Q

From the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:

• Herons have returned to their former rookery site at Frenchmen's Bar on the South Unit of Shillapoo Wildlife Area.  The location had 393 nests in 2000, but was abandoned by the birds in 2001. The number of returnees has not yet been determined.   Regardless of the species they seek, wildlife enthusiasts are reminded to avoid disturbing animal families during the spring nesting season. Young birds and animals are at their most vulnerable now; by staying on trails and keeping dogs under control, wildlife watchers can help wild newborns get a good start.

• November 2003 Update
  Seattle Audubon report on status of heron colonies: 
• Black River (Renton) - more than 120 nests
• Kiwanis Ravine (Seattle) - more than 35 nests
• Vashon/Maury Island - abandoned in 1998 (used to have 130 nests)
• Peasley Canyon (Auburn) - abandoned
• Davis Slough (Camano Island), home to almost 400 adult Great Blue Herons,
  was saved from development because last-minute donations allowed the
  Whidbey Camano Land Trust to recently buy the 30-acre site. 
• Seattle P-I Article,  9/15/03

S

I just returned from 6 days in the Othello area with more crane, burrowing owl, and tundra swan information to supplement the info in chapter 12.  The sandhill cranes were late this year due to cold weather, arriving in good numbers just 2 days before the festival started.  Flocks of cranes were still drifting in when I left on March 27.
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Sandhill Cranes

• During migration sandhill cranes divide their time between feeding and "roosting."  They leave their nighttime roosts at dawn and fly into the fields to feed.   Many of these fields are on WDFW or other government lands and the crops are cut just before the cranes arrive.  Other fields are on private lands where the cranes feed off spillage from last summer's harvest.  They stay until 9:00 or 10:00 and then fly off to the daytime roosts to rest.  This is a good time to photograph cranes in flight.  Around 3:00 the cranes fly back into the fields to feed again, staying until sunset or later and then flying off to their nighttime roosts.  If the birds rise up in great numbers just before sunset on a clear day, the warm glow on the birds makes gorgeous photos.
• On March 22-25, 2002 the sandhill cranes spent a lot of time feeding in the WDFW cornfields near the Grant farm - fairly near the road.  To get there, drive 11 miles west of Othello on SR 26, then 1.9 miles north on D SE, 1 mile east on 15.1 SE, and then curve north on on E SE and watch for the cranes in the fields to the east for the next mile.
• On March 27, large numbers of cranes flew into the corn fields north of 15.1 SE between D SE and E SE at dawn and had begun to fly off when I left at 9:00 a.m.  It was quite windy and I didn't want to disturb the birds, so I was photographing from inside my car.  The cranes moved away at first, but eventually adjusted to my presence and moved back closer to the car. 
• Another good location for morning feeding is on B SE (or Corfu Road) another 2 miles west and south of SR 26.  The WDFW cuts 3 circles there for the birds.  You can see the cranes in the distance as they feed, but the best viewing is when they take off for their midday roost. Sometime after 9:00 a.m. they take off in small groups and fly west over Corfu Rd.  On March 26, I parked at a wide spot 0.85 miles south of SR 26 and stationed myself on the west side of the road (away from the telephone wires) with my tripod and long telephoto lens.  Most of the cranes crossed the road north of me so the sun was shining on them. The flyover that day lasted from about 10:00 to 10:40 a.m.  Large flocks of ducks and geese also feed in the field closer to Corfu Rd - they flew over the road between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m.

• During my week stay at the Columbia NWR Volunteer Area, each morning that I drove into Othello I saw 30 to 50 tundra swans on the ponds to the south of McManamon Rd. northeast of Othello - fairly close to the road.  The swans stayed on the ponds until at least 7:15 a.m. and sometime later; I don't know when they return in the evening.  The best photos I took were from 7:00 to 7:15 a.m. when the swans were active - swimming around and then taking off. 
• You can reach these ponds by driving north out of Othello on Broadway (towards the Columbia NWR) which curves west, becomes McManamon Rd,  and crosses the canal just before the ponds. 
• Tundra swans can be seen at many locations in eastern Washington in early March as they migrate north to their summer breeding grounds (see WDFW's Weekender Reports on Swans and Geese and Ducks Galore and Eastern Washington Wildlife Viewing).  Tundra swans also winter in Southwest Washington (see Wintering Swans.

• Several pairs of burrowing owls spend the breeding season in burrows in the dirt banks right on the side of the roads east of Othello.  They are comparatively easy to see because they are active in daylight.  They are small ground-dwelling owls with a round head and no ear tufts. They have white eyebrows, yellow eyes, and long legs.  The females are usually darker than the males. 
• These burrowing owls are skittish, especially around festival time when the traffic is greater, so use your car as blind and stop to look or take photos on the opposite side of the road from the burrows.  The owls will go back into their holes or fly away if you drive too close or get out of the car.  Nesting season begins in late March or April, so you may see some courtship behavior in early March.
• The driving route I recommend is best in the early morning when the sun is shining at a low angle (not too harsh) on the selected burrows.  Of course, on a day with a light overcast, photo opportunities are good all day.
• From Othello, drive east on Main St. (which becomes Cunningham Rd), cross SR 17, and turn right (south) on Steel Rd.  The 1st burrow is 0.1 miles south on the left (east) side near some concrete blocks and just before a telephone pole. There is some black plastic sticking out of the dirt, so it's not too photogenic unless the owls move.  This is the only west-facing location, so is better in the afternoon
  Gone, the result of a conversion to center pivot irrigation
  
• Turn left (east) on Gillis Rd, drive 0.4 miles. The 2nd burrow is on the left (north) just after the next telephone pole.  If you get to the canal access road, you have gone too far.  
• Turn left (north) on LeMaster Rd, drive 0.9 miles (or 50 yards before "Stop Ahead" sign).  The 3rd burrow is on the left (west) side - a big hole.
• Go straight across Cunningham Rd, drive 0.5 miles north and pass an irrigation trough on the right that is perpendicular to the road.  The 4th borrow is hard to see, but it's right against an irrigation trough on the left at ~ 0.55 miles - just before some mounds of dirt.
• There are two more known burrows south of SR 26, but I couldn't find them.
• Please note that all irrigation O&M roads are private property! The irrigation district has an easement with the landowner for their O&M use only, and use otherwise is trespass. All such roads are not open to the public.
• Will update this after my 2006 trip to Othello.
• Please do not disturb these beautiful owls.  They have deserted many of their burrows in Washington state including those on Frenchman Hills Rd in the Desert Wildlife Area, because of habitat loss (or whatever).  We use to be able to get fantastic photos in that area from our cars; now they are gone.  They are a Federal Species of Concern and a Washington State Candidate Species (see WDFW).