Hello Tweets,



Sorry for the long delay in posting, but it took me some time to recover
from a marathon three-day birding trip east of the Cascades last weekend. I
visited a number of sites in Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Stevens, Spokane, and
Adams counties. I found a total of 131 species. A lot of the mid-spring
migrants (terns, many shorebirds) had not arrived yet, but there were good
numbers of some early migrants.



I camped the first night at Sun Lakes State Park, where a Barn Owl was
screeching over the campground much of the night. Spent the next morning
birding the Waterville Plateau. I started out at the Leahy lek, where quite
a few Greater Sage-Grouse were displaying ? I counted 10 males on the lek.
Also there was a Rough-legged Hawk sitting right in the middle of the lek,
and several coyotes that appeared to be stalking the grouse. The birds were
active until about 7:00, when most of them stopped displaying, and some
dispersed off the lek. The big surprise was 9 grouse on the south side of
the road, out in an open crop field. There were also numbers of Vesper
Sparrows and a few Brewer?s Sparrows singing at the lek site. I headed down
the Leahy Cutoff Road, and found Sage Thrasher, more Brewer?s Sparrow, and
an early Grasshopper Sparrow at one of the patches of good sage habitat.



I then headed to the owl roost in the wash west of Lamoine. On the way
there, another Rough-legged Hawk was hunting the fields outside Lamoine.
One owl (either Short-eared or Barn) flushed out of the line of pines, but
couldn?t find any others. There were a few migrants in the trees, including
the first of many Ruby-crowned Kinglets. They seemed to be everywhere I
went all weekend, including some in very marginal habitat ? definitely on
the move. Also present were a single Hermit Thrush, a Swainson?s Hawk, and
a fly-over Long-billed Curlew. Other miscellaneous birds on the Waterville
Plateau: two Lesser Yellowlegs in a flooded field along Hwy 17, a Prairie
Falcon along St Andrew Rd E, and 3 Avocets at Stallard Lake.



My next stop was along Dry Falls Dam and Banks Lake. There were lots of
waterfowl on the lake and in the ponds below the dam. Highlights were 8
Red-breasted Mergansers and a flock of 43 Greater White-fronted Goose.
White-fronts were evident many places last weekend, including several
fly-over flocks. Other birds at the dam included 50 White-throated Swifts,
another Prairie Falcon, and 2 Greater Yellowlegs. I also heard the first
pipits of the trip ? another species that was everywhere. I think I had
pipits flying overhead at most of the wetland spots I stopped at.



I moved down Grand Coulee, doing some birding, but also stopping at Lenore
Lake Caves ? a very cool spot. At Alkali Lake were a Red-necked Grebe (at
the south end), and one of the few Turkey Vultures I saw. Moving south, I
ran into a HUGE flock of swallows, several hundred at least, feeding along
the cliffs on the east side of the coulee. Violet-Green was the most
abundant, followed by Tree, with a few Cliff Swallows and White-throated
Swifts mixed in.



Soap Lake was packed with Eared Grebes ? I?m amazed by how particular they
are in their site choice. Also there were 7 Avocets and 19 Dunlin at the
south end. Brook Lake along Highway 28 is a really neat spot. Many birds,
40 American White Pelican, hundreds of Canada Geese, many Green-winged Teal
and Pintail, Snipe, Killdeer, one Avocet, 13 Black-necked Stilt. I stopped
here as an afterthought on my way to Wilson Creek, but I?ll definitely be
going back!



I decided to check out the marsh east of Wilson Creek where the Tricolored
Blackbirds nest. I went to the overlook along 22 Rd NE. There were dozens
(hundreds?) of Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, singing all over the
marsh, but I wasn?t able to find any Tricoloreds. There were also numerous
coots calling and Ruddy Ducks displaying. 15 Tundra Swans were in the
marshes to the west, and a Prairie Falcon drifted slowly by the overlook. I
decided to go around to Kanniwai Road, on the north side of Crab Creek, to
see if I could find any Tricoloreds there. I didn?t, but I did see both a
Ferruginous Hawk and a Swainson?s Hawk on telephone poles along the road.



I cruised up to Gifford campground in Stevens County, and did a bit of
owling before going to bed. I found a very vocal pair of Great Horned Owls
and a few reluctant Saw-whets along Cedonia-Addy Road. In the morning, the
Gifford campground lived up to its billing as a treasure trove of
woodpeckers. There were numerous Hairy (at least six), a few Black-backed
(three, I think), and 2 White-headeds, along with many many flickers. All
of these birds were actively feeding in close proximity to each other. I
did observe some aggression between the White-headeds and Hairies. Also in
the burned area of the campground were all three nuthatches (Red-breasted
especially common), quite a few Western Bluebirds, singing Audubon?s
Warblers, several small flocks of Red Crossbills, and the first Townsend?s
Solitaire of the trip. This solitaire was followed by many, many more, at a
variety of sites - another species that was obviously on the move this past
weekend.



I headed back down Highway 25, saw a few Wild Turkeys, a Chipping Sparrow,
and numerous Western Bluebirds along the way. Just before crossing the
Spokane River, I stopped at a pulloff along the highway and found a single
Say?s Phoebe. Moving further down Highway 25 into Lincoln County, I came
across Mountain Bluebirds and quite a few turkeys. There were many turkey
hunters out on Saturday, and I wasn?t sure if the abundance of the birds
around the roads was because they were safe there or if there had been
recent releases for hunting season.



The next site I visited was Davenport cemetery, which was relatively quiet,
but did have 2 Townsend?s Solitaires, a few of each kinglet species, and a
Merlin. On the way east to Reardan I found another Merlin, more Mountain
Bluebirds, singing Vesper Sparrows, and numerous Northern Harriers. A very
high proportion of the harriers I saw were adult males ? easily more than
1/2. I?m wondering if the females are all on eggs or brooding young? At
the Mondovi Ponds, between Davenport and Reardan north of Highway 2, there
were a number of ducks and 2 Greater White-fronted Geese.



Reardan Ponds was packed with birds. Loads of coots and Ruddy Ducks, 15
Eared Grebes, many singing Marsh Wrens and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. One
Lincoln?s Sparrow was in with a flock of White-crowns, small flocks of
pipits were flying over, and 2 Virginia Rails called from the dense
vegetation along the south edge of the ponds. East of Reardan, 5 Tundra
Swans were in a field south of Hwy 2.



I decided to drive east to Liberty Lake to see if I could track down the
Great-tailed Grackle that?s been hanging out there. I parked near the
intersection of Valleyway & Molter in Liberty Lake and started walking the
neighboring streets. Within about 5 minutes, I heard the Great-tailed
Grackle?s strange calls, and was able to track it down, sitting in a tree
with a number of Brewer?s Blackbirds.



Thanks to Ron Dexter?s recommendation, I checked out Liberty Lake County
Park. I was impressed! There were quite a few passerines around the
parking lot, including at least 5 Townsend?s Solitaires, 4 Western
Bluebirds, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Audubon?s Warblers, all three nuthatches
(lots of Pygmy & Red-breasted), Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, and
both Pine Siskin and American Goldfinch singing. Three Red-necked Grebes
and three Common Loons were out on the lake itself with just a few ducks
(Mallards & Ring-necked). This is a quite a neat spot, with a variety of
mini-habitats in a small area.



>From Liberty Lake, I went southwest to Turnbull NWR. The rain hit shortly
after I got there, but I did manage to find a few birds. Quite a few
waterfowl were present on the various ponds, and both Western Bluebirds and
Townsend?s Solitaires were scattered throughout the open Ponderosa Pine
forest. Turkeys were gobbling along the entrance road, and 2 swans (one
Trumpeter, one sleeping and unidentified) were on Pine Lake. Numerous Marsh
Wrens were singing in the fringes of the ponds, and a Great Horned Owl was
calling along the auto tour route.



In an attempt to escape the rain, I drove west to Sprague Lake. I stopped
at the boat launch access near the west end of the lake and watched birds
settling in as the sun came down. Numbers of Canada and Cackling Geese were
settling into the fields south of the lake, strings of gulls were returning
to the island, and at least 9 Black-crowned Night-Herons were flying over
the lake, giving their loud ?wok, wok? calls.



I camped that night at Potholes State Park, and did a bit of birding there
in the morning. In the campground were a Townsend?s Solitaires, about 10
Audubon?s Warbler with one Myrtle mixed in, and numbers of Ruby-crowned
Kinglet and White-crowned Sparrows. There was no sign of the two singing
Bewick?s Wrens I saw here back on April 1.



I made my way towards Othello through Columbia NWR. Fly-bys along Morgan
Lake Road included one Caspian Tern, one Great Egret, several Northern
Rough-winged and Barn Swallows, and 40 Greater White-fronted Geese. Marsh,
Canyon, and Rock Wrens were all singing from their expected spots, Vesper
Sparrows were quite vocal, and White-crowned Sparrows were everywhere. At
one stop, there was a flock of 50-75 White-crowns, with at least 15 birds
all singing within 50 yards of the road. An amazing chorus of songs. I
also saw one Ruby-crowned Kinglet in very strange habitat for this species ?
the sagebrush and reeds along the edge of Halfmoon Lake.



The Para Ponds were packed with birds, on the water, in flight, and in the
fields around the ponds. There were several hundred ducks, mostly Northern
Shoveler, 3 Great Egrets, many Canada and a few Cackling Geese. Swallows
were quite common, with large numbers of Tree and Violet-Green, and 3 Bank
Swallows (the only ones I saw on the trip). 50+ American Pipits were
feeding in the grassy areas around the ponds. A single Lincoln?s Sparrow
was with a flock of White-crowned Sparrow in the bushes along the road. The
only shorebirds were a flock of 20 Black-necked Stilts and one of 18 Dunlin,
both of which flew in, circled the ponds without landing, and left. I
looked for blackbirds around the processing plants at the north end of
Othello, but didn?t see any.



I then dashed over to Washtucna to see if any migrants had come in. The
weather had cleared up the evening before, and I thought birds might have
been moving overnight. At the Hatton Coulee Rest Stop, I saw 2
Golden-crowned Kinglets, Rough-winged Swallows, and 1 Spotted Towhee. Also
a Rough-legged Hawk along Hwy 26 near Sand Hills Coulee.



Bassett Park in Washtucna was quiet. It took me a minute to realize the
dove I was hearing was a Eurasian Collared-Dove. I found it sitting in the
large tree in the center of the park. I did find a few of each kinglet
species, and 2 singing Black-capped Chickadees, but few other passerines.
On the way back to Othello, I stopped at Scooteney Reservoir, where I found
4 Black-necked Stilts.



Back through Othello, I decided to stop again at the plants at the north end
of town. I was really hoping to find Tricolored Blackbird, as it would be a
life bird for me. This time I found a flock of about 100 blackbirds sitting
on the wires. I started looking through them, but nearly all the birds
looked like they had white covers. I was starting to think, ?How could you
possibly pick a Tricolored out of a flock like this,? when I realized they
were singing. And they were ALL Tricolored. Or at least ? of the flock
was. At one point I counted 74 Tricolored Blackbirds, along with 5
Red-winged, 10 Yellow-headed, 5 Starling, and 2 Brewer?s. This was a huge
surprise, and left me wondering why so many of them were still flocked up
and hanging around the town. Maybe Tricoloreds in Washington nest later
than other blackbirds, and all the Red-wings and Yellow-headeds were already
at their breeding marshes?



I made a few more quick stops on the way back to Seattle. At the County
Line Ponds, there were lots of birds ? 7 Avocets, 50 Black-necked Stilts,
300 Pintail, 29 Greater White-fronted Geese, 500 white-cheeked Geese (seemed
like mostly Cackling), and several small flocks of Sandhill Cranes overhead.
At Birder?s Corner, there were many waterfowl, including 3 Cinnamon Teal,
swallows (Barn, Rough-winged, Tree, and Cliff), Black-necked Stilts, and 30+
Audubon?s Warblers feeding in the vegetation around the marsh.



I finished the weekend?s birding along Lower Crab Creek Road. About 1000
Sandhill Cranes were settled into a marsh along Crab Creek just east of E Rd
SW. Chukars and a Great-horned Owl called from the cliffs, Snipe winnowed
overhead, and 2 Loggerhead Shrikes hunted the greasewood flats. It was a
great end to an amazing weekend.



Sorry for the exceedingly long post. To anyone who read the whole thing,
thanks! I think many species are under-reported in eastern Washington due
to the low density of observers, so I want to contribute what I can to the
body of knowledge.



Good birding,



Matt Dufort

Seattle, WA


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