Hello,

Just got home from a really fun day of birding in Pend Oreille County. To
begin with, P O county is about as "snowless" as I have ever seen in
January, which make traveling around very easy and allows access to places
that are most often snow bound this time of year.

Starting early this morning at Calispell Lake, I found Northern Shrike,
American Dipper, Pileated Woodpecker, White breasted Nuthatch, and Brown
Creeper.

At the house next to McKenzie Sough where there are feeders in the back,
there were six COMMON REDPOLLS in with a larger flock of American
Goldfinches. A Townsend's Solitaire was in the front yard of the same home
along with American Robins and one Red winged Blackbird.

Along Cusick Meadows Rd was a N Rough Legged Hawk.

Along the water front between the towns of Usk and Cusick on the east side
of the river was a large flock of waterfowl, typical winter species. But
among them were about 30 Tundra Swans and 2 TRUMPETER SWANS. Also, standing
on the sandbar, were 2 HERRING GULLS (code 4 in PO) and with them a
juvenile GLAUCOUS GULL (code 5, and only the second I have seen in the
county). A Sharp shinned Hawk was in the town of Cusick.

Several places along the PO river, there were three huge flocks of mixed
waterfowl - each flock measuring a half mile - containing 14 species of
ducks. Across LeClerc Rd from Mansesa Grotto down by the river was a flock
of 15 COMMON REDPOLLS. At Flying Goose Ranch, there was a MARSH WREN, my
first winter record in Pend Oreille County.

At River Bend (community just north of the Kalispell Indian Reservation),
there was a flock of eight PINE GROSBEAKS across from little green barn
utility building (1028). I was surprised at the end of the day to realize
that I had tallied 60 species for the county.

Along Allen Rd in the southern part of PO County, were Rock Pigeons and
California Quail, two rather uncommon species for the county.

On my way home, I stopped briefly by Eloika Lake back in Spokane County. At
the parking lot for the boat launch was another flock of COMMON REDPOLLS
and at the south end of the lake was flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS with a few
Cedars mixed. When I got home, there were more of both species of waxwings
feeding in my Mountain Ash along with a large flock Robins and a Varied
Thrush.

Blessings
Terry Little
Mead, Wa