Wildlife viewing abounds in the Basin
MOSES LAKE - It is difficult to step out the back door and not find wildlife in the Columbia Basin and I'm talking about any back door in any part of the Basin.
My mother lives in a mobile home court originating on Division Street. Several times a day, a herd of 15 to 20 mule deer can be seen passing through the court. This same herd crosses Division to dine at the Japanese Garden, they cross Pioneer Way to the area behind Safeway and repeat the process of travel, but maybe not in the exact order stated.
Where there are deer in Washington State, there may be cougar. This predator has been sighted in or near Ephrata, Wilson Creek, Mattawa and at various spots outside of city limits.
I have not heard of a cougar sighting in or close to Moses Lake yet, but I suspect it is just a matter of time. However to compare with another larger Eastern Washington city, a cougar was killed on the 200 block of North Emerson in Wenatchee last Monday.
The cat was young, just 6 to 7 months old and malnourished. Being hungry may be the reason it decided to enter the city limits.
Still they tell me where there are deer there may be cougar. It will be rare to participate in a cougar sighting. Don't panic just be aware of the possibility.
One of the easiest ways to introduce a youngster to wildlife viewing is to purchase a birdfeeder and keep it filled. Winter is the best time for feeding birds. They will spread out, seeking other food sources, during the rest of the year. Still birds will visit feeders filled with feed all year long.
A window feeder allows the viewer to get up close to the birds. These feeders attach to a window with suction cups, so the birds are just the thickness of the window away from the viewer. Even a toddler would enjoy the action just outside the window.
Last week this column featured the cover of a book, "The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America," by Bill Thompson III, published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Even though the book is aimed at the east, there is a bunch of crossover information. Plus there is not one for the Western North America, yet.
Chapters include: "What is Birding," "Getting Started in Bird Watching," "Identification Basics," "Ten Tips for Beginning Bird Watchers" and more.
The bird identification section, which is the major portion of the book, goes into detail and is directed toward youth. For example, for each species there is a wow statement, such as: "Wow! In some areas, cormorant populations are controlled because of their perceived impact on populations of game fish" and "Wow! Killdeer perform a distraction display, to lure predators away from their next, flopping around on the ground and faking a broken wing."
This summer my wife, Garnet, and I are planning a couple camping trips to Potholes State Park with my sister's three grandkids. Reading this book to them around the campfire will be a part of the outdoor experience this year.
Then we will help them begin to compile a life list of birds, which is a record of all the birds a birder has seen at least once. Hikes and drives around and near Potholes Reservoir will provide ample chances for these youth to spot and record the various bird species.
Birding, and keeping a life list, is a great outdoor activity for adults also, so it can be said birding is a lifetime sport for the young and older. A person should be able to spot five to 10 bird species just driving across O'Sullivan Dam. Plus there may be a few Sandhill Cranes left in the Othello Area to add to the list.
There are many bird identification books and a birder needs to purchase an updated one from time to time. "Birds of Washington," by Stan Tekiela and published by Adventure Publications, Inc. was published in 2001. It is easy to use because it is categorized by color: Birds that are mostly white; birds that are mostly blue; birds that have prominent green, etc. It is a detailed book with lots of fine photos.
"A Field Guide to Western Birds," by Roger Tory Peterson and published by Houghton Mifflin Company, was published in 1961 as the 11th printing of the second edition. Notice how tattered this book appears and it is. I gave this book to my parents in the late 1960s.
Both of these books contain information about the mourning dove, but nothing about the Eurasian Collared dove. This is because the collared dove entered the United States in the 1980s and slowly worked their way across the nation, arriving in Washington only lately.
An up-to-date bird identification book is important, but I use the old books from time-to-time also.
It is fun and interesting to view wildlife. It would be thrilling to see a cougar from a safe location, as well as a moose, but watching and maintaining a life bird list is also enjoyable. Especially when you can assist a youngster begin their life list from the sliding-glass doors at the back of the house.