On Friday (1/11/08), Craig & Judy Corder, and I birded
from the West Plains of Lincoln County to the Grand
Coulee area. Foggy conditions prevailed over most of
the West Plains, but fortunately the area around the
Columbia River was below the cloud deck. Temperatures
were subfreezing, but we were not hampered by wind.

On the snowy fields off Waukon Road and Denny Station
Road, we encountered several sizable coveys of GRAY
PARTRIDGEs. At the junction of Detour Road and
Gravelle Road, we saw the only SNOW BUNTINGs of the
day. These three Snow Buntings were feeding within a
flock of HORNED LARKs.

Near the Davenport grain elevators, we saw two
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVEs, MOURNING DOVE, and AMERICAN
KESTREL. At the north end of 14th Street, there was a
flock of a hundred BOHEMIAN WAXWINGs. Near the center
of town, saw a second flock of some fifty Bohemians.

Around the town of Wilbur, we noted a significant
concentration of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKs (30+). One of the
roughies was a beautiful dark morph bird.

While the Coulee Playground of Electric City failed to
produce the Black-headed Gull, we did rack up HORNED
GREBE, BALD EAGLE, HOODED MERGANSER, AME.
COOT,BUFFLEHEAD COMMON MERGANSER, and PIED-BILLED
GREBE. Although we didn't see any gulls at the
Lincoln County Spring Canyon Campground, we did find a
NORTHERN SHRIKE and a couple of EARED GREBEs.

Roosting on the booms on the Okanogan side of the
river of Grand Coulee Dam, we pulled out an adult
THAYER'S GULL and a first cycle GLAUCOUS GULL out of
the usual flock of RING-BILLs and HERRING GULLs. The
Glaucous and Thayer's Gulls were both Okanogan County
lifers for me.

After a futile attempt to relocate the the Hawk Owl,
we found a roosting COOPER'S HAWK in the town of Grand
Coulee. A second Coop was present in the Sunbanks
Resort. COMMON GOLDENEYE and COMMON MERGANSERs graced
the waters of Osborn Bay.

Near the highway entrance to Northrup Canyon, there
was a flock of fourteen WILD TURKEYs. While we saw a
single COMMON LOON off Northrup Point, a vociferous
DOWNY WOODPECKER entertained us in the picnic area. In
Northrup Canyon, we could only turn up RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, and SONG SPARROW.

Despite the lack of cracking rarities, we enjoyed the
winter birds that we did encounter.

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA


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