Even though Gary Kuiper and I were unable to locate
any Blue Grouse in Halverson Canyon (north of Creston,
Lincoln County) today (5/3/06), we did hear Ruffed
Grouse drumming. In fact this grouse was drumming only
infrequently (five mintues between displays) and was
situated in the middle of dense understory of Douglas
Mountain Maple, a tangle of wild currants, snowberry,
etc. Needless to say, the grouse remained invisible
through out it's performance.

Other birds in the canyon included Gray Flycatcher,
Cassin's Finch, Spotted Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow,
Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Mountain Bluebird,
Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Mt. Chickadee,
No. Rough-winged Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Gray
Partridge, Wild Turkey, and Say's Phoebe. In addition,
we witnessed a House Wren contesting a Pygmy Nuthatch
for a nest hole, and a Great Horned Owl being mobbed
by robins.

At the base of Hawk Creek Falls, we enjoyed watching
a pair of Dippers thrilling to the rapids. As we
proceeded down Cottonwood Creek Road, we intercepted a
transient Cooper's Hawk.

Even though the northeasterly breeze stiffened by
mid-afternoon, Davenport Cemetery was hopping with
birds. Some of the birds loitering on the grounds were
HERMIT THRUSH - 2, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE -3, DARK-EYED
JUNCO-8, White-crowned Sparrow - 30+, VARIED THRUSH -
1, CHIPPING SPARROW -4, and a ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.
In the trees, we found TOWNSEND'S WARBLER,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HOUSE FINCH, and YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER.

In the top of a spherical shaped juniper, there was a
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW sitting a foot away from a
LINCOLN'S SPARROW. In fact, the GC Sparrow was a
Lincoln County lifer for me.

We enjoyed seeing nice birds on a beautiful spring
day. Who could ask for more?

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA

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