May 3-16, 2006

• Birders have an opportunity to take part in the Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds on May 12-13. 

• The 11th Annual Prairie Appreciation Day at the Glacial Heritage Preserve in Thurston County on Saturday, May 6 is a springtime celebration of this unique habitat. The event is timed to coincide with the prairie's best wildflower displays, including the blooming of the spectacular blue camas. Visitors are likely to see birds and butterflies found in few other places in the world. Activities of the day include self-guided trails, a hay ride, bug and butterfly exhibits, birding lessons, and lots of information about wildflowers, geology, history and prairie restoration. The event is free and runs from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. For more information, go the http://www.prairieappreciationday.org

• 10 red knots among the mass of western sandpipers, dunlin, short-billed dowitchers and smaller numbers of black-bellied plovers, semi-palmated plovers and least sandpipers at Bottle Beach in Grays Harbor County

• Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with a walk around Nisqually Wildlife Refuge in Thurston County on Saturday, May 13, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. An experienced birder and guide will lead the walk.

• Thirty black turnstones, several harlequins and a pair of oyster catchers were spotted at Neah Bay

• With thousands of spring chinook salmon a day now moving past Bonneville Dam, there's no time like the present to stop by the Washington Shore Visitor Complex for a look. Underwater windows give visitors a prime view of salmon parading up the fish ladder, while eel-like lamprey press against the glass with open-stretched mouths. To get there, take Washington State Highway 14 east to Milepost 40 (about 5 miles from Stevenson) and turn into the Bonneville Dam visitor center. The visitor center is the glass building at the end of the powerhouse.

• Spokane Bird Fest on Saturday, May 6, at the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center, 8706 E. Upriver Drive. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy activities from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., including bird observations and counts, a bird scavenger hunt, bird house or feeder construction, owl pellet dissection, live raptor demonstrations, and more. The festival is co-sponsored with the center by Spokane Audubon Society and the Council for Environmental Education, with support from WDFW, Washington Department of Ecology, Big Horn Foundation and Inland Northwest Wildlife Council. For more information, see http://www.wvolc.org/birdfest or call 509-340-1028.

• The great blue heron nesting season has begun, and the big birds can be seen at their nests near Lyons Ferry Marina on the south side of the railroad bridge over the Snake River. "There are many nests constructed on the last two supports of the railroad bridge," said WDFW fish biologist Debbie Milks. "You can view the birds from the shore as well as by boat. Double-crested cormorants have also been observed roosting in the same vicinity."

• White-headed and black-backed woodpeckers in a burned-over area along Lake Roosevelt near Gifford in Stevens County. Park in the far north end of the Gifford campground and walk north through the burned area.

• Fourth annual Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, May 18-21, with pre-registration taken now through May 17. Although scheduled a weekend after the official International Migratory Bird Day (May 13), this event celebrates such migratory species as and western tanagers, as well as rare residents like white-headed woodpeckers.

• Hundreds of white pelicans have taken up residence along the Yakima River, said Cummins. "Pelicans are often visible along the Greenway trail that extends from Selah Gap to Union Gap and downriver on the WDFW I-82 lands between Union Gap and Zillah," he said. Cummins also notes that the shrub-steppe wildflower bloom is spectacular in Yakima and Kittitas Counties this time of year. "Arrowleaf balsamroot is in full bloom and has turned the hillsides yellow,"
  

May 4-17, 2005

• The bald eagle family featured on WDFW's WildWatch Eaglecam has doubled in size after eggs hatched April 24 and 27. These mark the 12th and 13th successful hatchings in the dozen years that the Kent-area nest has been occupied. All the action can be seen at on WDFW's website. Other WildWatch cams give viewers close-up views of great blue heron and barn owl chicks.

• Guided walks, bird-viewing stations, workshops and a variety of activities for children and adults are just a few of the features at this year's Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds on May 14. The festival, which runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., coincides with International Migratory Bird Day and will highlight many species of birds that pass through central Puget Sound every year. More information is available at http://www.ci.edmonds.wa.us.

• The Seattle Aquarium, on the downtown Seattle waterfront, hosts its own celebration in honor of International Migratory Bird Day on May 14.  Events include special talks, hands-on activities and demonstrations as well as raptor demonstrations from the Sarvey Wildlife Center, a local rehabilitation facility.  More information is available at (206) 386-4339.  

• Eleven purple martin nesting boxes at the San Juans ferry dock in Anacortes appear to be occupied.

• Every spring, hundreds of thousands of western sandpipers, dunlins and other shorebirds stop to rest and feed in the Grays Harbor estuary on their annual migration to the Arctic.  Occasionally, thousands at a time will rise from the mudflats, swirling and diving en masse to escape peregrine falcons, merlins and other predators looking for a meal.  This natural spectacle occupies the main stage of the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival, set for May 6-8 this year in Hoquiam.  Information is available on the festival's website (http://www.shorebirdfestival.com).

• A Dabob Bay man said he saw the last week of April in Hood Canal several killer whales thrashing around and bumping into each other in a kind of frenzy.  "They were fighting something," he told a reporter for The Sun newspaper in Bremerton. "I have never seen such a show in my life."  The next morning, he noticed three bald eagles crowded together on the beach pecking at something that turned out to be a dead octopus with tentacles nearly six feet long.

• Spokane's High Bridge Park peregrine falcons are back at their traditional nest site on the underside of the Sunset Highway bridge over Latah Creek, just west of downtown.  The female falcon, which has been returning to that site for over 10 years now, was breeding with a male.  Another returning peregrine falcon pair in Clarkston is much further along in their reproductive schedule than the Spokane birds, with one falcon bringing food to the other on a nest.  Last year the Clarkston Peregrines hatched out young on May 8.  The Spokane birds usually hatch in early June.

• Clarkston-Lewiston area birdwatchers can celebrate International Migratory Bird Day on May 14 at the Lewiston Center Mall across the Snake River in Lewiston, Idaho.  Informational displays about local bird conservation activities and bird ecology will be available. Live birds of prey from the Washington State University Raptor Rehabilitation Club will be shown 1-3 p.m.  For more information about the event, call 208-843-7372 or e-mail angelas@nezperrce.org. 

• A host of recently-arrived spring migrant birds to northeast Washington include osprey, western kingbird, cliff swallow, rough-winged swallow, house wren, yellow-rumped warbler, orange-crowned warbler, Nashville warbler, chipping sparrow, vesper sparrow, savannah sparrow, Cassin's vireo, and brown-headed cowbird.  

• Third-annual Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, May 6-8, celebrating those migratory species like calliope hummingbirds and western tanagers, as well as rare residents like white-headed woodpeckers.  Birding is the heart of the weekend activities, ut there's also field trips and lectures on geology, wildflowers, and other local natural resources.  Highlights of this year's festival include a presentation by the Falcon Research Group, a barred owl telemetry demonstration, an exploration of sagebrush wildflowers at the Jacobson Preserve, a native fish passages tour of the Wenatchee Basin, a nighttime search for bats, frogs and nocturnal birds and a "songbird concert" with local musicians.  For more information see the website for the Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest .

• The Southcentral region has two International Migratory Bird Day events.  
• "Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe" is the theme of a May 7 event at the Umtanum Recreation Area near Ellensburg, sponsored by the Kittitas Environmental Education Network. Field trips focus on birdlife in the area, but also include "snake sneaks," plants, geology, geography, and Native American and homesteader uses of the natural resources of the area. Check the website for the full schedule of events at http://www.kittitasEE.net. 
• On May 14, the McNary National Wildlife Refuge Education Center near Burbank is hosting programs and activities for kids and adults from 9 a.m. to noon. You can join a guided tour to a birdwatching blind, see slide presentations on birds from around the world, make paper masks of your favorite birds, or just take a walk around the refuge's education center to discover new migratory bird arrivals. Call 509-543-8322, see http://www.nwr.mcnary.wa.us.

April 28 - May 11, 2004

• A Snohomish County observer reporting to Tweeters saw more than 5,000 surf scoters and more than 2,000 western grebes off the north end of Camano Island. 

• Attend International Migratory Bird Day on May 8, with celebrations that include a daylong birding event at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge near Olympia. The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes guided walks, a slide show on the National Wildlife Refuge System, exhibits by various organizations and acres of prime birding habitat. There will also be a guided 5½ mile walk at 7:30 a.m. from the fee station.

• Bird Fest in Leavenworth celebrates International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) on May 8-9. "Experience a weekend celebrating birdsong and exploring the natural world of birds, geology, wildflowers and conservation," said Bird Fest coordinator Karen Haire. "Art exhibits showcase local talents and a songbird concert at Canyon Wren Recital Hall caps off a weekend to delight the senses." Guided trips and activities range from leisurely strolls to active hikes and most events are free.  http://www.leavenworthspringbirdfest.com

April 30 - May 13, 2003

• Families can participate in free, guided bird walks at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on International Migratory Bird Day, May 10. The walks, on the Kiwa Trail in the refuge's River "S" Unit, start at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. and are sponsored by the Vancouver Audubon Society. Contact the refuge at 360-887-4106 for more information.

• Families can participate in guided bird-watching walks and other activities in honor of International Migratory Bird Day on May 10 at the Edmonds Marsh in Edmonds and Lowell Riverfront Park in Everett, both in Snohomish County. This community environmental education event is called "Keep the Wild Alive" and is sponsored by the Pilchuck Audubon Society. Contact Susie Schaefer at 425-252-0926 or 425-771-8165, or online see http://www.pilchuckaudubon.org for more information.

• International Migratory Bird Day on May 10 will mark the dedication of the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge as an Audubon Society "Important Bird Area," since it serves as a migration stop for large concentrations of shorebirds. Refuge officials plan to celebrate that distinction with free birding tours, bird-banding, research presentations, and refreshments for all visitors. Families are encouraged to attend and bring binoculars and cameras. Most activities will get under way by 10 a.m. Call the refuge at 509-865-2405 for more information.
  

• Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day at the Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, May 9-11. The Leavenworth area features a wide variety of spectacular bird habitats, from snow-capped mountains to sunny Ponderosa pine forests. Often seen are calliope hummingbirds, white-headed woodpeckers, harlequin ducks, osprey, western tanagers, MacGillivray's warblers, and many more species. While birding is the heart of this weekend festival of guided walks and other activities, geology, wildflowers, and conservation in general is also featured. For more information, contact the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce at 509-548-5807 or info@leavenworth.org.

• While the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival is over, hundreds of thousands of dunlins, dowitchers, godwits, sandpipers and other migratory birds continue to pass through the area on their way to the Arctic.

• Another writer reported seeing a western kingbird, a single adult snow goose, about 65 black turnstones and three brown pelicans at Bottle Beach between Westport and Aberdeen.
  

• Returning from a ferry trip to Victoria, one birder counted a dozen common loons, at least eight American wigeons, a harlequin drake, a pair of buffleheads and at least eight pelagic cormorants while approaching Ediz Hook near Port Angeles. 

• Thousands of spring chinook salmon are coursing past the underwater fish viewing window at Bonneville Dam each day, making an outing there "like having your own aquarium," says WDFW's Joe Hymer. 

May 1-13, 2002

• There are thousands of migrating shorebirds moving north through the region during this time of the year - check Padilla Bay, the Samish Flats, or the Skagit Wildlife Area during tide changes for great views of large flocks of dunlins, sandpipers, and other common birds. Less-common birds you can also expect to see this time of year include greater and lesser yellowlegs, as well as a few lingering snow geese.

• Check out the Mercer Slough Nature Park, just off 118th Avenue Southeast between Interstates 90 and 405 in Bellevue. There's always plenty of waterfowl in the slough, including mallards, Canada geese and goldeneyes, and May is the perfect month to see lots of young paddling after their parents. Later in the season, visitors to the slough can often catch a glimpse of beaver, muskrats and river otter.

• Chances to see shorebirds near Grays Harbor will continue for the next week to 10 days, says Jack Smith, WDFW's regional wildlife manager. Evenings are an especially good viewing time. The most likely sightings will be western sandpipers, dunlin, dowitchers and semi-palmated plovers, he predicts. Last weekend's festival lived up to its name with a bonanza of shorebirds, judging from birders' reports on the Tweeters website and elsewhere. Plenty of action was reported from locations in the area and en route, including Brady Loop Road, Johns River Wildlife Area, the Schouweiler Road wetland west of Elma and Bottle Beach State Park. 

• One of the best viewing locations reportedly was immediately south of the Bottle Beach State Park entrance, where good numbers of shorebirds were observed during tide changes foraging at close range in flooded areas and freshwater margins. A Tweeters website correspondent reported tens of thousands of shorebirds at Bottle Beach as the tide came in, including thousands each of western sandpipers, dunlin, short-billed dowitchers, semi-palmated plovers and black-bellied plovers.
• Numerous shorebirds also showed in the flooded fields at high tide including short-billed dowitchers, long-billed dowitchers, semi-palmated plovers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, least sandpipers and others. 
• At Bowerman Basin the bushes along the sandpiper trail were bustling with the activity of common yellowthroats and other songbirds, including Bewick's wren, yellow-rumped warblers and golden-crowned sparrows. 
• At Damon Point State Park, Pacific golden plovers and dunlin were reported in breeding plumage. 
• At Twin Harbors State Park near Westport, a variety of seabirds were seen bobbing in the surf, including at least one red-throated loon, common loons and several Pacific loons, along with a large number of common murres swimming close offshore, a red-necked grebe, surf scoters, red-breasted mergansers and western sandpipers. 

• Great blue 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 last year. 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. 

• International Migratory Bird Day on May 11 will be celebrated at the McNary National Wildlife Refuge in the Tri-Cities area with a special event starting at 9 a.m. featuring local falconers and wildlife rehabilitators giving close-up views of birds, plus expert birders giving bird-watching tours. McNary hosts thousands of migrating waterfowl species, plus spring and summer resident long-billed curlews and white pelicans. The refuge is located southeast of Pasco off U.S. Highway 12 just south of the Snake River. Refuge visitor facilities are a quarter mile east of Highway 12 on Maple Road. Call the refuge's environmental education center at (509) 543-8322 for more information about the May 11 event. 

May 2-15, 2001

• Tawny California sea lions have also arrived in the (Washington coastal) area, competing for fish with Steller sea lions, their resident cousins which are distinguished by their chocolate-colored coats. Jeffries notes that May and June are pupping season for harbor seals, and there is a chance you may come across a pup on the beach that has been separated from its mother. If so, he advises, leave it alone. "The mother won't come back to the pup if people are present," he said. 

• Numerous common snipe are being seen in wet, grassy areas of the Kosmos and Kiona Creek units (of the Cowlitz Wildlife Area in southwest Washington), and a group of 18 band-tailed pigeons was observed on the Spears unit. Elk and black-tailed deer are regularly observed throughout the Cowlitz Wildlife Area. 

• Migrating white pelicans, gulls, ducks, and a myriad of other birds were recently spotted at the mouth of the Colville River at Lake Roosevelt. 

• The wetlands on the southwest end of Sprague Lake are a good place to spot yellow-headed blackbirds, herons, snipe, and other birds.

• Ducks, geese, shorebirds, and other colorful migrants are at peak numbers throughout the Columbia Basin. A designated viewing area near the intersection of Frenchman Hills Road and Dodson Road in Grant County is one of many excellent spots to view and photograph these birds. North of Winchester Wasteway on the east side of Dodson Road, WDFW and the Moses Lake Audubon Society chapter have created a handicapped access blind for bird watching. The Moses Lake chapter also helped create a second blind and a 2 ½-mile walking trail in the area. The wetlands on the southwest end of Sprague Lake are a good place to spot yellow-headed blackbirds, herons, snipe, and other birds. 

May 8, 2001 (SW Wa News)

• Shillapoo Wildlife Area - Changes in Heron nesting in the Vancouver Lowlands: Wildlife Area manager Calkins and biologist Lewis conducted surveys of three known Great Blue Heron rookery locations in the Vancouver Lake Lowlands last week. Two long established rookeries that were active last year were found to be abandoned this year. One on the South Unit of WDFW's Shillapoo Wildlife Area had 357 active nests last year. The other on Private lands south of Vancouver Lake had 103 nests. One possible reason for the decline is the drought conditions over the winter. Ponds adjacent to both sites which are major foraging areas for the birds have been dry since last summer. Nesting activity at the third site, also on the wildlife area's South Unit, which was first noted three years ago, increased dramatically from approximately 20 nests last year to 142 nests.

May 3-16, 2000

• May is a great month to take a drive or canoe trip through the Columbia Basin's many wildlife areas to witness nearly every imaginable wetland and water habitat species, from avocets to muskrats. The Desert, Crab Creek, Seep Lakes, Potholes, Winchester Wasteway, and Gloyd Seeps wildlife areas are all hosting thousands of nesting songbirds, shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl, plus reptiles, amphibians, and mammals of many kinds.

• The Oak Creek Wildlife Area isn't just a good elk viewing spot anymore – not at this time of year. With spring in full bloom, this 84,000-acre WDFW property just west of Naches is a great place to see and hear woodpeckers, nuthatches, tanagers, and other songbirds. Also, look for golden eagles, prairie falcons and red-tailed hawks in the open spaces and the uncommon western gray squirrel in the creek bed.
  

May 17-30, 2006

• Gray whales continue to mill around the Saratoga Passage area. North of the passage, killer whales – members of the J-pod – were recently sighted near Lummi Island.

• Four peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in a nest box atop a Port of Olympia crane 175 feet above the ground. 

• Spotted along the Tenino rail-to-trail path was a black-headed grosbeak and a sizable flock of Wilson’s warblers. These little yellow warblers, summer visitors from Mexico and Central America, have also been reported in Roy, Grays Harbor and at Flett Creek near Lakewood. On the Olympic Peninsula, a flock of at least 10 whimbrels was seen near Fort Flagler beach.

• Sinlahekin and Big Valley portion of the Methow Wildlife Area.” On or near the waterways of those areas birders can expect to see loons, grebes, bitterns, herons, kingfishers and a diversity of ducks, geese and shorebirds. In the fields and forested areas, especially near streams or wetlands, look for hummingbirds, woodpeckers, flycatchers, kingbirds, vireos, swallows, wrens, warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks, towhees, sparrows, crossbills and many other species. See WDFW’s website for more information to plan a trip to the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/sinlahekin/index.htm) and for the Methow Wildlife Area (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/r2methow.htm).

• Three bighorn sheep rams with three-quarter-plus curl horns, one half-curl ram, five ewes and three lambs were recently seen on the north side of Spectacle Lake. Two bighorn rams were also observed crossing Highway 97 north of Oroville.

• Umtanum Recreation Area south of Ellensburg in the Yakima River Canyon and reported the following species: Western tanager, Bullock's oriole and Lewis woodpecker right near the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parking site; Chukar partridge, canyon wren and rock wren calling throughout the canyon; pairs of nesting prairie falcons and American kestrels; Townsend's, Wilson's, yellow, and orange-crowned warblers; and yellow-breasted chat, lazuli bunting, bushtit, golden-crowned sparrow, and hermit thrush. Also reported were bighorn sheep, yellow-bellied marmots, and a rattlesnake.
  

May 18-31, 2005

• Killer whales are the featured attraction of the "International Orca Fest of the San Juan Islands," May 20-23. Activities include a whale symposium, whale watching, environmental street fair, music, food, fun run and more. Events are scheduled for Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands. Details are available at http://www.orcafest.com/ or by calling 888-468-3701, ext. 1

• Hundreds of brant geese are still resting and feeding at the southern end of Samish Bay. The birds were rafting with large numbers of surf scoters and scaup. 

• Another area of Pierce County rich in wildlife species - but largely off-limits to the general public - is Fort Lewis, covering 86,000 acres in Pierce and Thurston counties.  Earlier this month, WDFW biologist Kelly McAllister was allowed to conduct field research at the fort, starting at Fiander Lake in the Rainier Training Area. "There were hundreds of thousands of western toad tadpoles in the lake,

• The sturgeon, the largest and oldest fish in the Columbia River watershed, is the inspiration for the Sturgeon Festival, scheduled May 21 and 22 this year in Vancouver at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 SE. Columbia Way. The free festival will feature environmental activities for all ages from noon to 4 p.m. both days.  More information is available by calling WDFW's Brad James at (360) 906-6716 or Bev Walker with the City of Vancouver at (360) 696-8478.

• Great opportunity to observe juvenile great blue herons still in their nests. The "heronry" or communal nesting area is located between WDFW's Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery and the Lyons Ferry Marina on the Snake River, accessible by boat. The nests are built on steel structures that support the horseshoe railroad bridge.  More than 20 nests are located on the two southernmost (Lyons Ferry Marina side) supports of the bridge, up and down each support.  The juvenile great blue herons wre fully fledged and huddled in their nests.  It won't be long before the juveniles are out of the nests, so wildlife viewers should make a trip now to enjoy the herons. 

• Nesting pair of osprey atop a power pole on Dartford Drive where it crosses the Little Spokane River.

• Great birding and generally good watchable wildlife opportunities on WDFW wildlife lands in the Okanogan District. Everything from western and mountain bluebirds to congregations of velvet-antlered mule deer bucks can be enjoyed now. Hot spots include the Big Valley and Big Buck portions of the Methow Wildlife Area and the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area. 

• The Okanogan Highlands Wildflower Fest, centered in Eden Valley, will be held May 28-30; for more information contact info@edenvalleyranch.net.

May 12-25, 2004

• The northern migration of millions of shorebirds continues to captivate birders along the coast and in Puget Sound, while the Kettle Valley Songbird Festival, May 21-23 in Republic, will focus the spotlight on northeastern Washington's tremendous birdwatching opportunities.

• Some of the more colorful birds spotted recently by correspondents reporting to the Tweeters birding website include a half-dozen western tanagers in Snohomish County, American goldfinches (our state bird), a yellowthroat, a yellow warbler and a yellow-rumped warbler. All of these "yellows" were identified by a birder at WDFW's Spencer Island Wildlife Area on the Snohomish River near Everett. The same birder reported counting "hundreds" of swallows in the area, including cliff, barn, violet-green and tree varieties.

• The Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival has come and gone for another year, but hundreds of thousands of dunlins, dowitchers, godwits, sandpipers and other migratory birds continue to pass through the area on their way to the Arctic. One contributor to the Tweeters website reported spotting thousands of common terns flying north over the Ocean Shores jetty along with hundreds of Pacific loons during the first week of May.

• Learn more about the Columbia River's largest native inhabitant during the free Sturgeon Festival May 22 and 23 at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 SE. Columbia Way in Vancouver. Environmental activities for all ages will be offered from noon to 4 p.m. both days. 

• The second annual Kettle Valley Songbird Festival is May 21-23 in Republic. Coordinated by the Highlands Birding Group of Ferry County, this event offers an opportunity to enjoy meadowlarks, mountain bluebirds, western tanagers, yellow-headed blackbirds and many other colorful species. The three-day event includes morning and evening guided field tours, evening pontoon boat trips on Roberta Lake and lectures and slide shows on birdwatching and wildlife photography. For more information, see http://www.ferrycounty.com/KettleValleySongBirdFestival.

• This is a good time to take a sidetrip through the Columbia Basin off Interstate 90 to look for breeding pairs of waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds at WDFW's Desert, Goose Lakes, Potholes, and Seep Lake Wildlife Areas just southwest of Moses Lake and adjacent to Potholes Reservoir, and the Winchester Wildlife Area northeast of George.

• The Nile River Road burn area (near Yakima) is full of woodpeckers and sapsuckers using snags.

May 14-27, 2003

• You can also celebrate migratory birds on May 17 at Seattle's Discovery Park with early morning bird walks, a five-hour bird festival, botany walks, and habitat restoration activities. Contact Penny Rose at 206-386-4250 or penny.rose@seattle.gov for more information. 

• Also on May 17 is Woodland Park Zoo's "Festival for the Birds" with music, bird-friendly shade-grown coffee samples, and a variety of bird demonstrations and activities - all free with zoo admission. Contact the zoo at 206-684-4800 for more information. 

• Bainbridge Gardens, an advocate of organic gardening at 9415 Miller Rd., N.E. on Bainbridge Island, is the site of a bird festival on May 18 to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day. The event is designed to promote awareness of the habitat needs of songbirds and is co-sponsored by the Kitsap Audubon Society and Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Island Association, which supports bird-friendly shade-grown coffee. Contact Fay Linger at 360-779-7035 or flinger@silverlink.net for more information. 

• Check out the returning spring chinook salmon run at the Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery, which offers both an observation deck and an underwater viewing area. The hatchery currently has several hundred fish in the adult holding pond and lots of fish are holding just downstream. The area is open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

• Plan to take in the first annual Kettle Valley Songbird Festival in the Republic and Curlew areas of Ferry County May 16-18. The songbird festival includes guided birding tours, lectures, slides shows, wildlife exhibits and a bird-a-thon to see who can count the most species of birds in the area. For more information, call (509) 775-0441.

• In Lincoln County, WDFW Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area, mule deer are starting to be seen regularly in groups of up to 10. "Spring comes later here than in many other parts of eastern Washington," Anderson said, "so we still have arrowleaf balsamroot, or what some call 'desert sunflower' in bloom.

• WDFW Wildlife Biologist Scott Fitkin reports that everything from western and mountain bluebirds to congregations of velvet-antler-growing mule deer bucks can be enjoyed now. Hot spots include the Big Valley and Big Buck portions of the Methow Wildlife Area and the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area.

May 15-28, 2002

• In honor of International Migratory Bird Day, the East Lake Washington Audubon Society is sponsoring an Osprey Celebration, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland. This free event features wildlife displays, interactive projects for kids, Native American dance performances and viewing scopes to give participants a good look at the local bird life. Everything's happening at 2201 Market St. in Kirkland.

  WDFW regional wildlife program manager Matt Monda suggests bird watching on the Desert Wildlife Area, particularly in the wetland areas between Dodson Road and Pothole. "WDFW manages about 30,000 acres of shrub steppe habitat that are intermixed with shallow wetlands," Monda explained, "and these areas support a huge and diverse assemblage of wetland birds. Over a dozen different species of waterfowl nest there and breeding pairs are highly visible now. Wading birds such as black-crowned night herons, great egrets, American avocets, and black-neck stilts are also present. Several of these species are common on this area but rare elsewhere in the state."

• WDFW Oak Creek Wildlife Area manager John McGowan reports that golden eagles are again rearing young in a nest south of the Tieton River on the wildlife area along Highway 12. "They are easily observable from the shoulder of the highway with binoculars or better yet, a spotting scope," McGowan said, "and there are no concerns about disturbance as long as viewing takes place from the highway." To get there, from the entrance to the wildlife area headquarters, travel west seven-tenths of a mile, and pull in on a sharp right turn on the south side of the road on a wide gravel shoulder opposite a high rock outcropping. Park about 20 yards from the start of the guardrail and locate a large dead pine tree snag on the skyline to the south across the river. Below this snag is a group of pine trees that include a slender tall snag. Moving to the right at the same elevation, locate a single pine tree. At the midpoint between these groups of trees, drop down into the cliff-face and locate a dark-colored deep cleft in the rock. The dark color comes from green shrubs and green moss growing in the cleft. At the lower right side of the cleft, you will locate the eagle nest. Young are hatched and the adults normally can be readily observed caring for them and/or flying in the area of the nest.

May 16-29, 2001

• Goslings and ducklings are parading around with their proud parents throughout eastern Washington, stopping traffic in many both rural and urban spots where they're crossing roads. Canada geese are particularly protective parents, so give those broods a wide berth to avoid being chased or even nipped by an aggressive goose. Pheasant hens are sitting tight on nests while roosters continue strutting and fighting with each other; chicks should start showing up around Memorial Day. Many early nesting songbirds, like robins, are coaching newly-fledged young in the ways of the world. Coyote pups are trying out their voices in freestyle yipping and howling – a wildlife listening experience, since coyote litters are more often heard than seen. 

• Mountain goat nannies and kids might be spotted at the Flume Creek Viewing Area in the northwest corner of Pend Oreille County (off the road to Crawford State Park, just north of Metaline); best times to see goats on the cliffs and ledges of Linton Mountain above Flume Creek are usually mornings, evenings and overcast days at this time of year.

• WDFW manages more than 134,000 acres of water, wetlands, and uplands in the Desert, Goose Lakes, Potholes, Seep Lakes, Winchester, Gloyd Seeps, Sun Lakes, Billy Clapp, Crab Creek, and Quincy wildlife areas where you'll find nesting waterfowl and other birds. Watch for Canada geese, mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, ringnecks, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, blue and greenwing teal, shovelers, pintails, goldeneyes and wood ducks. Also herons, egrets, bitterns, sandhill cranes, rails, coots, plovers, avocets, phalaropes, curlews, sandpipers, killdeer, terns, and gulls. All three of Washington's blackbirds -- Brewer's, red-winged, and yellow-headed– nest here.

May 17-30, 2000

Black-necked stilts and other shorebirds are visible at Saltese Flats just southeast of Spokane.

Bighorn sheep at Lincoln Cliffs in Lincoln County along Lake Roosevelt should be visible later in the month for those boating or fishing the reservoir.