Subject: [Tweeters] birding the basin
Date: Sep 17 09:32:54 2010
From: Marv Breece - mbreece at earthlink.net


I birded various locations in the Cloumbia Basin from Sept 12-15. Here are just a few highlights.

Sept 12

Grant County

Sandhill Crane - 150 in a field at Frenchman Hills Rd & Dodson Rd
Pectoral Sandpiper - 34 Lind Coulee
LB Dowitcher - 100 plus Lind Coulee
Baird's Sandpiper - 12 Lind Coulee

Sept 13

Franklin County

Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 juv Scooteney Reservoir
Great Egret - 3 in flight Scooteney Res
Sandhill Crane - 25 in flight Scooteney Res

Adams County

Black Tern - 2 adults and 1 juv Sprague Lake
Forster's Tern - 1 Sprague Lake
Red-necked Phalarope - 100 Sprague Lake

Linclon County

Clark's Grebe - 2 Sprague Lake

Whitman County

Black-bellied Plover - 1 Sheep Lake

Sept 14

Adams County

Cow Lake

LB Dowitcher - 17
Sanderling - 1 juv
West Sandpiper - 4
Pectoral Sandpiper - 11
Red-necked Phalarope - 1
Wilson's Snipe - 1 (Haller Lake)
Solitary Sandpiper - 1
Baird's Sandpiper - 5
Least Sandpiper - 2
Stilt Sandpiper - 1
Black-necked Stilt - 2
Killdeer - 6
Greater Yellowlegs - 2

There were many more shorebirds at the privately owned end of Cow Lake. >From the fence it was impossible to ID them.

Also 1 swan on Haller Lake. Observed only the head for brief intervals. Looked like a Trumpeter Swan. Also a nice assortment of ducks on Cow Lake.

Swainson's Hawk - 1 near Cow Lake

American Golden-Plover - 1 Hatton Rest Stop (thanks to the Webster/Koyama party for the tip)
Baird's Sandpiper - 4 Hatton RS
Pectoral Sandpiper - 6 Hatton RS

Washtucna

rather slow; an assortment of empids as well as Hermit and Swainson's Thrush

Sept 15

Adams County

Washtucna

pretty much the same as on 9/14 adding Cassin's Vireo and Townsend's Solitaire

Franklin County

Lyon's Ferry

Yellow-rumped Warblers - everywhere!
Evening Grosbeak - 1
Say's Phoebe - 1

MInk - 1 ran across the trail

Grant County

Gr Yellowlegs - 3 County Line Ponds
Les Yellowlegs - 2 CLP
Pectoral Sandpiper - 3 CLP
Red-necked Phalarope - 1 CLP
Sandhill Crane - 4 flying over CLP

Loggerhead Shrike - 1 Lower Crab Creek Rd


Marv Breece
Seattle, WA
mbreece at earthlink.net