JoLynn Edwards and I are just back from a four-day birding loop in Grant, Douglas (barely), Lincoln, Stevens (passthrough), Ferry, Okanogan, and Chelan counties. We started in Ephrata in late morning on Friday, May 28, and ended at Wenatchee around noon today, Monday, May 31. In planning the trip we took inspiration from several recent reports on Tweeters, stringing together some sites from these reports and adding others. Thanks to Ken Knittle and Tom Mansfield, Kraig and Kathy Kemper, Tim O'Brien, and Dan Stephens for sharing their experiences.

Weather was erratic to say the least. We had sun or light cloud cover, mild temperatures, and calm winds much of the time, but the birds got washed or blown or chilled away at many other times and places. Our server at a restaurant in Republic said that they had had sunny weather for Memorial Day weekend only three years of the last 14. But even if we had known that in advance we would have gone anyway, and we are glad we did. Here are a few of the highlights.

Soap Lake (Grant County), May 28 - 11 AMERICAN AVOCETS, one BLACK-NECKED STILT, two male BLUE-WINGED TEAL, and one BONAPARTE'S GULL at the south end. Far out in the main part of the lake one WESTERN GREBE and dozens of EARED GREBES and phalaropes. The phalaropes on the water were too distant to identify, but a tight flock of 15-20 birds that flew about before settling on the water were all WILSON'S PHALAROPES (no white wingstripe). Assorted waterfowl included about 20 RUDDY DUCKS.

Lenore Lake (Grant County), May 28 - at the south end, many waterfowl, including numerous GADWALLS, 8 AMERICAN WIGEON, 3-4 pairs of LESSER SCAUP, 15 RING-NECKED DUCKS, others. Also EARED GREBE (fewer than on Soap), 8-10 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and a flock of 30 BONAPARTE'S GULLS. At about mid-point along the lake we noticed that the sky above the highway was suddenly filled with WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS and VIOLET-GREEN and CLIFF SWALLOWS, alarmed by a PEREGRINE FALCON patrolling close to the basalt cliffs where these birds nest.

Sun Lakes State Park (Grant County), May 28 - pleasant mid- to late afternoon with a typical list of passerines and a less-usual pair of EVENING GROSBEAKS.

Atkins Lake (Douglas County), May 28 - a near-total bust. Three mallards, several Horned Larks, one Savannah Sparrow.

Davenport Cemetery (Lincoln County), May 29 - cold; stiff south wind had all the Memorial Day flags flapping. Nonetheless a lot of migrants, but difficult to see. Most notable were good numbers of HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS and even more WESTERN TANAGERS, the latter almost all males. The Hammond's sat on gravestones and foraged mostly on the mown lawns, permitting close study.

Harker Canyon and Mill Canyon (Lincoln County), May 29 - the cold wind howled here and the birds laid low. New to us; we went there thanks to the success Ken and Tom had in these canyons two weeks earlier, and will give them another try in better weather. Nice habitat.

SR-25 from Fort Spokane to Gifford -Inchelium Ferry (Stevens County), May 29 - today was the worst weather of the trip and we found nothing on the few occasions we were tempted to stop and look along this route.

Round Lake (Ferry County), May 29 - site sheltered from south wind; break in the rain when we stopped. Found the pair of COMMON LOONS reported by Ken and Tom. Also a pair of BLACK TERNS (copulating), a few RING-NECKED DUCKS, and several BANK SWALLOWS.

Bridge Creek Road from Twin Lakes west (Ferry County), May 29 - Twin Lakes had whitecaps and were covered with fishing boats; not a bird in sight. Had never driven this road west across the high divide between the Columbia and the Sanpoil rivers and were looking forward to it after reading the report from Ken and Tom. In this weather, though, the birds did not come out, and we stopped trying. It rained all the way up and all the way down the far side, and the summit was in the clouds.

Sanpoil River Valley (Ferry County), May 29 - mid- to late afternoon; started out in steady rain, changing to showers alternating with increasingly longer sunbreaks. Made several stops in this great riparian habitat. Most productive was at Bear Creek Campground, between mileposts 136 and 137 about 25 miles south of Republic. Nice variety of passerines here, including only NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH of the trip -- not in a bog-like setting, so possibly a migrant. Also VEERY, MACGILLIVRAY'S and YELLOW (numerous) WARBLERS, female CASSIN'S FINCH attending two fledglings. Most interesting phenomenon incredibly large number of WESTERN TANAGERS in riverside vegetation -- at least 15 (all but one males) in one stretch of about 100 yards. We found no RED-EYED VIREOS here or elsewhere on the trip, but that is perhaps because the crappy weather kept the birds from being out and about, and singing, when we were in their habitat.

Republic (Ferry County), May 30 - early morning, many EVENING GROSBEAKS in town. Nice weather today, sunny, increasing clouds in later afternoon but no precip.

Chesaw Road (Okanogan County), May 30 - east end right after turnoff from Toroda Creek Road. Roadside ponds and wetlands. Alive with birds in mid-morning. Uncharacteristically fine views of VEERY, GRAY CATBIRD.

Lost Lake (Okanogan County), May 30 - had not read until today Ginger Gumm's posting about territorial female COMMON LOON on Lost Lake being shot earlier in the month. We saw one loon on a nest and two others swimming; hopefully the nest will succeed. RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER along road on E side of lake, female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER in picnic area of campground. Also checked Beaver Lake -- birdless, a complete human zoo.

Bolster Road (Okanogan County), May 30 - one LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and one LEAST FLYCATCHER, both of them in the general vicinity of mailbox number 291A, 2.5 miles up the road from Chesaw.

Mary Ann Creek Road (Okanogan County), May 30 - ponds and beaver swamps along eastern end of road had some ducks, including BARROW'S GOLDENEYE. Had our only OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER along here; WILLOW FLYCATCHER present but still thin on the ground (or not vocalizing much) anywhere we went. One LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

Molson (Okanogan County), May 30 - many ducks in lakes just N of town and also at W end of Mary Ann Creek Road immediately below Molson, among them pairs of LESSER SCAUP, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, and BUFFLEHEAD. Numerous REDHEADS and RUDDY DUCKS on upper lakes.

Teal Lake (Okanogan County), May 30 - pair of BUFFLEHEADS, courting pair of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE.

Highland Sno-Park (Okanogan County), May 30 - female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER: from parking lot by toilet, walked down gated road to next cattle guard; bird was flaking bark on skinny conifer another 75 yards along the road on the right. Late afternoon.

Swakane Wildlife Area (Chelan County), May 31 - at entrance to canyon, right off the highway, seven BIGHORN SHEEP (ewes). A couple of hundred yards farther in, a singing CANYON WREN. Good riparian starts at about mile 0.3, very birdy in mid-morning. Cooperative YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS; lots of singing LAZULI BUNTINGS and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS; noisy, active BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

Wenatchee Confluence State Park (Chelan County), May 31 - lots going on at Horan Natural Area in late morning, with same highlights as in Tim O'Brien's trip report for May 22. Dan Stephens's WOS field trip of May 23 found more than we did, though. Notably, the pair of Harlequin Ducks underneath the footbridge across the Wenatchee River had moved on. Large, noisy flocks of EVENING GROSBEAKS were still around; GRAY CATBIRDS were singing, flying about, and perching in the open; an immature BALD EAGLE flew overhead.

I will not tell you about the traffic slowdowns through Leavenworth and Gold Bar on the way home this afternoon.

Good birding!

Hal Opperman
Medina, Washington
hal at catharus.net