After Roger Woodruff informed me that he and Michael
had seen a American Golden Plover on Philleo Lake on
Friday afternoon, Harold & Karen Cottet and I ventured
out there this morning (10/01/05). When we arrived,
the rain had subsided, but there was a biting
southwesterly wind to greet us.

After spending fifteen minutes peering through small
windows in the foliage of the shoreline Ponderosa
Pines, we finally spotted a plover on the southern end
of the receding lake. As it turned out, we saw at
least two BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERs, one AMERICAN GOLDEN
PLOVER, and a dozen LB DOWITCHERS, 2 PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS, 1 BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, 30 AMERICAN PIPITS,
and several KILLDEER. PYGMY NUTHATCHES and GRAY
PARTRIDGES were along the road.

In addition, there was an intermediate bird that
looked smaller and browner than the other BB Plovers,
but yet appeared larger billed, shorter winged, and
stouter of body than the one obvious American Golden
Plover. Since we never saw the underwing pattern, I
will leave that one as unidentified.

Last Sunday (9/25/05), the Cottets, Gary Kuiper, and I
did a trip up to Salmo Mt. in Pend Oreille and came
away pretty disappointed on how slow birding was up
there. However, there was a GREAT EGRET flying over
the southeastern section of Calispell Lake which made
for a good Pend Oreille lifer for me.

Ron Dexter phoned me this afternoon to inform me that
he had seen COMMON GRACKLE hanging out with Starlings
and a Crow just one building east of Lowe's on Sprague
Ave. He said that this is NOT the Liberty Lake
Great-tailed Grackle. I will probably follow up on
this sighting tomorrow.

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA



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