Lakes to Rocky Ford, where the alleged Alder Flycatcher was seen. From there we would meet up with Tom and Diane Weber in Sprague (we were already behind schedule) to bird the sewer ponds and Sprague Lake itself and on to Cow Lake and Hallin Lake (both these lakes are in Adams County). From there we back tracked to Sprague and headed south to bird Sheep Lake, and back roads to Texas Lake which has produced American Black Duck and Hudsonian Godwit in years past. We continued south in western Whitman County to LaCrosse with the day almost over. Most of the group headed south to grab a bite in Pomeroy and south up to the Blue Mountains where a nice clean campground was waiting for us (Boundary Campground).

Sunday we birded our way down off Scoggin Ridge to W. T. Wooten Wildlife Area and ran up to Rainbow Lakes. We had planned to meet up with Mike and MerryLynn Denny at 10 am at Central Ferry, but birds forced us to again be late. We headed straight for Rice Bar and caught up with the Dennys. MerryLynn had just found the first record of Common Yellowthroat for Garfield County, but we could not refind it. On the ridge above Rice Bar we found 2 Turkey Vultures sitting in a wheat field. This is only the second record for Garfield County. After Rice Bar and warm temperatures we headed straight for the Walla Walla River Delta.

Sunday night we camped at Wind Dust along the Snake River in Franklin County with trains, barges, wind, Long-eared Owls, and bright moon light working us over all night. Monday at Wind Dust and on to Kahlotus, Washtucna, and ending up at the Yakima River Delta before parting ways.

Below is the highlights in order of places visited.

SWANSON LAKES
1 Snow Goose flying with two large Canada Geese
2 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Sanderling Franny Drobny found
1 Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpipers were common here and many other places
Baird's Sandpipers
Dunlin
1 Long-billed Dowitcher seen the evening before
winnowing Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Phalarope
Short-eared Owl seen night before
Rough-legged Hawk seen by Kraig Kemper
Sage Thrashers
American Pipits flying over
not far away Mark Houston showed us Brewer's Sparrows and the back roads of Lincoln County

ROCKY FORD CROSSING
Golden Eagle
Swainson's Hawk

SPRAGUE SEWER PONDS
Wood Duck pair
1 Greater Scaup

SPRAGUE LAKE(Lincoln Co)
lots of Bonaparte's Gulls
a Common Goldeneye was late
Black Terns

SPRAGUE LAKE(Adams Co)
last small flock of Tundra Swans heading north
2 Snow Geese
4 Ross's Geese

COW LAKE
water was too high, but was a beautiful place (there is an old record of Ruddy Turnstone here)

SHEEP LAKE
Horned Grebes
1 Baird's Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs

TEXAS LAKE
4 Red-necked Grebes (water super low)
south of Texas Lake Mike Denny found a white stripe form White-throated Sparrow

LACROSSE
Burrowing Owls
Long-billed Curlews
2 pairs of Ferruginous Hawk Tom & Diane Weber had much of Whitman County route and birds staked out for us

BOUNDARY CAMPGROUND
spent night here. A participant woke me up thinking he might have something good like a Blue Grouse or Great Gray Owl. Just then another participant snored again and we both knew instantly. It's tough to snore like a rare bird! In the morning we had:
1 female Williamson's Sapsucker
1 male Western Bluebird screwing with us sounding a bit like a Pine Grosbeak's single note
1 Clark's Nutcracker
Townsend's Solitaires
heading down we had a beautiful adult Northern Goshawk fly right over us. Later to see another one dive from super high up on some Mourning Doves.

TUCANNON
2 Lewis's Woodpeckers
Lazuli Buntings
Dusky Flycatchers

RICE BAR
Common Yellowthroat MerryLynn Denny found
2 Turkey Vultures
5 Wild Turkeys

WALLA WALLA RIVER MOUTH
Semipalmated Plovers
Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Willet Scott Ray found
4 Whimbrel Kraig Kemper found
1 Marbled Godwit

WIND DUST
1 late Common Goldeneye
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Greater Yellowlegs
several Long-eared Owls calling at dusk and early morning
Great Horned Owls calling along the rim rock
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
1 Hermit Thrush
Wilson's Warblers
Ruby-crowned Kinglets
4 Golden-crowned Sparrows
Western Tanagers

KAHLOTUS
Wilson's Warbler
Lark Sparrow

YAKIMA RIVER MOUTH
2 Clark's Grebes Marv Breece found
1 Sanderling Howard Armstrong found
7+ Semipalmated Plovers
Dunlin

Even though we failed to find a spring migrating White-rumped Sandpiper it's still out there for some one else to find. Reardan Ponds water level was too high so skipped this hot spot. Probably where the White-rumped was hideing. Sheeeeesh!




Ken Knittle
Washington Birder newsletter
2604 NE 80th Street
Vancouver, WA 98665
360-574-2590
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