A trip to find gulls on the Columbia today ended up netting an adult gray phase GYRFALCON, part of a 4 falcon day! The location of the bird (which flew several times) was in Geib Road, just off the intersection with Krause Road, several miles North of Wilbur. Other falcons were a MERLIN (Wilbur) and PRAIRIE FALCON (Sunset Highway several miles West of Reardan) and Kestrels at multiple locations. Nothing else too notable excep, a juvenile HARLAN'S Red-tailed Hawk, a large (est. 400) flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and a Varied Thrush in a Wilbur yard (a LOT less common in winter in E. WA than W. WA in case Tweets wonder why mention it)!

Oh and a daytime Short-eared Owl sitting on the snow eating a vole at 2:30PM on Morrison Road near Davenport. Some photos of the highlights are posted on Flickr.

Good birding,
Jon Isacoff, Spokane

Jonathan B. Isacoff
Chair, Environmental Studies
Associate Professor, Political Science
Gonzaga University, Box 52
Spokane, WA 99258-0052
isacoff at gonzaga.edu