Subject: [Tweeters] WOS heading home east field trip
Date: Jun 15 14:39:37 2010
From: Randy Hill - hill at smwireless.net


First things first, I'd like to attest to the quality of the WOS Conference
organization and field trip leadership. No glitches and great birding. And
it doesn't hurt having so many skilled participants adding eyes and ears to
go along with the knowledge that the leaders bring. Among other benefits,
during five field trips I was able to visit five areas of Grant, Chelan and
Douglas Counties that I had never seen before (other than a scout a week
earlier.) And I have a much better idea of which species I don't hear very
well.



As last year, I was the only east-sider going home east, and that has a
significant asterisk since I have "dual residency" now. My group (two
including me) was able to start out with the George Gerdts-led Badger
Mountain tour, and that portion was a great beginning with White-headed
Woodpecker among most of the Douglas County pine forest specialties. Thanks
George for working so hard for that shy Grasshopper Sparrow. We broke off
and headed east and, although missing a turn near Alstown (yes, it is in the
DeLorme index), lucked into my best bird of the weekend at Rd 4 and J SW, a
GREATER SAGE-GROUSE. It flushed from ugly cheatgrass habitat near the road
and again about 100' further out of a wheat field. To Atkins Lake, which
was a bust, but Stallard Lake north of St Andrews did have stilts and
avocets. Since Tricolored Blackbird was an objective, we then headed to
Wilson Creek where Crab Lake is holding plenty of water. We found a couple
of TRBL males at the east end, along with assorted waterfowl, 2 Eared
Grebes, 3 Am White Pelicans, a Forster's Tern, stilts, avocets, and a single
Wilson's Phalarope. Too many stops over too many miles and not enough time,
we finished off the day at 5:45 with 3 Burrowing Owls south of Ephrata along
Rd D NW north of Rd 7. We finished with 98 species (70 in Douglas, 59 in
Grant) plus Western Grebes at Moses Lake after the tally, on the way home.



Randy Hill

Othello/Ridgefield