March 21 - April 3, 2001

Contact: Virginia Painter, (360) 902-2256

OLYMPIA – Spring is officially here, and the proof lies in multiple wildlife- watching opportunities around the state, including large species of migrating birds touching down for food on their way to northern breeding grounds.

Now through mid-April, huge, prehistoric-looking sandhill cranes are turning out by the thousands in central Washington. The town of Othello, south of Moses Lake, celebrates the annual return of the cranes this weekend (March 23 to 25) with a festival. Check regional reports below for details.

In western Washington, the Skagit Valley is a good place to see snow geese and swans; tundra and trumpeter swans are feeding in the Chehalis Valley. Lots of Canada geese may be seen on both sides of the mountains, particularly near the Snake River Wildlife Area on the eastside and in the Southwest Washington lowlands.

If time doesn't allow an outing right now, there are viewing opportunities you can enjoy from home via the Internet. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) this week put Eaglecam back on line for the season, on the agency's web site. Eaglecam, which premiered last year, broadcasts images from a tiny camera planted in an eagle's nest in the back yard of a western Washington family. Last year, the cam tracked the parent eagles with their eggs, then offered images of baby eagles hatching, growing and finally leaving the nest. This year, according to Chuck Gibilisco, WDFW Watchable Wildlife coordinator, the cam is working earlier in the nesting season.

"The cam was up and running yesterday, and we're pretty sure the female has already laid her first egg," Gibilisco said. "We didn't capture that event last year, so we're happy to get an earlier start."

An eagle's nest sighted on the Capitol campus in Olympia near the Governor's mansion seemed to be a great candidate for another cam before the earthquake hit a few weeks back. Since then, Gibilisco says, the eagles appear to have moved out -- maybe due to construction noise and activity on campus and on Deschutes Parkway below.

But additional animal cams are in the works and are expected to be available to viewers on the WDFW web site as the 2001 season unfolds, if the wildlife return to expected locations.

In early April, a maternal colony of Townsend's big-eared bats is expected to return to a vacation cabin near Spokane where a cam is already in place. The colony was discovered by WDFW Wildlife Biologist Howard Ferguson, who went to great lengths to save the colony. Ferguson found funding to provide an alternative building for the cabin owner, who had plans to remodel it. Watch for Batcam online around April 7, the date the bat colony showed up last year.

Other prospective projects include a Cooper's hawk cam and a great blue heron cam, both expected to be live on the web site sometime in April, and a seal cam expected to be up and running in May or early June.

For many, spring is a signal to put out the "gone fishin'" sign and get outside.

The blackmouth season is strong, particularly in the San Juan Islands, but also in the areas off Port Angeles and Port Townsend. Steelhead are biting in north coast rivers. On the Columbia River and tributaries, an abundant 2001 smelt run is on the wane, meaning the spring chinook will soon be hungrier and biting better.

Meanwhile, trout fishing opportunities await around the state, with rainbow scheduled to be planted this month in year-round waters and for the April 28 opener in other lakes. Triploid plants in select lakes around the state heighten opportunity for many, even in urban settings. In eastern Washington, fishers have been waiting for the ice to thaw waters that opened for trout fishing on March 1. It's time to check again; reports are that those waters are now open and productive. For more information about activity at specific lakes, see the regional reports that follow.

Talk of fishing brings a reminder that new licenses and WDFW access stewardship decals are required starting April 1. All WDFW offices and some 500 dealers across the state are selling licenses via WILD (Washington Interactive Licensing Database), a new computerized system.

Outdoor recreation enthusiasts may wish to note two upcoming public meetings aimed at gathering citizens' views on the future of Washington's recreation and habitat opportunities and resources. Sponsored by the state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) in cooperation with the National Park Service, the Seattle meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., Monday (March 26) in the REI store at 222 Yale Ave. N.

A similar meeting is scheduled in Spokane, at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday (March 27) in the Spokane Public Library, W. 906 Main St. Both sessions are intended to get feedback on a recent statewide recreation participation survey and to collect citizen views on issues to be addressed in the next statewide recreation and habitat plan. For more information about the meetings contact Jim Eychaner at (360) 902-3000.

For details on wildlife viewing and fishing opportunities in specific regions, check the reports below:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: With spring upon us, a number of the region's year-round lakes are due to be stocked with catchable size trout this month. Rainbow trout are scheduled to be planted in March in the following year-round King County lakes: Boren, Dolloff, Echo, Haller, Holm, Killarney, Shadow, Spring, Star, Twelve and Walker. In Snohomish County, Gissburg Ponds, and Panther and Roesiger lakes also are scheduled for March trout plants. Extra-large rainbow trout, known as triploids, also are being planted this month in a number of the region's lakes. Waters scheduled to receive triploid trout, averaging about 1.5 pounds apiece, during the week of March 26, include Seattle's Green Lake (1,200 fish) and Flowing (500) and Martha-Warm Beach (415) lakes in Snohomish County, as well as Lone Lake (435 fish) in Island County. Lakes recently stocked with triploid trout were Angle and Meridian lakes in King County and Blackman's and Silver lakes in Snohomish County. Typically, the success of early spring fishing depends largely on warming weather, says Curt Kraemer, district fish biologist. Lake temperatures are now in the mid-40s, and fishing should improve once those waters warm to the 50-degree range, he added. And as waters warm, fishing for other species such as bass also should heat up. So for best results, plan an afternoon fishing trip, rather than heading out at the crack of dawn. Out on saltwater, with the blackmouth season just past its midpoint, the hottest fishing is off the San Juans, according to Tony Floor, WDFW's Puget Sound Sport Fishing Enhancement Program coordinator. Some of the best bets include Middle Bank off the west side of San Juan Island, Point Lawrence on the eastern tip of Orcas Island and Thatcher Pass between Blakely and Decatur islands. Blackmouth catches are averaging six to seven pounds in the central Sound and six to 12 pounds farther north, according to Floor. Most of the fish are being found 90 to 100 feet down, and mooching, trolling plug-cut bait off a downrigger and jigging with a candlefish all work in getting the blackmouth to bite.

• Wildlife viewing: Swans and snow geese are still in residence in the Skagit Valley, and Fir Island Farms – WDFW's designated viewing site between Conway and LaConner – is a good place to get a last glimpse of these magnificent wintering birds before they head north. For those who enjoy watching wildlife in their own backyards, spring is a great time to plan garden additions that will attract birds and other wildlife. For information on planning and planting gardens for hummingbirds, butterflies and other wildlife, pick up a copy of Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest, authored by WDFW Urban Biologist Russell Link and published by the University of Washington Press.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: The San Juan Islands may be the hotspot for blackmouth this year, but that doesn't mean you can't find good fishing elsewhere in the region. The "winter hole" off Port Angeles and Mid-Channel Bank off Port Townsend have been steady producers since the blackmouth season began in mid-February, with recent catches running about one fish for every two or three anglers. Anglers also have been catching some nice blackmouth chinook – including a recent 17 3/4 pounder – off Point Defiance in Tacoma in such favorite spots as the slag pile and off the clay banks. Remember that you'll need a 2001 license to finish out the season, which ends April 10. Steelhead also are still biting on the north coast rivers, which have swelled with recent precipitation. On the Bogachiel/Qullayute River, 37 anglers were interviewed last week with 19 fish. On the Hoh, 85 anglers caught 28 fish; on the Sol Duc, 29 anglers took 13. If it's lake trout you're looking for, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has begun stocking area lakes with rainbows in anticipation of the April 28 opener. They're also stocking a number of year-round lakes, most recently Summit (10,000), Patterson (10,000), Long (500) and Black (5,000) in Thurston County. In all but Black Lake, some of those plants weigh in around 2 pounds, so make sure you have your net ready. Finally, don't forget that WDFW has tentatively scheduled a razor clam dig on all razor clam beaches April 26, 27 and 29. As always, final approval for the dig will depend on the results of marine toxin tests conducted several days before clamming is scheduled to begin. Call the Shellfish Hotline at 360-796-3215 or check WDFW's website for razor clam updates.

• Wildlife viewing: There's still time to catch the sight of hundreds of swans feeding in local fields, but you'll have to act soon: Most will be leaving for their summer haunts by the second week of April. Jack Smith, regional WDFW wildlife manager, recently spotted about 200 big birds in a field near Elma in the Chehalis Valley. The group is divided between tundra swans and trumpeter swans. How do you tell the difference? "Tundra swans have a yellow mark on their bills between their nostrils and their eyes," Smith said. "Also, trumpeters are a little taller, although they're all so big it's hard to make a clear identification from that alone." Another difference: Tundra swans will fly north to the Arctic this summer. Trumpeter swans will most likely fly east to Montana.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: A memorable 2001 smelt run is dying down, and that can only mean the spring chinook salmon on the Columbia River should be biting better soon, once their own easy lunch is gone, notes WDFW Fish Biologist Joe Hymer. Effort and catch at Wind River and Drano Lake, where fishing has been fair since the March 15 opener, should begin picking up soon. Starting April 1, the bank fishing area increases at the mouth of the White Salmon River. The lower Klickitat River opens April 2 for fishing on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday schedule through May, with a one-fish daily bag limit. Effective April 1, the Lewis River salmon daily limit will be reduced to one fish. Anglers are reminded the Washington Columbia River tributaries are non-selective fisheries but on the mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam fishers may keep only adipose fin-clipped salmon. Sturgeon fishing has improved in the area between Sandy River and Bonneville Dam shortly after the arrival of the smelt. Fishing in the Dalles Pool has been good, with a legal kept per every 2.9 boat rods recently. WDFW biologists will be keeping a close eye on the sturgeon fishery in The Dalles Pool. Fishing has been good, and biologists want to make sure quotas are not exceeded, so sturgeon fishers, keep posted for a any possible regulation changes. On the trout front, kokanee fishing on the Merwin Reservoir has seen an angler average of four per person, mostly fish from hatchery releases. There have been some early releases of hatchery-produced trout due to low water flows. The early releases are of fish that have grown to regular release size. Releases include Lacamas Lake near Camas, where nearly 14,000 brown trout and 2,300 rainbows were released. Other releases: 6,500 browns and 2,300 rainbows at Klineline Pond near Hazel Dell; 5,600 rainbows at Battle Ground Lake; 4,000 rainbows at Kress Lake; 5,000 rainbows at Silver Lake; 10,000 rainbows at Swofford Pond near Mossyrock; 3,100 rainbows at South Lewis County Pond near Toledo. Walleye fishing has been picking up for boat anglers in the John Day, Bonneville and Dalles pools, where averages have been up to 3/4 fish per person.

• Wildlife viewing: For a little while longer, see Canada geese on the Columbia White-tailed Deer National Wildlife Refuge and Puget Island, as these birds stop for feeding on their migration to breeding grounds up north. Other species to watch for in the region include great blue herons and bald eagles, which are in nesting phase or preparing to nest. Now is the time of year when reported sightings by bird watchers – such as one report of a tufted duck sighting at Bingen Pond – begin to spread enthusiasm for birding field trips, while others are planning habitat restoration projects. WDFW staff in Region 5 report that volunteers have been working to plant riparian tree and shrub plantings on Swofford and Mossyrock Units and to pull grass that has been encoraching on these planting areas, resulting in increased shade and structural diversity for overall improvement of wildlife habitat.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Coffeepot Lake in Lincoln County, which legally opened to fishing on March 1 but has not been accessible, is finally ice-free and producing some beautiful rainbow trout in the 18- to 24-inch range. WDFW district fish biologist Bob Peck reports that much of the catch is by fly fishers using chromanids to match the hatch that's occurring there now. About 5,000 catchable-size (8-10-inch) rainbows will go into Coffeepot now that it's open water. Fourth-of-July Lake on the Lincoln-Adams county line is also ice-free now and remains open until March 31. Other winter-only lakes that close March 31 but are still producing trout are Hatch and Williams lakes in Stevens County. Shoreline fishing for rainbow trout in the Two Rivers/Fort Spokane area of Lake Roosevelt has been good recently. The National Park Service is working on the boat launch ramp at Lake Roosevelt's Spring Canyon to make it accessible at current lower lake levels. Southeast fishing waters will receive about 62,000 fewer catchable-size trout this spring due to a loss of 80,000 fish at the Tucannon Fish Hatchery from a trichodina parasite outbreak; watch for a news release with more details later.

• Wildlife viewing: Adult Peregrine falcons have recently been spotted back in the Highbridge Park area on Latah Creek, just west of downtown Spokane, where a pair has nested and reared young for the past few years. Watch for these crow-sized birds with slate-blue backs, cream-colored bellies, and distinctive dark "mustaches" near the eyes. They're feeding on the pigeons, swifts, and other birds in the bridge area and can be observed in dives up to speeds of 200 miles an hour. Peregrines are an endangered species, down to just one known nesting pair in Washington 25 years ago, but improving with at least 40 pairs today. The recovery of this species is due to a ban on certain pesticides in the food chain that led to eggshell thinning and no hatched young and to captive breeding and releasing programs. The pair that has graced Spokane's skies the past few years are both from such release programs. If the birds nest again, it will be June or July before babies fledge. Whitetail deer are easily seen in very large foraging groups now on areas that are finally snow-free and greening up with new growth throughout the region. Elk also are making their springtime pilgrimage to traditional green-up areas and might be more readily observed now than later in the season when they move higher. Sharptail and sage grouse are "dancing on leks" now and through the next month in Lincoln County. For those new to grouse dancing, that's the spring ritual that the male birds go through on traditional staging areas, vying for the females and breeding dominance. It's one of the most unique spectacles in the wildlife world, but it's not witnessed by many today because leks are disappearing; those that are left are either highly protected and access is restricted, or they are on private land. Contact your local Audubon Society chapter for possible pre-arranged grouse dancing field trips.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: The March 1 opening rainbow trout fishing waters throughout the Columbia Basin are improving with every day of advancing spring and every increase in water temperature, reports WDFW regional fish program manager Joe Foster. The upper and lower Hampton lakes have been very good, especially the upper lake where 20-inch rainbows are being caught. Martha Lake near Quincy has also been good, as have Quincy and Burke lakes, which just lost their ice last week. A few big trout are coming out of Dusty Lake, but very few; four day-long anglers recently caught just three 21-22-inchers there. Lenice and Nunnally lakes, which had a nearly three-fish-per-angler average on the opener, are getting even better; water temperatures, which were just 40 degrees on the opener, are up to 48 now. Lake Lenore has been productive for nice sized trout just below the inlet stream. Pillar and Gadwall lakes have over 20-inch rainbows, but not limits; some of the smaller lakes in the Pillar-Widgeon chain, like Hourglass, Sego, and Widgeon, are still slow fishing, partly due to pumpkinseed fish infestations. Potholes Reservoir has had some five-plus-pound trout coming out below O'Sullivan Dam; other trout catches have been reported in the Frenchman's Wasteway area and at the Mardon Resort dock. With drought concerns, many wonder what water levels can be expected at Potholes this year; Bureau of Reclamation officials say normal amounts of water will be delivered for Columbia Basin farming operations, so Potholes and its fishing opportunities should be fine. April 5 is "Net Pen Release Day" at Potholes when rainbows raised in the reservoir's net pens are cut loose and no Mardon dock fishing fees will be charged.

• Wildlife viewing: The sandhill cranes are back in the Columbia Basin. Some of the best spots to see them are in southeast Grant and northwest Adams counties, due south of Potholes Reservoir and Moses Lake, near the town of Othello, which is hosting its fourth annual Sandhill Crane Festival March 23-25 (call 1-800-684-2556 for more information.) You can distinguish visiting sandhill cranes from Washington's common year-round resident great blue herons by head color and profile: sandhill cranes are gray to rust-colored with a distinctive bald red crown while Great blue herons are bluish-gray with white and black head plumage; cranes are also bigger-bodied birds that fly with outstretched necks while herons fly with necks drawn back in a loop. Sandhill cranes didn't always stop over in Washington since they are not desert or shrub-steppe habitat birds. But the irrigation projects in the Columbia Basin have created the shallow water, wetlands, and grain fields that cranes use to feed on both plants and animals. Now 5,000 to 10,000 cranes stop in the area at this time to rest and feed before continuing north. Large groups of them can be spotted in grain fields during the day and in shallow open water, where they spend nights, at dusk and dawn. Volunteers are still needed March 27-30 and April 10-13 for endangered pygmy rabbit burrow surveys in Douglas County. Only a few pygmy rabbit populations are known, totaling less than 200 animals. The shrub-steppe habitat they require is very fragmented in Washington. Sagebrush is a critical part of that habitat both as food and shelter; most burrows are dug in the deep soils under old sagebrush. Call Bob Perleberg at WDFW's Wenatchee office at 509-662-0452 as soon as possible to sign up to help.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: The dry fly fishing is on in the Yakima River! Early spring stoneflies have popped out, and the river banks are seeing an overwhelming number emerging and being gobbled by wild rainbow trout. The best stonefly fishing is mid afternoon until dusk. Before the stoneflies start to appear, hatches of midge cluster are littering the water. There also has been a sporadic blue wing emergence recently, and fly fishers expect to see hatches of spring Baetis and March brown mayflies soon. The Yakima is in great shape, flow-wise, and is not being affected by snow melt from the tributaries of the system at this time. Wading anglers won't have a problem finding easy access to water for great fishing. Mud Lake in Yakima County suffered a fish kill due to oxygen deficiency from unusually long ice cover. When the lake became ice-free recently, dead rainbow trout were visible. WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins reported that the die-off was evidently 100%, as anglers have reported catching no fish. Relatively shallow, productive lakes with no inflowing and outflowing water, such as Mud Lake are most vulnerable to long periods of ice cover, Cummins explained. Under the ice, oxygen is gradually used as vegetation decays, and the fish suffocate. The lake will rapidly re-oxygenate as the water surface interfaces with the atmosphere. "The loss of some nice winter-carryover fish is disappointing," Cummins said, "but we're re-stocking this week and next month." Mud Lake will receive 125 catchable-size rainbows and 150 "jumbo" rainbows March 26 - April 6 from the Naches Hatchery. Later in mid-April it will also receive 520 triploid rainbow trout (1-1/2-pounders on the average.) Steelhead and whitefish season in those waters currently open will close March 31, with the exception of the lower Columbia River. Most rivers and streams are closed to trout fishing until June 1.

• Wildlife viewing: Sandhill cranes are now near Basin City in Franklin County on the Windmill Ranch unit of the Corps of Engineers and WDFW Snake River wildlife area. WDFW Snake River Project Manager Rocky Ross reports that the big birds are eating fresh-cut corn grown for wildlife there. That area also has lots of Canada geese, White-fronted or "speckle belly" geese, and ducks of many species. To reach Windmill, take Hwy 17 south from Othello and go about three miles south of the intersection with 260, turning west on Merion Road, then two miles on to Baart Road. Ross says the most crane activity is early morning and late afternoon. You can distinguish visiting sandhill cranes from Washington's common year-round resident Great blue herons by head color and profile: sandhill cranes are gray to rust-colored with a distinctive bald red crown while Great blue herons are bluish-gray with white and black head plumage; cranes are also bigger-bodied birds that fly with outstretched necks while herons fly with necks drawn back in a loop.