Subject: [Tweeters] Columbia Basin: 10-11 March
Date: Mar 14 19:27:11 2007
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


Tweeters,



We left Wapato at 3 am on Saturday and headed north to Leahy Junction west
of Grand Coulee to enjoy a fine sunrise display by Greater Sage-Grouse. Just
south of the junction en route to the lek viewpoint, we noted a Great Horned
Owl. Though there were four observers, we could only find male grouse; the
high count was nine. In the expansive shrub-steppe here, we were treated to
a marvelous early spring chorus by Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks,
while a few Lapland Longspurs uttered their dry rattle as they flew
overhead. On the wheat fields we saw a few Northern Harriers and
Rough-legged Hawks.



With Jura, an avid Finnish birder, we made our way west to the higher, still
snowy Dyer Hill part of the Waterville Plateau. Here, we noted Snow Buntings
overhead. We stopped to scope a raptor on a power pole and had a short view
of a Prairie Falcon. It soon took off to chase a much larger falcon, more
bulky, with rounded wingtips. A Gyrfalcon!



A short distance away, we entered upper Central Ferry Canyon where we made
several stops in the Ponderosa Pine forest. We specifically were targeting
Northern Pygmy-Owl for Jura, which did not oblige. We did hear and see a
number of Cassin's Finches, new for him. Also conspicuous we Pygmy
Nuthatches and Red Crossbills.



Later in the morning we swelled our water bird list along the Columbia at
Pateros, and then walked the Wells Wildlife Area, especially targeting
sparrows. Of this clan, we saw mostly White-crowned and Song Sparrows, and
Spotted Towhees. Other interesting birds were Brown Creeper, Varied Thrush,
and at least three Townsend's Solitaire. Overhead, a bluebird of some
species called "phew." In the tall trees, we watched hundreds of Bohemian
(400+) and a handful of Cedar Waxwings. They were fly catching in the warm
spring air and plucking berries from the Russian olive trees.



During mid-afternoon we did some gull watching at Grand Coulee, both below
and just behind the dam, and at Electric City, noting: Ring-billed - 50,
California - 10, Herring -10, Thayer's - 3, and one Glaucous-winged.



We targeted late afternoon at Dyer Hill again, hoping to get a better view
of the Gyrfalcon and maybe an owl or two. Well, no falcons, only a
thoroughly unpleasant encounter with a landowner, though we were on a public
county road. Our owling success was slim, too, but one Short-eared Owl.



The morning of the 11th, we started at the south end of Lake Lenore, hoping
to spot the odd gull ("slaty-mantled, light eye, dusky head streaks) we had
seen there in flight a week earlier. We were greeted by a truly beautiful
spring morning with a lovely chorus of Western Meadowlarks, Say's Phoebes,
and Chukars coming from the shrub-steppe (oh, plus Loggerhead Shrike), while
the lake was crowded with diving ducks (Common Goldeneye and Buffleheads
especially numerous) engaged in their head jerking courtship behavior.
Overhead, a Golden Eagle soared, while Violet-green Swallows chattered. All
this below the stunning Lower Grand Coulee cliffs. We both agreed it doesn't
get much better than this.



Then, THE gull appeared again. Once again, only in flight. But, this time we
were better prepared to focus in on its key marks (mantle, very
slaty-colored, minimal white spotting on the trailing edge of the
primaries). So, as Doug Schoenwald suggested, our bird most likely was a
Lesser Black-backed, which has been seen here the last couple falls, and
again last March. We chased it as it flew south, not finding it at nearby
Soap Lake. Numerous gulls flying high and southward from Soap Lake suggested
the Ephrata dump, so we blasted south to the closed (it was Sunday) dump.
Gulls were flying south from here, suggesting an agricultural field was the
destination for the morning exodus of gulls from the Lower Grand Coulee. We
gave up our search here; there's more than a half-million acres of irrigated
farmland in the Columbia Basin "Reclamation Project."



While cruising east on SR-28 east of Soap Lake (0.7 mile east of Milepost
55) yesterday (11 March), my eye caught a shrub-steppe patch of Bitterbrush
(Purshia tridentata) amidst a nice sward of native grasses, and occasional
Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), We walked down the west side of a
fence into this habitat and were rewarded by 10 or so American Tree
Sparrows. On 31 December 1987, while on the Osoyoos-Oroville CBC (which
straddles the U.S./Canada border) Rob Cannings and I were surprised to find
these sparrows in Bitterbrush (called Antelope Bush in B.C.). On subsequent
CBCs, this area has proven a good bet for this species there, one year a
maximum of 60! See Birds of the Okanagan Valley, B.C., for the particulars.



We were saddened to see new ranchettes seemingly everywhere in this area,
which will no doubt fragment the shrub-steppe habitats and reduce numbers of
these fine birds and for other shrub-steppe species.



A short time later, near Wilson Creek, we were treated to a fine courtship
display by a pair of Ferruginous Hawks. Go east from 4th on Maple in Wilson
Creek on a gravel road to where it bends left (north) and begins climbing
north. Go right here to the end of the road at an irrigated farm field. The
hawks set down on their nest on the rimrock to the northeast. The male
displayed, with exaggerated wing beats, over the rimrock.



We scoped a blackbird and starling flock out on this field and found:



Red-winged Blackbird-500

European Starling-200

Yellow-headed Blackbird -10

Tricolored Blackbird-5, beautiful in the bright sunshine!

Brewer's Blackbird -0, seemed odd



Winter runoff from Crab Creek has filled the valley bottom this spring.
Waterfowl, including 300 Tundra Swans, peppered this huge temporary lake. We
watched in awe as an immature Bald Eagle swooped down and struck a swimming
swan. The swan raised a wing to ward off its attacker, and the eagle flew
off. One for the swan! Thousands of other ducks and geese were about, too.
This area promises to be a great area this spring and early summer.



Andy and Ellen Stepniewski

Wapato WA

steppie at nwinfo.net