Site Guides
Click on one of the links below and the checklist will open in a new window.
Print the checklist using your browser's print function. Close the window to
return to this page.
MtSpokaneSP.PDF (Mount Spokane State Park, Courtesy of Ron
Dexter)
The Little Spokane River Natural Area.pdf (Courtesy of Washington Birder and Garrett
MacDonald)
BIRDING
IN THE CITY
by Joyce Alonso
September 2006
Everyone has a favorite
birding location. Ron Dexter knows Mt.
Spokane like his own
backyard. Jim Acton frequents the Davenport
Cemetery. Reardan's Audubon Lake has been visited many times by
Warren Hall...and so on. However, if your need to go birding is really acute,
but you can spare only an hour, may I suggest some city parks?
I know, you probably won't
see the latest rarity (Green Heron, for example) and your species count may not
pass a couple dozen. Still, many of our feathered friends coexist with us here
in town and a little patience can be rewarding. Perhaps we can spend “quality
time” getting to know one bird better instead of racing around, building a list.
I haven't made a practice of
frequenting all the parks in town so I'm hoping that this article will be
followed by others written by birders living in North
Spokane, someone from the Valley, and any other good in-town spot.
The three places I may go when pressed for time are all on the South Hill (and
all in my CBC territory, so I know birds are there year round.)
Manito Park, located
between Grand and Bernard St.
and between 17th and 25th
Ave., is the best-known park in the area. It's
often populated by hollering children, calling parents, and barking dogs...not
the best environment for birding; however, there are some quiet sections. The
“natural area” north of the Japanese
Garden is full of California
Quail. The Lilac Garden may harbor warblers, especially
in migration. Chickadees and Nuthatches abound in the evergreens; Kinglets and
Song Sparrows, in the bushes. Of course, there are Robins, Flickers, Crows,
etc. Some years ago Western Screech Owls were found in the evergreens bordering
the Duncan Gardens. Finally, at the pond, amid the
hundreds of Mallards and hybrids, you may find a few of our wilder duck
species. There also are plenty of Canada Geese and Ring-billed Gulls.
Cannon Hill Park,
considerably smaller, is a favorite of mine. It is east of Lincoln St. and two blocks west of
Bernard, between 18th and 20th
Ave. Our organization raised funds after
“Icestorm” to plant four trees there, which are growing nicely. The pond has
some vegetation on one edge, a hiding place for waterfowl. Though Mallards are
dominant, Wood Ducks, American Wigeons, and the occasional Ruddy or Hooded
Merganser can be seen, especially in fall. A Great Blue Heron sometimes visits.
There are Mt. Ash trees in the neighboring yards, full
of Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings as well as Robins at the right time of year.
Other birds I've enjoyed there are a Brown Creeper added to one CBC list; a
Coopers' Hawk looking for his dinner, an Audubon Warbler, flitting through the
trees.
Finally, I recommend Lincoln Park,
which drapes itself over the South Hill off Southeast Blvd between 16th
and 21st Ave.
The lower section is very civilized, with playground equipment, picnic area,
etc. and few birds. The hillside and the area above are more natural, with a
parking lot and a walking track that circles a small pond. While I haven't been
there recently, in the past I've seen everything from Song Sparrows, Juncos and
Chickadees to Hairy Woodpeckers, Red Crossbills, and Merlins. It's worth a few
minutes of your time after shopping at the stores in the nearby Lincoln Heights center.
