Subject: [Tweeters] Grant and Douglas County conditions
Date: Feb 17 23:20:00 2007
From: Hill - hill at smwireless.net


Elaine and I got away for the day, heading up to the Balde Eagle Festival at Grand Coulee. This was our third attempt to get there and our first time actually making it, although not until 2 pm. On the way we stopped at Wilson Creek, where Crab Creek is flooded back almost to Marlin. Plenty of waterfowl scattered and concentrated across several miles. Also Prairie Falcons above and below Wilson Creek along SR 28. We went up Road R through Hartline and found a flock of 100+ rosy-finches foraging in wet wheat stubble. Most of the non-paved roads between SR 155 and the Grant-Lincoln County line were closed due to the thaw and very soft conditions, with water ponded in many fields and lots of erosive run-off. A few rough-legs and a Northern Shrike supplemented the hundreds of Horned Larks, and a large flock of Canada Geese and Northern Pintails lined a pond north of the wheat fields.

There wasn't much bird activity in Grand Coulee, and the north dam of Banks Lake wasn't showing any gulls or much open water, so we headed west toward Bridgeport (frozen ponds toward Leahy although a Killdeer flew over one of them) and up Bridgeport Hill Road toward Mansfield. We missed the collared-doves in Mansfield, although we crossed paths with the Stepniewski group that had seen one. They also had a couple of Snowy Owls and apparently Snow Buntings west of Mansfield, I believe along SR 172. Against my own advice, we headed south on Heritage Road (gravel) and found another Northern Shrike, rough-leg, red-tail, and lots more Horned Larks. Our last bird of the day was a Gyrfalcon at sunset along Heritage Road about 3 miles south of SR 172. But that wasn't the last excitement. With snowmelt at full speed there were several water hazards along the road and some on the road. At the south end near Atkins Lake where gravel meets pavement just north of US 2, the pavement was almost completely covered where the road bends west near the farmstead. I would not suggest driving any gravel roads until the ponding and soft roads have a chance to drain and dry out. Even if you don't get stuck, the road maintenance crews don't appreciate the extra work of grading out ruts.

Randy Hill
Othello