I'll add my comments on the WOS conference in Spokane. First, the field
trips were outstanding regardless of the weather bumps. While I don't know
the details I think Scott has done a great job of coordinating and
recruiting leaders (and speakers), and Tim and Jon jumped in to fill the
needed local presence with knowledge of routes and hotspots. Lots of great
local trip leaders, Cindy among them but more notable for her outstanding
work with registration.



My trip was 5 days including a very wet trip from Vancouver to Spokane on
Thursday to scout, but many interesting county birds along US 97 including
Lewis's Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo. After rain,
more rain and wet drives to dry spots, a visit to Cow Lake included
low-level Black Swifts, so I added that location to both of the field trips
that I led.



Friday included a good variety of songbirds at the Sprague cemetery, a
Clark's Grebe on Sprague Lake that I originally misidentified because it was
dancing with a Western Grebe, a curlew at Cow Lake, and a Tundra Swan just
into Whitman County along SR 23 (among 95 species.) The owling trip
produced nighthawks and a bittern calling frequently in addition to Western
Screech and Great Horned Owls.



Saturday's trip to Little Pend Oreille NWR was quite wet and produced "only
several" Black-backed Woodpeckers as well as a species total in the 80s.
Thanks for a great trip Mike.



Sunday's trip to southern Pend Oreille County had nicer weather and broke
125 species by 3 pm including Least Flycatcher, 10 species of warblers, and
more Black Swifts (bird of the month?) Jon led and spoke with knowledge and
obviously plenty of scouting. We got back early enough to pursue the
Eastern Phoebe at Rosalia.



My going home trip was quite rewarding with duplication of the Sprague area
that included a winter plumage Red-necked Phalarope at the WTP, a correct ID
of the Clark's Grebe that was still dancing with a Western Grebe, plenty of
sparrows and a Short-eared Owl on the way to Cow Lake, a Sage Thrasher west
of Lind, Burrowing Owl and Long-billed Curlew north of Othello, and 7
Tricolored Blackbirds at the settling ponds sitting next to a most
unexpected trip bird that Jim Danzenbaker spotted, a Semipalmated Plover.
We finished with a Loggerhead Shrike near Corfu and a Sage Sparrow at
Vantage among 98 species for the day.



Kudos to Jack and all the crew that put this one together and helped show
off the bounty of the eastern tier of counties.



Randy Hill

Ridgefield

Re_hill at q dot com