I birded in the Lewiston-Clarkston area today. My first good bird was an
adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the Snake River between Red Wolf Crossing
in Clarkston and the Port of Wilma (
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40299850). Next, I had a SWAMP
SPARROW in the same Asotin location where one wintered last year.
Specifically, head north from the Asotin, WA water treatment plant about a
tenth of a mile. There is an oxbow pond to the east of the trail. The
sparrow was at the “cocklebur marsh” at the far northern end of the oxbow
pond. At Three Mile Rapids, on the Snake River south of Asotin, I had 6
species of gull including a first year GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, a first year
“Thayer’s” Iceland Gull, and one Bonaparte’s Gull.
My last stop was at Hell’s Gate State Park in Lewiston where I found the
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40307116), a
HARRIS’S SPARROW, and Barn Owl. A flock of roughly 300 SNOW GEESE flew
over from east to west and, and a single flock of up to 150 American
Goldfinches was quite a sight. I had a quick look at a Slate-colored type
junco that had moderate white wing bars. I suspect it was just that- a
slate-colored with wing bars, but it looked superficially similar to the
“White-winged” race of junco (which I still haven’t seen!). Something else
to keep an eye open for on Tammany Creek just above the main park road.
Good Birding,
Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID