May 5, 2007

 

Douglas and Grant Counties with Scott Downes

 

Scott Downes led a trip to Douglas and Grant counties for shrub-steppe birds and migrants of the upper Grand Coulee area.

 

Yesterday I led the WOS fieldtrip meeting in Soap Lake at 5:30 am, venturing through Moses Coulee, Waterville Plateau, Northrup Canyon, Sun Lake St. Park and the Lower Grand Coulee Lakes to return back to Soap Lake at 6:30 in the evening. Weather couldn't have been much better, highs were bright sun mid 60's to 70, with only a little breeze in the afternoon. for most of the day we enjoyed singing birds with no wind and sun beating down on us. We ended the day with a combined list of 106 species. I'll touch on some of the highlights below. That list was made possible by the great spotting of the participants, it truly was a combined list.

 

In the morning as we headed up Sheep Canyon Road from Soap Lake. Notables here were a nice prolonged scope view of a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, a pair of RED-TAILED HAWKS nesting on a grain elevator on a man-made nesting platform (nice to see people doing things for birds in this area), 3 SWAINSON'S HAWK, with scope views of one perched near the intersection of 23 NW and Rim Rock Rd. (their is a regular pair that nests in this grove of trees). Also the first of many, many pipits for the day and a perched GRASSHOPPER SPARROW in the CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) field near this intersection.

In Moses Coulee we had mixed success with shrub-steppe birds, with stops at Sagebrush Flats we had great looks at VESPER and BREWER'S SPARROW yet only brief looks (and not by all) of SAGE SPARROW, SAGE THRASHER and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. In the upper sections of Moses Coulee just south of Hwy. 2 great studies of WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, a very engaging ROCK WREN and a LARK SPARROW feeding at a mud hole in a farm field.

Starting on the Waterville Plateau we first stopped at a flooded area in a farm field on Heritage Rd, just north of Hwy. 2 that has yielded quite a few shorebirds this year (last week I had both yellowlegs here). Today, no yellowlegs but about 75 LEAST SANDPIPER and 5 SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER along with an estimated 400 AMERICAN PIPIT. The peeps allowed a great study between least and semi-palms by all in the scope. Unfortunately we could not turn up a western to compare with.

 

On road 4NE just west of Heritage rd, we had several GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, one at least allowed for reasonable scope views. Nest we stopped at the pond just north of St. Andrews Rd (6NE) on O NE. Many ducks and shorebirds were evident here, among the totals included 14 BLACK-NECKED STILT, 8 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and about 20 LEAST SANDPIPER with 1 SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER mixed in. 9 WILSON'S PHALAROPE were also present. All appeared to be females. Among the duck, many CINNAMON and GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, NORTHERN PINTAIL, REDHEAD and AMERICAN WIGEON.

 

A quick glance at a pond about a mile south of St. Andrews Rd. on Hwy. 17 revealed 3 AMERICAN AVOCET. Next onto Coulee City environs. From an overlook on the Banks Lake Dam, we were able to observe the CALIFORNIA GULL colony on Banks Lake, along with 1 of three breeding plumaged COMMON LOONS for the day. On the south side of the dam in the ponds we had many YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, 4 BLACK-NECKED STILT, 1 LEAST SANDPIPER, 1 female CANVASBACK, 3 RUDDY DUCK and numerous teal and redhead along with LESSER SCAUP. A SORA also called from the marshes unseen but heard by all. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS decided to check us out here zooming by sometimes not more than 20 feet from our heads! Above Coulee City TURKEY VULTURES were soaring over town, which is a roosting area for these birds.

 

Northrup Canyon had mixed results. Mostly quite and started out with a nice study of a GOPHER SNAKE crossing the path in front of us. Singing birds included HOUSE WREN, LAZULI BUNTING, YELLOW WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER and WILSON'S WARBLER, and WARBLING VIREO but few if any of these could be coaxed into the open for views. All of that was made up for when we were heading out a male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD put on extended viewing of its display flight and perching only 75-100 feet from us in some places. A silent perching female was also revealed when the male went down to her in t he end of his display flight. Interesting to see Calliopes displaying in a mixed of serviceberry, currant and big sage!

 

Sun Lakes St. Park provided a good mix of migrants, ORANGE-CROWNED, 1 TOWNSEND'S and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER were all seen well including a male MYRTLE YELLOW-RUMPED. A male CASSIN'S FINCH was spotted along with two birds that gave us long pauses. The first being what looked list a juvenile YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, though not sure how in the world a juvie can be here in early May, the bird was clearly a yellow-rump but the plumage looked just like every other young newly fledged yellow-rump I've ever seen. A young VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW sitting in a leafed out tree also gave us pause until we figured out what it was. Other migrants were included a male VARIED THRUSH, brief look at a MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE and wonderful extended scope views of a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER that all could study well for primary projection and other features. A CANYON WREN finally called on the cliffs above.

 

Stops on Lake Lenore provided us with BARROW'S and COMMON GOLDENEYE, EARED GREBE, GREATER SCAUP and a BANK SWALLOW. The breeding RED-NECKED GREBE was present on the south end of Alkali lake.

 

Finally stops shorebirds on the north end of Soap Lake produced 16 AMERICAN AVOCET, 2 SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER and 2 birds that were likely BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, but distance and glare prevented a confirmed ID. Good spotting by observers here also produced single breeding plumaged HORNED and WESTERN GREBE among the many RUDDY DUCK and breeding plumaged EARED GREBE.

 

A few misses, but all in all a great day with great weather and great people.

 

Scott Downes, Yakima WA