This afternoon a single COMMON TERN was working the bluster of yet another "topsoil relocation" day in the Columbia Basin. It was at the potato ponds (behind the Para Ponds) just outside of town. Seen daily there now are pelicans, cormorants, egrets, 10 species of ducks, stilt, avocet, Wilson's Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Spotted Sandpiper. A reminder that the ponds are private property. The owners have been mostly tolerant of birders walking in, but even if the gate is open, driving in could result in arrest. There have been thefts from the property.

Randy Hill
Othello