On a today's (4/30/05) birding venture to northern
Lincoln County, I was joined by Roger and Michael
Woodruff, and Garrett MacDonald. Plenty of Balsamroot,
Golden Currant, and Serviceberry is now in bloom. The
weather was cool, calm, and partly cloudy.

Although we could not turn up any grouse in Redwine
Canyon, we did see quite a few new arrivals. Red-naped
Sapsucker, White-breasted Nuthatches, Dusky
Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Rufous Hummingbird. Cassin's Finches, and vociferous
House Wrens were in evidence there. Yellow Warblers
were singing in the willows at the bottom of the
canyon.

In the riverside community of Lincoln, we enjoyed
watching White-throated Swifts wheeling overhead.
While observing Calliope Hummingbirds buzzing around
some feeders, a PEREGRINE FALCON gave chase to a
raven and then dived at a Rock Pigeon.

Underwood Canyon produced a STELLER'S JAY, several
CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS, Townsend's Solitaire, Pygmy
Nuthatch, and Say's Phoebe. Bachelor Prairie held both
Western and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD; White-crowned, Vesper,
and Savannah Sparrows; Western Kingbird, GRAY
FLYCATCHER, and VAUX'S SWIFT.

Davenport Cemetery was rather slow, but we noted
Winter Wren, Great Horned Owl, Cassin's Vireo, and
Hermit Thrush. Reardan still contained quite a nice
variety of ducks such as Redhead, Canvasback, Cinnamon
Teal, Eared & Horned Grebes, L. Scaup, Bufflehead,
Gadwall, AMERICAN AVOCETs - 3, and a BLACK-NECKED
STILT.

A mid-afternoon check at Indian Canyon (Spokane
County) turned up a Nashville Warbler. Our trip total
for the day was 81 species. Mule Deer and Least
Chipmunks were the mammals of day.

On a windy, chilly Thursday (4/28/05) , Harold Cottet
and I birded southeastern Lincoln and northern Whitman
Counties. On our first stop at Sprague Lake (Lincoln
County) over a dozen BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and three
BLACK TERNS were skimming over the choppy water.
Amongst the flotilla of WESTERN GREBEs, we detected
one CLARK'S GREBE-1 (Lincoln Co. lifer) A couple of
White-crowned Sparrows and an Orange-crowned Warbler
darted through the lakeside willows. Just south of
Sprague, an adult GOLDEN EAGLE (Lincoln Co. lifer) was
soaring into the northeasterly wind.

On the northern shore of Sheep Lake, we saw AMERICAN
PIPIT - 20, DUNLIN-3, and a LEAST SANDPIPER. Rock Lake
had a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a CASPIAN TERN. While
Texas Lake only had a couple of WESTERN SANDPIPERS, we
saw a PRAIRIE FALCON and SAGE THRASHER (Whitman County
lifer) west of this location.

We saw a COOPER'S HAWK (Whitman Co. lifer) in both
Little Cove Canyon and Steptoe Butte. There was a
GREAT HORNED OWL nest with young west of St. Johns.

Although Steptoe Butte was kind of slow, there was a
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER and a female CASSIN'S FINCH
in the picnic area. Townsend's Solitaires, GC & RC
Kinglets, RB Nuts, and noisy House Wrens were some of
the more obvious denizens.

A big surprise was hearing a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL
calling from the picnic area. Since we were unable to
obtain a visual on it, I was beginning to think that
maybe we just be heard a Townsend's Solitaire.
However, after hearing quite a few solitaires today, I
am sure that this was indeed a pygmy owl.

Critterwise, we saw plenty of Mule Deer, Columbian
Ground Squirrels, Least Chipmunks, a pair of Coyotes,
and glimpsed a Badger. On the upper reaches of Steptoe
Butte, we found very cold RUBBER BOA trying to warm up
on the pavement.

Far too belatedly, I wanted to report a brief jaunt
that Matthew Moskwik and I made to Liberty Lake on
April 17th. On the lake, we saw COMMON LOON-4, HORNED
GREBE-10, and a pair of RED-NECKED GREBES.

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA

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