Hello Birders,

We just arrived back home from an exciting and rewarding 7 day trip to the Republic area with 4 days spent participating on the WOS Conference(June 16th-19th)! We thoroughly enjoyed the entire trip with great birding and more,as well as meeting new people as well as familiar faces! Our personal journeys began near the Toppenish NWR(southeast of Yakima)then traveling straight north and east to Republic,where we remained through the 20th of June. The WOS Conference itself was a great success with upwards of 170+ species encountered during the 4 day period with many of the day field trips producing 100+ species including many specialty and sought after species. The Conference was held in a very rich and diverse birding area and nearly topped being our most favorite to date next to the 2002 WOS Conference that was held at Omak in Okanogan Co. The weather was also great with only a few isolated rain periods during the Conference each day that quickly blew over to the east. We enjoyed our camping experience at the Ferry County Fairgrounds with a good assortment of bird species including 3 species of hummingbirds that came to our hummingbird feeders(Rufous,Calliope,and Black-chinned),as well as a pair of Gray Catbirds,as well as a single Red-naped Sapsucker to name just a few species! We expect much more will be said about this year's WOS Conference in the upcoming future by participants,as well as being published in an upcoming WOS News issue.


A few personal notes and observations of ours will begin with a single ALDER FLYCATCHER that we located during a "scouting" day on the 18th of June along Kipling Rd. 2.2 miles north of Hungry Hollow Rd. near Havillah in Okanogan Co. This bird was noted in the same manner and location as in our well documented specimen of this species during the 2002 WOS Conference and is a species we would have never expected to reappear! Anyhow, the bird was most cooperative in allowing great tape recordings of it that were obtained on the 18th,as well as good views and photographs that were made the following 2 days! This was a great bird and we can only hope that other birders may get to see it,as well as get great comparisons with nearby Willow Flycatchers! The bird was observed in amongst a dense willow bog with other riparian vegetation,but if it wasn't seen it was always heard singing it's distinctive song,as well as heard giving call notes on occasion.

During the initial observation on the mid afternoon of the 18th we drove by the location along Kipling Rd. and immediately heard the bird singing,so with good fortune we were able to get our tape recordings of the bird,as the bird stayed fairly hidden in dense growth,but occasionally popped out into view during the 1 hour period we stayed. The bird during this time was actively chasing nearby Willow Flycatchers out of it's territory,but always sang in a constant repeated manner. We returned back to the WOS Conference "Central" at the Ferry County Fairgrounds just east of Republic and told several other birders of our discovery to get the word out,as we remained excited by our second discovery of the species for Washington! Due to leading a field trip the following day at the location of the bird we were confident it would still be there and sure enough the bird allowed great scoping views by all 10 participants on our field trip! The bird gave it's classic song and there was no doubt by any of the bird's identity so we were pleased to begin the day on a good note! Later that same day we learned that other lucky birders were also able to observe the bird before there drive home to various locations. This morning we returned to the location along Kipling Rd. at 8am and immediately heard the bird singing away within the dense willow undergrowth,where we patiently stood along the very small shoulder of the road and obtained our photographs of the bird. The bird seemed to have a set territory by staying within a limited area of the bog and it would never stray from that area in the same manner than noted the previous day. The bird would either perch up high atop a willow clump and sing for several minutes or remain hidden in amongst the willow grove.

During the remainder of the WOS Conference we also enjoyed great views of many of the specialty species in the immediate area including LEAST FLYCATCHER,NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH,AM.REDSTART and BOBOLINK of which were noted on 2 out of 3 of our personal field trips. Of these species we begin with 4 Northern Waterthrushes heard calling on the 16th of June along the West Fork of the Sanpoil River along Aeneas Valley Rd. at 2 separate,but traditional locations including 3 birds singing in a dense willow area just west of the West Fork Sanpoil Campground in Okanogan Co. The 4th bird was heard singing briefly further east of the campground along a dense riparian area along the West Fork of the Sanpoil River in Ferry County. On the 18th of June we enjoyed great scoping views of a single singing Northern Waterthush at the Amazon Creek Marsh(accessed along Hwy.20 about 18 miles east of Colville in Stevens Co. 4-5 additional birds were heard singing loudly at this location,as well. A single Northern Waterthrush was heard singing at a wetland area at the north end of Baley Lake(Little Pend Orielle NWR)on the 17th.

Our only Am.Redstarts of the Conference were 2 birds located at the east end of the Little Pend Orielle NWR in Stevens Co.on the 17th of June consisting of a female and immature male bird both observed at Potter's Pond. We were able to locate Bobolinks from 3 separate locations on 2 of our field trips including 3-4 birds noted at 2 separate locations along Aeneas Valley Rd. on the 16th,as well as 3 singing males in a large grassy field along Kitt-Narcisse Rd. just south of Hwy.20 on the 17th of June. Our only Least Flycatcher of the Conference was noted in a small aspen grove at the south intersection of Bear Creek Rd. and Narcisse Rd. at the Little Pend Orielle NWR. This active bird was previously reported by Gina Sheridan and located by us during a scouting day on the 15th of June then again noted on the 17th of June,as well as thereafter by other observers.

A few other highlights during our personal field trips included the following species:

Common Loon
5 birds at Swan Lake,Ferry Co. on the 16th
1 birds at Ell Lake along Aeneas Valley Rd.,Okanogan Co. on the 16th
1 bird at Molson Lake,OK on the 19th
1 pair with 1 young at Lost Lake in Okanogan Co. on the 19th

Canvasback
1 female at Sidley Lake at Molson,OK on the 19th

GREATER SCAUP
2 pairs at he Republic STP,FE on the 16th
1 male near Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th

Common Goldeneye
2 females at the Colville STP,Stevens Co. on the 17th
2 females at Potter's Pond,ST on the 17th
1 female with 5 young at Bayley Lake,ST on the 17th

Bufflehead
2 females at Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th

Bald Eagle
1 adult circling over Hwy.20 at Wauconda,OK on the 16th
1 adult at the Colville STP,ST on the 17th
2 adults and 2 juvenile birds at a nestsite near the Little Pend Orielle NWR,ST on the 17th
1 adult at Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th

Swainson's Hawk
5 birds in the Havillah-Molson area of Okanogan Co on the 19th

Golden Eagle
2 pairs flying at separate locations along Aeneas Valley Rd.,OK on the 16th

GRAY PARTRIDGE
1 bird along Molson Rd.,OK on the 19th

GREATER YELLOWLEGS
1 bird at the Colville STP,ST on the 17th
1 bird near Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th

Wilson's Phalarope
3 birds at the Colville STP,ST on the 17th
13 birds at Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th
1 bird along Molson Rd.,OK on the 19th
1 bird along FR 32 south of Bonaparte Lake,OK on the 19th

BONAPARTE'S GULL
2 birds at Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th

Black Tern
7-8 birds along Oroville-Toroda Creek Rd.(Chesaw Rd.)at Little Beaver Lake/Beaver Lake,OK on the 19th
4 birds at Muskrat Lake,OK on the 19th
2 birds at Sidley Lake at Molson,OK on the 19th
1 birds at Bonaparte Lake,OK on the 19th

White-throated Swift
15-20 birds along Hwy.21 north of Gold Creek Rd.,FE on the 16th
3-4 birds along Aeneas Valley Rd.,OK on the 16th

Williamson's Sapsucker
1 bird near Havillah,OK on the 19th
6-7 birds at the Lost Lake Campground,OK on the 19th

Am.Three-toed Woodpecker
1 adult male at a nestsite near Lost Lake 1.5 miles west of FR 32,OK on the 19th

Black-backed Woodpecker
1 bird heard drumming near Havillah,OK on the 19th

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
1 singing bird observed along Oroville-Toroda Creek Rd.(east of Molson Rd.),OK on the 19th


Away from birding during the Conference several mammal species of note were encountered including Moose that were observed on several field trips,but not ours. We did enjoy a brief look a "golden" Black Bear along Aeneas Valley/Gold Creek Rd. on the 16th,as well as several Snowshoe Hares from several upper elevation locations including near Swan Lake and Beaver Lakes. Lastly, a single live Striped Skunk was noted by a few of our field trip participants at the Little Pend Orielle NWR on the 17th. Our personal mammal highlight occurred after the WOS Conference with our personal first ever BOBCAT,which we observed briefly as it pranced along Oroville-Toroda Creek Rd. at Beth Lake in Okanogan Co. on the 20th.


A few additional bird species of note encountered before and after the WOS Conference included the following species:

50 Am.White Pelicans at the Toppenish NWR,Yakima Co. on the 14th

1 AM.BITTERN at Sanpoil Lake,Ferry Co. on the 15th(apparently the 1st record for Ferry Co.,but NOT located during the WOS Conference)

Lewis' Woodpecker
1 bird flying along Hwy.97 south of Tonasket,OK on he 20th

LEAST FLYCATCHER
2 birds at the public fishing access area at the mouth of the Okanogan River,OK on the 20th. These bird were previously reported by Michael Fleming nearly a month ago and today were primarily heard calling only,as they were viewed in a grove of Silver Maple trees near he parking lot area. These birds could be nesting at this location.

Gray Flycatcher
1 bird at the Little Pend Orielle NWR,ST on the 15th,but NOT located there during the WOS Conference
1 bird along the northern portion of Cameron Lake Rd.,OK on the 20th

Northern Waterthrush
1 bird heard singing at Curlew Lake State Park,Ferry Co. on the 15th
1 bird heard singing at Baley Lake,Stevens Co. on the 15th

Yellow-breasted Chat
1 bird at the Toppenish NWR,YA on the 14th



A great week of birding!



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com