Tweeters,

I was able to bird in North Central Washington this past weekend, with most of my time spent along the Methow and Okanogan rivers and the Columbia River above Wells dam. Weather was a mix of rain, snow, wind and occasional sun.

Mountain Bluebirds are back in force along Hwy 20 near Aeneas Valley Road, and Bald Eagles of all ages were omnipresent in the Methow and Okanogan valleys and around the mouths of these rivers on the Columbia. Large rafts of waterfowl are still present at these locations; largely made up of American Coots, they also contain American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Horned Grebes, a few Pied-billed Grebes and the occasional Canvasbacks. Mallards are sometimes part of these rafts, with Canadian Geese nearby and an occasional Common Loon making an appearance. At Pateros, several Horned Grebes are changing into their breeding plumage. Ring-billed Gulls were also present at Pateros.

As reported Friday by Terry Little, Cassimer Bar at the mouth of the Okanogan River is very busy with wildfowl. In addition to the species mentioned above, Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal, Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Mergansers and Ruddy Ducks were close to shore or in ponds in the wildlife area, which they shared with Bald Eagles, Red-winged Blackbirds and Northern Flickers.

Following Terry's example, the last stop of my day was Cameron Lake Road, where one field of wheat stubble had been taken over by a sedge of over 100 Sandhill Cranes. A pond near the road produced several Tundra Swan, Gadwalls and Mallards, and large flights of Canadian Geese were greeted with bugles from the Sandhill Cranes. The road is somewhat muddy; four-wheel drive and high clearance might be comforting to a visiting birder. There were lots of raptors along the road, including Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, and American Kestrels. Horned Larks were present along the road, and American Robins seemed to be everywhere.

Jim Owens
Mercer Island