Tom Mansfield and I spent Friday, Saturuday, and Sunday exploring eastern Washington. Our route took us to Cow Lake, Hallin Lake where it was snowing and making visibilty poor. Marsh Wrens were singing hard at Hallin Lake. A quick stop at Sprague Lake with a Mt. Bluebird (Adams Co.), and a great find in the ponds behind the sewer ponds in Sprague with 2-'Blue' Snow Geese.

Sheep Lake was dead except for Hooded Mergansers. Glorifield Rd. had 3+ E. Wigeons, Cinnamon Teal, Turkey Vulture and Tree Swallows. Texas Lake pretty dead also. Burrowing Owls were sw of LaCrosse. We did not see any Ferruginous Hawks in the area. The 7 Snow Geese were 4 miles south of Dusty. Near Philleo Lake we had a Cinnamon Teal. At West Medical Lake there were a few Canvasbacks. A swing by Peone Prairie found the E. Wigeon and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. At the end of the day we had a Northern Pygmy-Owl up Mt. Spokane. Thanks to Michael Woodruff for showing us where to go the last half of the day.

Started the cold day in Lincoln Co. Varied Thrush, 1 Red Crossbill and 1000's of broken limbs below the trees in the Davenport Cemetery due to heavy snow. We saw many Rough-legged Hawks-which were absent in other counties. The wetlands north of the Reardan Ponds had a E. Wigeon. A Cliff Swallow at Little Falls Dam and a flock of Swans flying, but too distant for ID. A long haul we got to Newport. Couldn't locate the E. Collared-Doves and then north along the east side of the Pend Oreille River. Just east of the state line in Idaho was a calling Say's Pheobe. In Pend Oreille Co. in a small pond was a small family flock of Trumpeter Swans and an E. Wigeon on the sand bar in the river. At Calispell Lake lots of Tundra Swans, 4 or 5 Cackling Geese, and a few Sandhill Cranes.

Pygmy Nuthatches and Cassin's Finches were Calling north of Valley. Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the floating logs at Meyer's Falls. And north of Colville were 2 Northern Shrikes.

There were 2 Wood Ducks at the mouth of the Colville River. Herring, California, and Ring-billed were the only gulls.

At Curlew Lake south end had open water with Tundra Swans and Canvasbacks. 9 mile south of Republic we had White-throated Swifts, and a Golden Eagle. Just north of 21-mile Rd. in the small Sanpoil Creek were 6+ ducks one of which was a male E. Wigeon, a 'Ferry County First' and what a weird place to find one. It was more of a place you'd find Common Mergansers in. At Bridge Creek we had 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler. On our way home we saw a Feruginous Hawk west of Odessa.

A great trip with Eurasian Wigeon in 5 counties!


Ken Knittle
Vancouver WA 98665
mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com
Washington Birder online
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