Friday Tom Mansfield and I shot over to Clarkston for the Iceland and Mew Gull. The dump had lots of gulls (Ring-billed, California, and Herring), but could not locate the Iceland. After an hour sorting through gulls we headed south of the town of Asotin along the Snake River where the Iceland was first found. The water seemed too high and not many gulls and still no sign of the Iceland. There were two bunches of gulls at Swallows Park where the Mew Gull was easy to spot. West of Clarkston across from the gulf course were Common Goldeneyes and 2 Long-tailed Ducks on the Snake River. When we stopped they flew over to the Whitman Co. side of the river. The last hour or so we were in Garfield County and had a Belted Kingfisher along Pataha Creek where WA Hwy 128 crosses (this is a graveled road at this location). Kingfishers are tough to find in Garfield Co. Sweeney Gulch Road had Western Bluebirds. After dark we had 1 response of a Western Screech-Owl at Lewis & Clark Trail State Park along with 2 Great Horned Owls.

Saturday we found Little Goose Dam pretty sterile, but just needed to check it in case the Iceland was heading down stream. In Walla Walla Co. just west of Port Kelly we had a few White-throated Swifts along the rim rock. This may be the first of the year for Walla Walla County. At stop at McNary Dam and Whitcomb Island NWR didn't have much besides the usual American White Pelicans. At Crow Butte State Park we walked in from the boat launching area. A young male Purple Finch was singing in the tops of the large leaf-less trees. We tried calling Steller's Jays in with the I-pod and got a Merlin instead and some Yellow-rumped Warblers. We noted many acorn caps where jays or some other birds had eaten the rest of the acorns and left the caps. Perhaps the reason Blue, Scrub and Steller's Jays were there last fall. 30+ Eurasian Collared-Doves were just west of the Benton/Klickitat Co. line on Sonova Rd. In western Benton Co. on Davis Rd. we had a Loggerhead Shrike in a sage brush ravine. Back in Kenniwick we found a Common Loon and Red-necked Grebe just east of Bateman Island. The Burrowing Owl was hanging out in his/her burrow south of Pasco.

Sunday morning I was heading for home by way of Alderdale where I had a Loggerhead Shrike along Six Prong Rd. 7 Northern Shrikes were seen along Sand Ridge Rd. and Hwy 8 were it hits Hwy 14 west of Roosevelt. Sage Sparrows weren't singing, but quickly responded by sitting on large sage bushes and watching me along Sand Ridge Rd. 0.8 mile north of Lyle was a male Anna's Hummingbird displaying. And my last stop near Balch Lake Rd. revealed 1 Acorn Woodpecker on the "OLD" grannery tree working the lower east side of this long time dead Ponderosa Pine. The rain increased as I headed west so didn't bird Skamania County.






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