Subject: [Tweeters] Clark's Grebe @ Sprague Lake, Lincoln Co (13 July 2009)
Date: Jul 14 20:21:29 2009
From: mattxyz at earthlink.net - mattxyz at earthlink.net


Hi all -

After a great Sunday WOS trip in Whitman County [thanks Michael
Woodruff & Gina Sheridan for sharing more than 100 species to us all
-- in July -- in Whitman County!], I spent a little time birding on
the way home, first with MaryFrances Mathis & John Hebert, then on my
own. Despite the cold, rainy & windy weather, we had some good finds.

The highlight was a CLARK'S GREBE [code 5] on Sprague Lake in Lincoln
Co waters. Later, MaryFrances & John looked through the Western
Grebe flocks & easily found 2 Clark's Grebes there. These were a bit
west of pay parking area close enough to the south side of the lake
to scope easily from the road.

Other Monday birds:
Sprague STP had: 4 Bonapartes Gulls, several Caspian Terns, & ~6
Red-necked Phalaropes . Eurasian Collared-Doves were nearby too.

Before heading to Sprague, MaryFrances, John & I birded a couple
spots in western Spokane Co.

Along Old Trails Rd., north of the quarry, we pulled up a small flock
of Lark Sparrows. Vaux's Swifts were overhead, and we tried to pull
up a Canyon Wren on the cliffs to no avail. Earlier in the morning,
on my own, I birded the same road a little further north where the
trails go into Riverside Park -- a Townsend's Solitaire, Hammond's &
Dusky Flycatchers, and some apparently nesting Red Crossbills were
the highlights.

Along McFarlane Rd west of Medical Lake, between Espanola & Ladd, we
had Brewer's Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow & Grasshopper sparrows, despite
the windy & rainy conditions.


Back in Lincoln Co, after Sprague Lake, I headed north to try for
Grasshopper Sparrows along Old Kuchs Rd south of Davenport. After a
long wait in the rain, a Grasshopper Sparrow finally popped out --
before that I had a family of Brewer's Sparrows visit, and what I
believe was a soggy Sage Thrasher, though I couldn't see clearly
through the rain.

Final birds were Adams Co. Grasshopper Sparrows, on SR 21, south of
Odessa and just a little north of Rosenoff Rd. -- After long having
trouble finding Grasshopper Sparrows anywhere, this summer I've
managed to break through -- in less than a month I've seen them in 10
counties, often in multiple spots -- nothing like finally learning to
read the habitat a bit better!

Good birding,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA