Birding with Tom Mansfield Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning, and Friday with Terry Little, we covered the southeastern parts of Washington State. When passing through Pomeroy we had Eurasian Collared-Dove and a Townsend?s Solitaire. Further east in Asotin County was an Adult Golden Eagle in the Alpowa Creek drainage. Meeting Terry Little at Swallow?s Park we headed to the town of Asotin where we had a Merlin, Western Screech-Owl, and a Lesser Goldfinch male in with American Goldfinches at a feeder. The Merlin was almost in the same tree as Marv Breece and I had a year before. A quick drive south we had a Pileated Woodpecker and Pacific Wren at Fields Spring State Park in the snow. The Pacific Wren was existing under the lower evergreen branches and the snow which showed they all don?t migrate to lower elevation levels for winter. This is close to 4,000 feet. Northern Shrikes were along the highway around Anatone. Back to Clarkston where we had a Marsh Wren singing at Evans Pond and a Glaucous Gull and Glaucous-winged Gull at the dump.

In Pomeroy, Garfield County we stopped briefly at both cemeteries where 3 Barn Owls flushed in the blowing gale force winds. Near dusk east of Central Ferry along Deadman we had Western Screech-Owl and further along the Snake River near Willow Grove we had a Northern Saw-whet Owl along with another Barn Owl. Our 5th Barn Owl was seen heading back towards Dayton after dark along one of the many banks along the highway.

Saturday along Sweeny Gulch Road near a burn we had a male Black-backed Woodpecker, which was being harassed by a young Northern Shrike. Our only Rough-legged hawk came cruising overhead where the wheat fields meet the forest lands. Lower Granite Dam had few birds along the Snake River except a calling Canyon Wren and a pair of Hooded Mergansers. Ice Harbor Dam in Columbia County did not have much except the normal common gulls (Ring-billed, California, and Herring). A stop at the Dayton Cemetery produced a Long-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Great Horned Owl along with a Eurasian Collared-Dove. After dark a Barn Owl flew over us in Dayton calling.

Sunday morning our trip ended at Sacajawea State Park with Wood Ducks, Canvasbacks, and a Northern Saw-whet Owl.






Ken Knittle
Vancouver WA 98665
mailto:washingtonbirder.com
Washington Birder online
http://www.wabirder.com/