I was driving home on Highway 124 from Waitsburg to Burbank in Walla Walla County about 6:15 PM yesterday when I had a "What the heck was that?" moment - strong flying, fast, brownish bird with long pointed wings. It's too big to be a kestrel - prairie falcon?!

Then I pulled over and saw that my "falcon" had a ridiculous nose - yep, long-billed curlew. Two of them. Curlews are one of my favorite birds, and I haven't seen them there before, but I'm sure glad I didn't have another birder in the car. So much for intuitive birding.

Anyway, they were at about milepost 12. And both sets of burrowing owls are still at the US 12/ Pasco-Kahlotus Road interchange (assuming they aren't really bald eagles).

Good birding, and may all your prairie falcons be prairie falcons.

- Roy A Myers