Subject: [Tweeters] Iceland, Lesser Black-backed, glausous,
Date: Feb 17 09:08:57 2014
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


ICELAND, LESSER BLACK-BACKED, AND GLAUCOUS GULLS AT CLARKSTON

15-16 FEBRUARY 2014



15 February. Denny Granstrand, Ellen, and I headed east to Clarkston,
targeting rare gulls. Thinking gulls would be best later rather than
earlier, we birded other spots first. At first light we hit Evans Pond for a
few minutes by the side of US-12 just west of Clarkston. The pond and river
here had a nice collection of waterbirds including Barrow's Goldeneye and
Hooded Merganser. Loons and grebes were mostly absent, except for Horned
Grebe, quite a different scene from the Columbia River at Vantage.





We did a leg stretcher at Chief Timothy State Park, hoping for some
"mountain" birds in the pines and ornamental plantings. This winter
continues to be slow indeed for finches and other birds of the mountain
forests. Dark-eyed Junco was our only obvious visitor from the forests here.




Montgomery Ridge Road which winds through upland wheat country south of
Clarkston is a good spot to search for raptors, including Gyrfalcon. We did
see some arctic visitors such as Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Shrike.
Several Prairie Falcons and a Golden Eagle did give us some good birds to
look at. Lesser Goldfinches were the stars of the show, obviously attracted
to slopes mantled in the weedy and gray Yellow Star Thistle. We had great
photo ops of these "ornaments atop rose bushes adjacent to the weedy-covered
slopes. Wild Turkey sign was noted near the pines, with tracks and droppings
on the road. The real McCoy eluded us, though. We had much better luck on
another chicken as a covey of 10 Chukar scurried up the gravel road just
below the rimrock breaks.



Fields Spring State Park was a good place to pad the list a tiny bit with
forest birds. Though the trees were swaying with storm winds, we managed a
few species: Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted and Pygmy
Nuthatches, and Golden-crowned Kinglet.



Heading towards our gull rendezvous, we stopped at Three Mile Rapids,
sometimes good for this clan. Water levels were very high due to rapid
snowmelt and there were no loafing gulls.



We hit pay dirt at Swallows Park in early afternoon! The adult ICELAND GULL
posed very nicely. This continuing rarity afforded us great photo ops, with
perfect lighting. On the same gravel bar, the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL also
posed nicely. This also continuing rarity allowed us very nice photo ops.
Lastly, we were able to pick out an adult THAYER'S GULL among the many
Herring. We zeroed in on an adult next to Herrings, separated by: slight,
roughly parallel-sided bill, dark-eyes, pink legs, slightly dove-shaped head
profile, slightly darker mantle than adjacent Herring. Its legs were
brighter pink than the Herring, too.



But where was the Glaucous Gull? Being Saturday, we wagered the dump might
be where the action was. So, we headed to the Asotin County Landfill. Our
luck continued and we had distant, but good views of the continuing GLAUCOUS
GULL. It is a 1st or 2nd cycle immature. We noted this huge white gull, with
it brilliant white primary tips in its folded wing and distinctly two-toned
bill. We also studied a 1st-cycle THAYER'S GULL: frosty checkered brown
above, wing tips concolor with rest of wing. Bill slight and very dark. The
bird was not much larger than than nearby California's, thus eliminating the
quite look-alike Glaucous-winged of the same age class.



16 February. Targeting owls we started before dawn south and right off the
bat had a Great Horned Owl at Swallows Park. Screech Owl wluded us, though,
but we did have another Great Horned Owl.



At Chief Looking Glass Park. By side of highway just north of Asotin Creek,
a Canyon Wren "zeeted" from the cliffs:



We then zipped down to Chief Joseph Wildlife Area, along Joseph Creek. This
beautiful area is set in the stupendous gorge cut by the meandering Grande
Ronde River, today muddy from rapid snowmelt. The usual dippers were nowhere
to be seen. High on the cliffs, we had great views of both Golden and Bald
Eagles. We hiked up to the juniper plantings opposite headquarters and were
treated to fine views of Townsend's Soilitaire. We chanced upon a loose
flock of a couple hundred robins, presumably attracted to the hackberry
fruits. Cedar Waxwing were here, too. We added Rock Wren and Ruby-crowned
Kinglet to our list, too.



Still hoping for a Gyrfalcon, we climbed up to Montgomery Ridge Road again.
Once again the Lesser Goldfinches showed nicely at the Yellow Star Thistle
site. Raptors were fewer than the the day before. We added a Northern
Harrier, though, to our list.



Down on Snake River Road and heading north towards Clarkston, we had great
birding up a steep side canyon with a rough two-track just south of 20950
Snake River Road. WESTERN BLUEBIRDS here were flagged by eBird. We counted
about 15 birds: Hackberry seems the main food source. I first heard these
birds call "phew." We observed them well, too: noting the males deep blue
upper parts, orange breast and white belly. The females much paler but still
sported dark blue in wings and faint orange on breast. A Hermit Thrush in
the dense growth here was the only one of our trip.




Another stop at Swallows Park proved a bonanza for three of the rare gulls:
LESSER BLACK-BACKED, ICELAND, and GLAUCOUS. It doesn't get much better than
this! New for our trip list here, too, were Wood Duck, Cooper's Hawk, and
Red-winged Blackbirds (!).



Now it was time to head back to Yakima, thoroughly savoring our great
birding along the Snake River. A great "Hells Canyon" weekend, netting us 70
species in Asotin County.



Andy Stepniewski

Wapato WA

steppie at nwinfo.net