Bob's Gone Birding: Coeur D'Alene to Columbia Falls

The Clearwater River at Nez Perce National Historic Park

Nez Perce Rangers Erecting a Tepee

The second day of my trip promised to be a sizzler. Local weather reporters predicted highs above 100 "with the chance of a few clouds passing through in the afternoon." Undaunted, I pulled into Nez Perce National Historic Park in Spalding, Idaho, and encountered something I rarely see at such a beautiful place - an empty parking lot.

I hopped out of the car and was immediately buffeted by a stiff breeze. I birded around the edge of the lot for a while and was rewarded with a nice little mixed flock of birds in the greenery just below where I was standing. A flock of American Robins seemed to be playing Follow the Leader as they sprinted from one spot to another feeding on berries and calling raucously to each other. I saw a quick flash of yellow and tried to follow its mad dash through a series of bushes. Then there was a second flash of yellow. One, I'm sure, was a Yellow Warbler but the other might have been a Wilson's. I didn't get a good enough look at it, so despite the temptation, I didn't add it to my day list. Then a familiar, harsh, rattling sound caught my attention as a Belted Kingfisher flew over my head and moved east along the river. It was a nice start to the day.

"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker

The picnic area at Nez Perce NHP is gorgeous! It's nestled under a mostly pine canopy that provides plenty of cover for meals in the shade, and some open space for play in the sun. An ancient cemetery rests in one corner and the ruins of a building in another. Here, late in November, 1839, Henry Spalding established the first mission to the Nez Perce and built what is thought to be the first white man's home in Idaho. He Baptized many tribal leaders, taught them to irrigate fields and grow potatoes, brought the first printing press to the area, developed a written language for the Nez Perce, translated the Book of Matthew, printed it, and distributed copies among his parishioners. He and his wife Eliza were remarkable people and their memory is still respected by the Nez Perce and preserved in their park.

The birding here was pretty good. A Northern Flicker perched in a snag showing off the red in his tail. Our Flicker is yellow, of course, so I enjoyed seeing the red. A group of flycatchers fed on invisible bugs and happily displayed their aerial agility. I could only identify a Western Wood-Pewee with any degree of confidence, but I suspect I missed a life bird somewhere in those trees.

An "Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler was a special treat and proved how beautiful that species can be. The washed-out version we see in Florida bears little resemblance to this really pretty bird. And when the Yellow-rumps start to look good, they leave. A Lesser Goldfinch was another treat, showing off its black and gold to full advantage.

Yellow Warbler Peeking at Me

I tried really hard to turn a Red-eyed Vireo into something else, but truth won out. A Calliope Hummingbird investigated the park ranger's yellow and green cart, but eventually lost interest and flew off. A Red-tailed Hawk hung around for a while, and a few Cedar Waxwings flitted about. I searched through them to no avail hoping for one of their Bohemian cousins. A little later I descended a small bank and walked to the water's edge. I was stunned at how significantly the temperature dropped as I approached the river. The water was very cold, and the air around it much cooler than that in the picnic area 20 yards away. As I enjoyed the cool air I noticed a Yellow warbler peeking at me through the bushes. It was nice enough to pose for a photo or two, but never gave a me a clean look.

Before leaving the park, I decide to try one more trail. It was a mile-long loop with little shade, and the temperatures were nearing the century mark. I debated for a bit, but curiosity won out. I was rewarded with a distant look at a Western Kingbird and later, a bench in the shade. As I sat there sipping some water, I heard an unfamiliar song above me. At first, I thought it was a House Finch, but the song was wrong. I hear House Finches every day, and this was wrong. I looked more closely - Cassin's Finch! A lifer!! What a terrific way to end a very enjoyable birding day.

My Cassin's Finch Lifer!

I spent that night in Coeur D'Alene. The next morning I wanted to get an early start. I knew it was going to be a very long day. I had an ambitious birding plan. The first stop was to be at Farragut State Park on the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille before moving on to Sandpoint and Denton Slough on the lake's north and eastern sides. Finally I would have to reach my hotel in Columbia Falls, Montana. Point-to-point driving would be about 400 miles and birding mileage would get me very close to 500 miles for the day. Unfortunately, the day would prove to be more exhausting than productive.

Lake Pend Oreille from Farragut State Park

Farragut State Park is really gorgeous, but I found very few birds. A Calliope Hummingbird and a Black-capped Chickadee were enjoying an early morning breakfast outside the headquarters building, and that proved to be the best birding of the morning. Near the lake, a sparrow was being a bit elusive, hiding in a brushy area along a very narrow foot path. As I tried to get a decent look, a person on a bike suddenly clamored down the stairs. The bird flew off, never to be seen again. I do not mind stepping aside for mountain bikers if I'm on open access trail. But this was a foot path with a narrow set of stairs. He had no business being there, and I lost a good bird. A Catbird popped up a little later, but that was it. Later I chased a group of finches feeding along the road, but they were very skittish, flying off if I got too close and at the sound of every approaching vehicle - and there were many. I never did ID them. I saw a Mountain Bluebird, some Brewer's Blackbirds, a Song Sparrow, and Ring-billed Gull, but that was it.

I'm pretty sure this is a California Gull.

Sandpoint was a really cute and quaint town with wonderful park and marina on the lake. There were a lot of birds, but most of them were Canada Geese or Ring-billed Gulls. Still, I enjoyed an hour or so walking around the place. I enjoyed watching Cliff Swallows playing in the spray of a sprinkler system, and what proved to be a California Gull confused me for a bit. I took a bunch of photos of it for later study.

Next I drove to the fish hatchery, a small but very productive stop. Cedar Waxwings, Pine Siskins, and California Quails were seen in the first few minutes. An Eastern Kingbird hunted along the water's edge and an Osprey soared overhead. Unfortunately, I had hoped to see a Clark's Grebe in the area, but there were none, so I turned toward Denton Slough. The drive along the eastern edge of the lake was picturesque, but not very productive. The thousands of breeding ducks and grebes that are known to spend the spring here were already gone, leaving very few of their friends behind. I saw a Bald Eagle, a Wood Duck, a Great Blue Heron and the ever-present Canada Geese. Finally, at Denton Slough I saw a few interesting grebes. They all turned out to be Western Grebes, great birds to be sure, but not what I was seeking.

Finally, I gave it up and made the five and a half hour drive to Columbia Falls. I arrived really late at night, so I made a quick stop at an A&W restaurant for some food and a diet root beer. They didn't have any. The A&W Root Beer place didn't have any diet root beer. Really? Then my hotel room proved to be ... well ... disappointing. Still, I was in the shadow of Glacier National Park where I planned to spend the next two and a half days! I collapsed into bed and thought excitedly about the wonderful days to come. Yes, I was counting up those chickens ... but would they hatch?