January 3rd - Winter Birding on the Waterville Plateau

Owl O'clock

It's January in a Big Year, what time would you expect me to get up?

I packed up my things at the Cedars Inn, and grabbed breakfast (available at the desk at 4:30 A.M. - a microwavable Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl). My first stop was attempt number three for the Barred Owl at the Apple Capital Loop Trail. I walked a little, hooted a little, and eventually gave up on it. So many sightings have come up for this bird before and since - looks like I may have a  nemesis bird on my hands. :)

Badger Mountain

In a conversation the previous evening, I had been told there was a lot of snow on Badger Mountain. "On the roads?" I asked. "Oh no, just in general. The roads are clear."

This was. . .mostly true. I grew up driving in Yakima, where we did learn how to drive in snow. Nonetheless, it's been a while over on the wet side of the state, and I am just so out of practice. Suffice it to say that the intermittent ice and snow on the roads made my knuckles intermittently white. 

Moon in Virgo - Badger Mountain

I did work hard to apply all of the physics and other wisdom I'd gotten over the years. Keep your speed going into a hill. Don't for the love of God stop midway up a hill. Keep the speed down in general. Easy on the brakes. Once I started seeing some trees near the top, I stopped periodically when it made sense to do so, and called for owls. No Barred Owls, but I was still happy to get a Great Horned Owl (53) responding near the top. I just now took a peek - this was also my 146th life bird in the county, and it seemed like 150 would be very reachable during the day. 

Slight Change in Plans

It's barely worth mentioning, but it does help fill out the picture of what the heck I'm doing out there all day: I had planned to meander down Badger Mountain, stopping to explore at the Ski Area, and at several other points to look and listen for some forest birds. Nope. Nopeity nope nope no. With the road conditions being as interesting as they were, I decided that making my way down to Waterville was the wise choice. I did stop for a picture or two: 

More owls!

Man, that was my hope, but the famed Lamoine Windbreak - home to Long- and Short-eared Owls proved to be a little challenge. I did get there! Here's the path I took, as well as I can recall:

You can kind of see how I thought I was going to go straight there. It's just a grid of roads, so what would stop me from just heading North, and heading East as needed? 

I mean. . . 95% chance I make it through that just fine. Especially if I keep my speed good... down an icy hill... with a dip at the bottom. I just accepted that I would get to see more of Douglas County, and detoured back towards Highway 2, as shown. 

What the map above doesn't show is that I ran into the highway right at the little town of Douglas.

I saw afterwards on eBird that there is a little wetland on the South side of the highway here. Coming from the North, I had a chance to see this absolutely lovely church. I also found some brushy brush around a bend with some Juncos, as well as 5 American Tree Sparrows (54). A flock of Eurasian Collared Doves was there in the neighborhood, as well as a single Mourning Dove (55).

American Tree Sparrows: Douglas

These were definitely a hoped-for bird for the day. The Waterville Plateau is home to a lot of neat winter birds that are normally easier to find farther North. These sparrows definitely fall into that category, although they are found here and there across the state in winter.

Heading East on 2, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Farmer Community Hall. I may have misread a news story from back when the fires hit in September, and thought this had burned down. I couldn't find any stories with those details presently, but it does appear to be in good shape!

I turned here, and went up towards Withrow, keeping my eye out for Gray Partridge in the fields as I drove. I eventually passed a power pole with another plateau specialty.

Rough-legged hawk

Rough-legged Hawks (56) are just gorgeous birds. Honestly, this picture may not have been the first one I saw. There were a handful seen soaring around the fields. Horned Larks (57) were also seen as I got closer to Mansfield, turning West on Road 8 to check out the windbreak. 

Lamoine Windbreak

This shows the line of trees where the -eared Owls like to roost, and people have pictures of both from here over the last month. I came up empty. I don't know if it was optics, or just a lack of skill, or a testament to the ability of these owls to hunker down. It is likely all three. But I did give it the college try, and slowly scoped through all of the trees as well as I could from both sides. Just means that I'll have to come back!

Gratuitous landscape shots

Private Property

I did enter the year with one private landowner who had given me free reign to step onto his property, camp there if I wanted to, and explore at will - my brother!  A few years back, he purchased a piece of land in Douglas County, and I thought I'd at least go and take a peek. 

It's a bit North from Lamoine, and I found my first Northern Harrier (58) on the way. I had actually considered camping here for a night, although logistically at this point, I couldn't figure out how I could quite end up here at the end of the day. The views continued down to a peek-a-boo view of the Columbia. Just out of principle, I sat at the end of what might loosely be called his "driveway", and waited until I heard a bird. A Common Raven eventually called, and I continued on my way. 

Even more owls!

Okay, not letting you down this time - read on, because I'm on the Waterville Plateau in winter - one of the best places in the state to look for Snowy Owls. As many as three had been seen at Atkins Lake, back towards Highway 2, so I went East through Mansfield, and turned South on Heritage Road. 

Erratic boulder from Heritage Road

At this point, I wasn't stopping all too frequently. Having found American Tree Sparrows, I didn't necessarily need to stop at any brushy spots as much as I needed to push on to where the owls had been seen. I was on high alert for Gyrfalcons as well - a species I've never seen in my life, and one that is sometimes found along this stretch. What could possibly get me to stop the car besides that??

I'm sorry if badgers are commonplace animals for you, but I've never seen one in my life. To have one right on the side of the road was one of the biggest highlights of the trip for me. He did hop back into his burrow, popping his head back out to pose for me. 

As I believe I explained at the start of the blog, there are reasons besides birds that I run around and do these years. This is one of those reasons. 

Okay, owls. Focus, Tim. I got to Atkins Lake Road, and thought it looked a little sketchy. So I continued all the way down to Highway 2, stopping and scoping piles of rocks in hopes of spying a Snowy Owl perched on top of one. I eventually got to 2, and continued East, checking things from the road. At one stop, I listened, and rather than the tinkling of Horned Larks, I heard a rattle call. My brain, which I had prepared to pick out a Lapland Longspur thought... "Lapland Longspur!"

But honestly, this sounded like an awful lot of Lapland Longspurs... and on closer inspection, my eyes politely corrected my ears. Snow Buntings! (59) I haven't heard either species all that frequently, but a peek into my Sibley's explained that Snow Buntings also have a rattle call, but it's a bit sweeter sounding, which fit what I was hearing pretty well. There were a handful of them with this flock of Horned Larks - all just far enough away that I couldn't get a picture. 

Without any owls in sight, I decided to return to Atkins Lake Road to at least see if I could find any people, and maybe get a lead on finding an owl. The road turned out to be much more drivable than I expected. Even when muddy, these roads aren't all that bad. As I crested a. . . well, a crest on the road, I saw people on the other side of the dip, and they were clearly birders. As I pulled up the binoculars, I saw what they were looking at. A flock of 100 or so Snow Buntings was sitting in the road, and they were getting pictures. 

Snow Buntings, photo courtesy of Bob Betz

As soon as the birds had flown, and the coast was clear, I continued to the couple, hailing from Walla Walla. We had both come up empty so far, so we exchanged numbers and planned to let each other know if we found anything. 

Continuing over to road M, I came across two women also out searching for the owl. We checked in with each other on sightings for the morning, and were all about to hop into cars and head out to new spots when. . . and this never happens, I swear. . . I found it. 

I could zoom that picture in so that you could see a larger white blob, of course, but do we need to do that? I stopped the women and helped them find it, and gave a call to the birders from earlier. Again, the larger lens prevailed, and I got permission to include the shot: 

Snowy Owl (60) - photo courtesy Bob Betz

I think all of us in the group had been expecting to find a Snowy Owl on a pile of rocks, but we weren't  really complaining. While it did move its head a few times while we were there, that was about it for activity. Kind of par for the course during the day for these beautiful owls. Satisfied with the looks I'd gotten, I departed for Banks Lake.

Banks Lake, Ankeny Boat Ramp, Highway 17

A teeny little corner of Banks Lake is in Douglas County. There have been sightings of Redheads, among other waterfowl I was hoping to find. There wasn't much to be found there, so I headed back to Highway 17. 

Bridgeport was my next destination, and it was a goodly long ways North from there, so I just kept my eyes on the hills and posts. As I type that. . . I realize that I had found a Northern Shrike (61) in the morning. Rather than insert and edit all of the numbering, we'll just note it here. Shrikes and Prairie Falcons were the birds I most expected I might find. 

This spot. I know I've stopped here before, and my brain twitched with a little fear as I stopped, made my way as far off of the road as possible, got out and looked at the ducks in this little wetland. I found a Green-winged Teal (62), but. . . this was not a safe stop. I will revise this method of exploring this wet area in the future... to ensure I have a future.

This landscape was on the East side of Highway 17 during nearly the entire drive - just amazing. The lumpy hills topped with steep cliffs looked like a good spot for Golden Eagles, and I did end up finding one (63). No picture here, in part because it was doing what Golden Eagles do, apparently. My Sibley's says that Golden Eagles will "contour" along hillsides, and it made sense once I got a chance to see it. The bird dropped in very close to the hills and just coasted along, rising and falling with the undulations. I lost it a few times, and then refound it, but there was just no way a picture was going to happen. 

Bridgeport - Lake Pateros - home

The camera died here, right after this picture.

Oh wait. That's a lie. One more from the Chief Joseph Dam Visitor Center.

This one was to show the burned areas, just a reminder of what came through here in September. I hopped through Bridgeport, stopping for a little walk through the neighborhoods, listening for a Blue Jay that has been sighted there. I came up empty, but did find 8 billion House Sparrows, and one (likely well fed) Sharp-shinned Hawk (64).

My final stop as the light started leaving was Lake Pateros, a wide area of the Columbia, where I had several Common Loons, 9 billion backlit ducks, a few Herring Gulls (65), and a Ring-billed Gull (66).

At this point, the sun was getting a little low, and I was feeling pretty satisfied with the trip. Although I had my camping gear fully ready in the car, I decided that heading home was the best plan of action. I came down along the Columbia, ate in Cashmere, stopped to collect some snow for a friend, and made it home before 10.

January 2nd - Christmas Bird Count and a trip down the Columbia.

Chelan CBC

The town of Chelan sits on the shores of Lake Chelan in Chelan County. That all makes sense. But how does this affect someone birding in Douglas County? Ahh... here's the map to clarify: 

Yeah, there's a little sliver of the count circle that lops into Douglas County. It was a distanced count this year, so I had that little sliver all to myself, with another counter on the other side of the Columbia taking places like Chelan Falls. 

McNeil Canyon Road

I have to be completely honest - I looked at my map, and at all of the little side roads that fell into my little sliver. I'd tried to figure out which ones might provide good scoping spots for the Columbia, canyons, fields, trees. . . 

But the signs! Every road outside the highway, it would seem, is some kind of gated community sans gates, where one should really not be exploring. I figured this out early as I started up McNeil Canyon Road and looked for roads on either side that might look drivable and welcoming. But the signs. 

There were many variations on this sign

Sunrise was lovely, with pink light hitting the hills. I had hoped to find a Great Horned Owl before first light, but came up empty. From a pull-off on McNeil Canyon Road, I had Common Ravens, a Red-tailed Hawk, a few Juncos, and House Finches. 

Sunrise in McNeil Canyon

Likely Trumpeter Swans at Beebe Bridge

Winding my way down, my next stop was near the Beebe Bridge, which runs across the Columbia. I was able to find a few swans on the other side. They usually looked like Trumpeter Swans, but from a distance and at the wrong angles, they sometimes looked a little more like Tundra Swans. 

I've always found swans a little challenging, unless I can hear them, or can see them side by side. Trumpeter Swan calls are easy to identify - they literally sound like trumpets! Tundra Swans sound like. . . erm. . . This is a good opportunity to talk about my ears. 

Bird calls are far more interesting and enjoyable and memorable to me than field marks, and if I've heard a bird numerous times, it's pretty easy for me to pick them out. I don't spend enough time in other places to have internalized a lot of Eastern US, or even Eastern Washington species calls. But when I hear a new bird, my brain kind of explodes. It's a new voice in the room that takes you by surprise.

So, should I come across some Tundra Swans this year, I'm working to pick out details with the eye, the gape, the neck. I'll likely ID them by voice or by size, but in both cases, it would be relative to the more familiar Trumpeters. 

The more familiar Trumpeters

Trumpeter Swans - Beebe Bridge Park

Lucky me! I drove past Beebe Bridge, south along Highway 97, and came to Beebe Bridge Park. As I walked down towards the water, I spied a handful of Trumpeter Swans, and got a shot before they flew. I still wish I had been closer, but this at least helps show the gape. With Trumpeter Swans like this one, there is a smooth curve from the eye to the chin. With Tundra Swans. . . for lack of a better word (or, honestly for the lack of a better word that is familiar to me), their smile often pokes into the white a little bit, and the black is a little more squared off. Yellow in the bill and an eye that is distinctly separate from the gape - these are other clues beyond size and calls that can help distinguish Tundra from Trumpeters. 

These swans and others were kind enough to give the brassy trumpet call

Trumpeter Swans were species number 37 for my Douglas County year list, and Gadwall at Beebe Bridge Park were 38. I had tried to explore up a few different roads, but was turned back by clear warnings down all of them that landed in the count circle. I tallied up the species for the short morning, and ended my count. 

Daroga State Park

Daroga State Park

Well, I'm a little disappointed here! This is my only shot from Daroga, which was actually a nice birding stop. the lagoon here is a nice spot for waterfowl, and the trees were busy enough with songbirds. 27 species of birds were there, as far as I could tell. 26, as far as I could actually identify, but a gull flying overhead didn't give me enough help to get it down to species. Looking back at my checklist, it was about 600 birds on the water, and a couple dozen more in the rest of the park. 

Ring-necked Ducks, Canada Geese, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes, Greater and Lesser Scaup, and Buffleheads were all found in the water, as well as one new species of duck, 20 Canvasbacks (39). Pied billed Grebe (40) and American Coot (41) were out on the Columbia. Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches (42) were found in trees on the walk down to the lagoon, and six Steller's Jays (43) were making a racket near the parking lot. 

After leaving Daroga, I made a quick stop at a little spot on Highway 97, a little pull-off with fishing access on the Columbia (or "Lake Entiat" as it is called at this deep and wide spot). I found a Common Loon (44) here, along with nearly countless American Coots.

Lincoln Rock State Park

I may have taken this picture to show the layout of the park, maybe to show Lincoln Rock in the background, but when I opened it up to write the post, I was floored by the hills in the background. It is slowly sinking in that. . . those hills are Douglas County. 

It's easy to be on the Columbia and understand the place. This side is Douglas, that side is Chelan. It's easy when you're up on the plateau. Miles and miles of flat. It's all Douglas. The part that will take time to sink in is the connection between the elevations... it's not often that you can see one of the Douglas Counties when you are sitting in another. This is a good example. There are these hills but no hint of the vast plateau above. 

This spot is probably around 750 feet elevation, Waterville, which is on Highway 2, is about 2000 feet higher. Somewhere on Badger Mountain, it's another 2000 feet above that. But there's nothing gradual about it, all in all. 

Lincoln Rock brought me some nice birds I'd hoped to find eventually in the winter. The first was a Red-Necked Grebe (45). 

Red-necked Grebe - Lincoln Rock State Park

I expected these to be a tough find for the year, so this was a nice find. Some Horned Grebes (46) nearby made for a nice comparison, for size, structure, and bill. There were plenty of trees in the park, and plenty of birds flitting around in them. This included chickadees, nuthatches, goldfinches, and . . . the best bird. 

Varied Thrushes (47!) - Lincoln Rock State Park

Why Varied Thrushes are the Best Bird

Okay, "best" is a strong term, but I've bent so many ears on why these should have been the state bird, rather than the American Goldfinch. Let me bend yours. It was going to happen eventually. Varied Thrushes have been seen in every county in the state. That brings it down to 170 of the 500 plus birds that have been seen in the state. Get down to the ones that are seen annually in every county, and we are down to 70. 

So 70 birds could ostensibly represent our state - the whole state, and not just part of the state. How many of those birds would really represent Washington well, like. . . seeing the bird is a pretty good sign of where you are. No bird is only found in Washington, so let's say. . . it would be unusual during any time of the year to find the bird in New Jersey, or New Mexico. Northwest, not South, not East. This actually brought the list down to one bird. The Varied Thrush.

There are a few birds that would have made the last cut, but miss on the others. One example is Chestnut-backed Chickadee. It's a Pacific Northwest bird for sure, but it will be tough to find one in Douglas County this year! Golden-crowned Sparrows are more widely found, but they leave the state for the summer.

They're pretty birds; they're similar enough to American Robins to help a beginning birder as they start sorting species into groups; and they have a ghostly trill that lifts the soul. All I got to hear was the little "tuk" call on this particular day, but it was nice to find these birds so early in the year.

I made this trip to Lincoln Rock knowing that an American Dipper had been seen, but wasn't clear enough on where, so I did eventually pack up and leave without finding that one. 

Highway 97

This is the actual Highway 97, along the Douglas County side, with the Chelan side holding Highway 97A, the alternate route from Wenatchee to Chelan. I've been up this road many times on family road trips, where we would take the kids to the Orondo Cider Works. Sadly, this spot, which had the best apple cider donuts in the universe, is now closed. 

I did find a way to get my apple fix:

I got a couple bags - one Fuji, and a half and half Fuji/Cripps Pink. They've been distributed to friends and family, and I think I still have 4-5 left. Good. Apples.

I do want to eventually put together a compilation of places to stop on Highway 97. It can be tricky to bird the Columbia, and it helps to have an idea of where it's both safe and productive to pull over and scope the water. Other incidental birds along the way included a Merlin (48), chased by an American Kestrel, and a Cooper's Hawk (49) sitting atop a pine.

Oh, I thought you meant the other Coyote. . .

For better or worse, I now own a car with GPS. So as I was getting close to East Wenatchee, I thought I'd pop in the name of a birding spot that had been recommended to me: Coyote Dunes Natural Area. As I was typing it in, the GPS selections narrowed down to "Coyote Trail". . . and I shrugged and accepted the suggestion. 

This was a great mistake. 

Had I followed the directions to their completion, I think I would have ended up somewhere on Badger Mountain. As it was, I probably knew I was on the wrong road as soon as I started climbing through Eastmont; I definitely knew when I got to Badger Mountain Road. Curious, anyway, I did continue for a bit, exploring an area I'd never visited on the south side of Badger Mountain. It was desolate and beautiful. 

I did turn things around, and meandered back down towards East Wenatchee, picking up one new bird on the way: American Crow! (50) In many years, crows are my first bird, so it was interesting that they had stayed hidden for so long. They do love populated areas, and Douglas County definitely has wide open spaces. 

Back in East Wenatchee

I got back into East Wenatchee sometime around 2, and made another trip to the Apple Capital Loop Trail. This time I popped in at the 19th street entrance, right by Porter's Pond. I was really hoping to find the Barred Owl that had been sighted there over the last month, and had my ears open for Anna's Hummingbird (yes, 51), and Pacific Wren as I walked the trail. 

The pond itself is adjacent to the Columbia, and held ten different species of waterbirds. I knew that this was a stop I planned to make if I needed Barrow's Goldeneye, though none were here now.

I missed the Barred Owl and Pacific Wren, but was shocked at the sheer number of House Sparrows near the parking area. Fifty or so were chattering away, and a single copse of trees had three Downy Woodpeckers working the branches. 

At this point, I had a little nap attack. I have thought of them this way for a while now, but found online that there is an actual thing - Type 2 narcolepsy - where you get this sudden need for a nap, but without the famous loss of muscle control that comes with run-of-the-mill narcolepsy. Worth looking into, but I just knew that 10-15 minutes lying down would make for a better afternoon. 

Peregrine search: take two.

From my hotel, it was not far to the Hydro Park, and I was armed with better information this time. I made my way down and walked the trail again. This time, I pushed a little farther, and diligently checked the powerlines as I went. Eventually, I was pretty sure I'd passed the expected spot, and decided to give up on finding the Peregrine Falcon that seems to frequent that stretch of the trail. 

Amazing how bumps on a powerline look like falcons

As I turned and headed back, it couldn't have been 2 minutes of walking that passed before a large dark falcon swooped over the path in front of me, and continued to the far side of the Columbia. I got to see the facial features and fine barring on the chest that identified it as a Peregrine Falcon (52). 

I got back to my car with the sun getting low, and decided it was time to explore the non-birdy aspects of the county.

Union Hill Cider Company

This was a nice stop. I almost got cajoled into joining their cider club, and honestly am regretting not doing it. I tasted the ciders in their tasting room, and came away with a growler of the Liquid Limber, but there was nothing not to like about the others. 

Outdoor heated seating was available to people that wanted to stay for a glass, or the tasting flight. It was nice to bend the owners ears with questions about apples, and I even came away with some tips on caring for a honeycrisp tree I planted years back.

Bianchi Vineyards

On the same road, (10th Street, which runs parallel to the Columbia North of Rock Island Road), there are two wineries as well. Bianchi was open on this particular day, so I stopped in for a glass of wine. 

Again, what a nice stop. The couple who operate Bianchi are two warm people. They got me a seat out on the open air patio (behind the wreathed door you can see there), and I relaxed a little after a long day on the road. At some point people at the next table mentioned "the Eastmont Mafia" in a boisterous conversation. . . 

Many people are very good at not meeting new people, and generally avoid joining conversations with strangers. I am not good at not meeting new people. 

So we talked about my birding plans, about Badger Mountain, Barred Owls, and interestingly about land ownership in Douglas County. Apparently, quite a bit of the land on and around Badger Mountain is owned by a family, including their children. For the most part, they are pretty protective with the land. You have to know them pretty well to have access. If you don't have access, you really don't want to be on their land. Some of the children are a little more lax, but in general, it's best not to wander into Mr. MacGregor's Garden, as it were. 

I actually got a much better understanding of this, and perhaps of the "no trespassing sign culture" I had experienced during the day. As birdwatchers, there is sometimes the desire to rationalize minor trespassing. We don't mean any harm to people, to land, to birds, and just want a chance to see a bird of interest. If approached by a landowner, we are ready to compliment them on the amazing wildlife on their land. 

Technically, a picture from the future: deer up on the Waterville Plateau on 1/3

The thing is, in many parts of Eastern Washington, if you give no cares about people being on your land, you are likely to end up with poaching happening on your land. Even if you do care, it happens. There's just a lot of it going on, and at some point I can see where the frustration comes from. People can make decisions as they wish, but I hope this at least clears up some of the mythology that there's just. . . people with guns waiting joyfully for a chance to have an encounter with some hippie dippie nature lover. If a little context helps anyone to pause before tromping onto private lands, it was worth the time it took to type this. 

Also of interest, bird-wise, the woman I chatted with told me that they had a Barred Owl on their property up on Badger Mountain, and had seen them up there for many years. I stepped through some of the calls, and when I did my Barred Owl, her eyes lit up "Yes, that!" For a code 4 bird in the county (not seen annually), I was happy with this bit of sleuthing. 

But owls don't come for those who stay up too late, so I got take out from El Porton in East Wenatchee, made my way back to the hotel, and popped my sightings into eBird before drifting off to sleep. 

Another picture from the future. . . 

Happy New Year!

Bright and Early

I actually hit the road around 6 A.M. from Renton, so it was a dark and early start to the year. I had seen that the roads were dicey the day before, and it looked like there would be a break in the weather, so Jan 1 was an early start. Bare and wet roads took me from King County to Kittitas over I 90, and then Highway 97 took me down to Yakima to visit my folks. 

This was a distanced visit, and a fairly brief one, although they did make me a hot meal. My Dad is precisely the person that would have a rough go of it if he got COVID. It's early in the blog, and I've already mentioned it. I'm sure it will pop up here and there, but hopefully this blog doesn't mention it so frequently that it becomes drudgery to read. 

But. . . since we're there. I'm traveling to look at birds during a pandemic. I did want to note that in addition to the usual steps of masks, distancing, and sanitizing (and more of that than ever before), I brought a thermometer along, there to take my temp twice a day, regardless of how I feel.

To Douglas

There are three ways I can get to Douglas County, roughly. I took door number 3. I figure the most logical would be 90 to 97 North, then Highway 2 into Douglas. The next most sensible would be I-5 up to Highway 2. Instead, I took 90 across the Columbia, then up to Douglas through Grant County. 

Couldn't let this one go. Which way is quicker? Here's some food for thought.

First of the year

This dropped me off in the area I wanted to hit first, the ponds around Rock Island. An American Goldfinch (1) started my year off, and a covey of California Quail (2) also scattered from the roadside as I drove to the ponds. 

I'll admit. I stopped and at least looked longingly at the Rock Island Dam, wondering how I could get a view. I couldn't figure it out on the fly, so I just made a note to look into it later. Dams sometimes have some good birds on either side, so it would be worth knowing.

Rock Island 

The town website recognizes these ponds are valuable resources. It was interesting to hear the word "teacup used in reference to the lakes, but a second look at the shape of the town helped make sense of that. Maybe even more like a tea kettle? I don't know, but my first visual impression was that they were oxbow lakes, and it turns out they are. 

Ruddy Ducks at Hammond Lake

Hammond Lake had a good shoulder for roadside viewing. It was a great start, with seven different species of ducks floating around in the pond: Mallard (3), Common Merganser (4), Ruddy Duck (5), Ring-necked Duck (6), Hooded Merganser (7), Lesser Scaup (8), and Common Goldeneye (9). A Great Blue Heron (10) took off when I arrived, and I was surprised to find a Yellow-rumped Warbler (11) in the waterside trees.  They'll be around in higher numbers later in the year, but can be found in winter as well. 

Additional species included Song Sparrow (12), American Kestrel (13), Northern Flicker (14), and four Black-billed Magpies (15), harassing a raptor that I just couldn't identify back towards Highway 28.

Putter's Lake was full of geese, although all of the ones I looked at appeared to be Canada (16). I have minor goose struggles. It's not that I have trouble identifying a Cackling Goose when I'm looking at one. It's that I look at smallish, shorter-necked Canada Geese. . . and I just keep looking at them. . . and squint, and ask questions. They're just smaller Canada Geese. They honestly just always are. This knowledge has yet to save me any time!

Also at the lake were ten Double-crested Cormorants (17), more Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks, and House Finches overhead (18). Heading through town from pond to pond gave me a few other species, including Rock Pigeon (19), Eurasian Collared-Dove (20), House Sparrow (21), Common Raven (22), and Eurasian Starlings (23).

Hideaway Lake 

This was a nice stop. I was greeted by White-crowned Sparrows (24) when I arrived, some of them singing. I was told that this was a good spot for sparrows like Fox and Golden-crowned. Although I found neither during my visit, I was convinced that this was the case. There were scads of Song Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos (25), and a couple of Spotted Towhees (26). 

Up in the trees, there were dozens of House Finches, a handful of Northern Flickers, Black-capped Chickadees (27), American Robins (28), a Downy Woodpecker (29), and a Red-tailed Hawk (30).

The Other Frozen Lakes 

Not much to report from the others. In fact. . . come to think of it, even Hideaway was frozen over, but I got distracted by the other good birds. There had been Wood Ducks reported there, so I had hoped to find them. Alas. I did pass a Belted Kingfisher (31) at one of the lakes - I believe it was Blue Heron. 

The Wrong Hydro Park 

Okay, to be clear, there's only one Hydro Park along the Columbia near Rock Island. But as I was headed West and took the first entrance, I had erred. I was here to look for a Peregrine Falcon that had been reported West of the West end of the park, but it turns out I was parked essentially in the middle of the long park. I realized a little late, and Hey! New Year! So I got my steps in. So many steps. . . 

I did eventually turn around after seeing enough poles. Additional birds seen here, included Bufflehead (32), and Killdeer (33). 

Oh! And Ring-necked Ducks and Scaup (sp?) in the back. Just noticed those. American Wigeon (34) and Song Sparrows also present. 

Checking in

I got checked in at the Cedars Inn in East Wenatchee as it was starting to get a little late in the day. This was not only right off of the freeway, but close to a trailhead for the Apple Capital Loop Trail. After a quick nap, it was after 4, and I figured it was a good time to try for a Barred Owl that had been seen over the last month in this little stretch. 

No luck! I added a few birds along the way, Barrow's Goldeneye (35), and Greater Scaup (36) out on the Columbia. As I started back, it was getting a little dark, so I tried calling for Barred as I returned. No luck again!

Owls are always a big part of the start of my years. It's dark for more hours, and I always want to get a lot of birding hours in, so it makes sense to get out and try for some owls. Barred is actually a difficult one. It's a code 4 - reported less than annually. 

I ended the evening with a pint of IPA in the open air seating at the casino next door. A casino, a bar, and a sex shop all a few steps away from each other on this little block. It struck me perhaps more on New Year's Day that this all represented an attack on some resolutions that were best kept. Whatever yours are, best wishes. Goodness, it's hard to step into a conversation about New Years after the 2020 we had! But I think that it's a good year on this big rock when we are the best versions of ourselves, all of these external things notwithstanding. Truly heartfelt best wishes to those of you aiming to make it a good year.