During our trip to the Sand Hill Crane festival this past weekend, March 20-22nd.,
the birds and one mammal of note we saw were:
Waters by Cle Elum, along I-5, Trumpeter Swans
Old Vantage HWY- Pair of Red Tails displaying while flying with their legs hanging down, by their nest
- Many Mountain Bluebirds
Lower Crab Creek:
-In a Russian Olive tree sleeping, young porkipine. We had never seen one alive before.
-Thousands of Sand Hill Cranes
-2 Prairie Falcons
- Gyr Falcon, flying towards us and over the top of our car
- Loggerhead Shrike-hill above Corfu Rd

Othtello ponds below the potato factory, on the way to the Potholes entrance on McMannon RD:
- Yellow headed Blackbirds
- N. Shovelers

Potholes:
-Sandhill Cranes, 1000+, in Marsh Unit 1, seen above on the hillside-no entry allowed until April 15th
-Male Ring necked pheasant flying across the front of our car
-Lincoln jand Savannah Sparrows, American Widgens, and a Muskrat
- 2 American Avocets, in ponds below the road
seperating the Soda lake Dam and ponds on the other side, along with Shovelers, Bufflehead, Scaups, Coots

Area around Othello:
-Othello Cemetary-Nesting Great Horned Owl-female on the nest, 5 tree in on the left, across from the flag pole,
4 feet from the top
and Male, several trees away keeping watch
-No White Winged Crossbills seen by anyone in 2 days of avid looking
-Several sites with Burrowing Owl pairs
-2 Long Billed Curlews, by the red and white striped Othello Tower,
near the High School, in the fields around the tower

County line ponds, HWY 26, 9.4 miles going W out of Othello
-Thousands of Geese, Canada and cackling, and Pintail
-Many kestrals Red Tails, N. Harriers, and Killdeer about.
-Double Crested Cormorant
No snakes out yet, but we'll be back! The best birding trip ever-a good time was had by all!
O'Sullivan Dam
Regards, Paige McMasters and friends, including one husband
pmcbead at qwest.net