I've spent several days in Eastern Washington, birding down the Idaho
state line and then coming back from Asotin County to Palouse Falls
State Park, across Highway 26, and home on I-90. I saw lots of good
resident and winter resident birds. Summer residents and true migrants
(heading to more northern breeding grounds) were sparse. There's still
a lot of snow on the fields in Whitman and Asotin Counties. I found a
Townsend's Solitaire on Steptoe Butte even though snow on the road
prevented me from driving all the way to the top. As I was heading
south on Hwy 195, I could see the cemetery of the town of Colton.
There was a cluster of large pines that looked promising and it
reminded me of the Mansfield cemetery on the Waterville Plateau. So I
stopped and headed toward the pines. Two Great Horned Owls flushed
very quickly and started calling. I retreated to leave them in peace.

Saturday morning there were very few gulls on the Snake River in and
around Clarkston. There were a couple of Ring-billed and a lot of
Californias. Swallows Park hosted a hybrid American x Eurasian Wigeon,
a Turkey Vulture, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. It was cold and snowy
around Anatone and Fields Spring State Park, but there were Western
Bluebirds along the highway. The state park was closed and birding was
dead other than a flock of Wild Turkeys. Crossing the Montgomery Ridge
Road and dropping back down to the Snake River was lots of fun, for
the vistas, the descent, and some of the winter birds, including Rough-
legged Hawk, Horned Larks (no Arctic race), Gray Partridge (I think of
these as winter birds although they are introduced residents), and
Northern Shrike. I continued south for a ways along the Snake with no
birds of particular interest. When I returned to a stretch of road
between Asotin and Clarkston in the afternoon, the number of gulls on
the river had increased significantly. They were mostly Californias
but one black head popped out and it ended up being a Franklin's Gull
in alternate plumage. Headgates County Park produced a whole lot of
nothing except a couple of Red-tailed Hawks soaring high. There were
no Prairie Falcons to be seen anywhere.

I stopped in Pomeroy because, again, the cemetery conifers looking
promising. I did not find any sign of owls but did see a lone FOY
Cedar Waxwing. I stayed at Palouse Falls S.P. Saturday night and took
a dawn walk to the chorus of Starlings, Ravens, and Canada Geese
following the river north. There was no sign of swallows or swifts.

Othello did yield one Burrowing Owl and I could see what appeared to
be Sandhill Cranes flying in the distant west. The Para Ponds lacked
migrants other than Cackling Geese. There weren't even any Yellow-
headed Blackbirds yet. Along Gillis Road, between Highway 26 and Lower
Crab Creek Road, I encountered three Loggerhead Shrikes. Two appeared
to be a pair and the third looked to be awaiting a mate. There wasn't
much at Vantage or the areas where I walked and looked for Sage
Thrasher and Sage Sparrow. (I passed up the Gingko State Park trails
where it seems I might have found a Sage Sparrow!)

I drove the Yakima Canyon looking for American Pelicans or Osprey. I
found neither but did run into a small swarm of Violet-Green Swallows,
the first I have seen this year. Driving home on I-90, I hoped for
some Turkey Vultures in the corridor between Cle Ellum and Easton but
saw none. Still, a nice weekend in the field.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds