Subject: [Tweeters] Douglas County today - Sage Grouse, Common Redpoll
Date: Mar 6 22:02:55 2010
From: Tim O'Brien - kertim7179 at yahoo.com


Jon Isacoff and I birded in Douglas county today. We started the day off early at the Leahy lek and were not disappointed. One male Greater Sage Grouse was seen in the usual spot in the sagebrush, but we soon figured most of the noise was coming from the other side of the road. In looking there in the middle of a bare dirt field, we found a large group of males and females doing their thing. 35 birds in all with some great views from a distance.

Taking Highway 17 west from the Leahy Junction, we stopped at a couple different spots where there were ponds along the highway. One pond yielded two singing Marsh Wrens and two Virginia Rails along with Red-winged Blackbirds.

The Bridgeport Bar was hopping with birds today! A single Eurasian Collared Dove was on the west-side of Bridgeport. In the wildlife area, we had a great assortment of waterfowl. A lone Clark's Nutcracker put in an appearance here. On the west side of the Bar area near the orchards, where the Bohemian flock has been hanging out, we could only find a handful of Bohemian Waxwings. Cedar Waxwings actually outnumbered the Bohemians today! Also, at the Bridgeport Bar area we had a singing Bewick's Wren.

We spent a couple hours working Central Ferry Canyon and hit the jackpot. First, we ran into a good sized flock of American Goldfinch and then just up the road there was a flock of Common Redpolls. There were about 25 Redpolls that were feeding off the catkins. Further up in the pines by the Packwood Cemetery, Pygmy Nuthatches were well represented. Also, we heard a single Western Bluebird, Brown Creeper, Northern Pygmy-Owl as well as seeing a small flock on Pine Siskins all from the cemetery. In the lower canyon, we encountered another Bewick's Wren and first heard and then saw a single Varied Thrush.

Up on the Waterville Plateau, there were the usual flocks of Horned Larks. We stopped for one and found at least four Lapland Longspurs flying about with the larks.

We then visited Moses Coulee and Jameson Lake. Jameson Lake had a great assortment of birds to scope through including 12 California Gulls and 4 Barrow's Goldeneye. The sagebrush in the coulee produced a few Sage Sparrows, but no bluebirds. Also, one Canyon Wren was heard on one of the cliff walls.

Say's Phoebes seemed to be everywhere today also! A beautiful day to be out for sure! I believe we ended the day in Douglas county with about 70 species.

Good birding!

Tim O'Brien
Cheney, WA
mailto: kertim7179 at yahoo dot com