Kathy and I also birded the Okanogan over Xmas, Wednesday through Saturday, still our favorite place to be.
Best bird was a winter adult Mew Gull at the Colville Indian Agency fish pens on the Columbia River.
I hiked out a quarter mile through snow up to my knees in freezing weather to see a handful of Herring Gull
and slightly more Ring-billed Gull with some ducks. Oh, and there was the small gull I saw fly by, hover then land below me.
Okay, a Mew Gull. Scope it anyway; yes a Mew Gull.
Disappointed in not seeing any special gulls (Glaucous-winged,
Glaucous, Lesser Black-backed, etc.), I did not realize until later that night that I not only had not seen
Mew Gull in Okanogan this year, but did not see it on my Okanogan life list. Then I looked at the Washington Birder
checklist for the Okanogan and could not find it. Sheeeeeeeesh! Could this be a county first?
All in all, a great way to spend the holiday!

Okanogan County Highlights:

CHUKAR (8) along Riverside Cutoff Road 25 Dec and (12) above Colville Indian Agency fish pens 27 Dec
WILD TURKEY (25) Kiplinger feedlot 26 Dec and (35) along the Chesaw to Oroville Road 26 Dec
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE (34) Scotch Creek WMA 25 Dec
EARED GREBE (1) on Columbia River at mouth of Okanogan River 26 Dec
PRAIRE FALCON (1) at upper end of Cameron Lake Road descending to US 97 25 Dec
MEW GULL (1) winter adult at Collville Indian Agency fish pens 27 Dec
SHORT-EARED OWL (1) at dusk in Scotch Creek WMA 24 Dec
GREAT-HORNED OWL (1) at dusk in Scotch Creek WMA 24 Dec
SNOWY OWL (1) at lower end of Cameron Lake Road 25 Dec
NORTHERN PYGMY OWL (1) at US 97 boat launch just north of Chelan/Okanogan line 24 Dec
GRAY JAY (2) along Tonasket/Havillah Road before Highland Snow Park 26 Dec
BROWN CREEPER (1) at Bridgeport State Park w/ RB Nuthatch and BC and Mtn. Chickadee 24 Dec
RED BR, WH BR and PYGMY NUTHATCH all together in Ponderosa Pine along upper end of Cameron Lake Road 25 Dec
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (1) at upper end of Cameron Lake Road 25 Dec and (7) together along Oroville to Chesaw Raod 26 Dec
SNOW BUNTING (100)+ along lower end of Cameron Lake Road 25 Dec and (150)+ along Nealy Road 26 Dec
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH (45) along Nealy Road 26 Dec
PINE GROSBEAK (17) along road north of Muskrat Lake before dropping to Kiplinger feedlot 26 Dec
and (5) at lower end of Mary Ann Creek Road 26 Dec

Douglas County Highlights:

MERLIN (1) atop deciduous tree in Bridgeport park with boat launch 27 Dec
PRAIRIE FALCON (1) on telephone pole SW of grain elevators in Mansfield 27 Dec
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE (15) in cottonwood trees middle of Mansfield 27 Dec
SNOWY OWL (1) east of Mansfield, north of SR 172 on "H" and NW of 15th 27 Dec
HERMIT THRUSH (1) in tree at intersection of Longview Road and SR 97 north of Turtle Rock 24 Dec
LAPLAND LONGSPUR (3) west of Mansfield at SE intersection of SR 172 and Road "C" w/ large flock of Horned Lark 27 Dec
SNOW BUNTING (8) west of Mansfield at SE of intersection of SR 172 and Road "C" w/ large flock of Horned Lark 27 Dec


Kraig Kemper
Seattle, WA
(206) 789-9255
K_Kemper at msn.com<mailto:K_Kemper at msn.com>