November 24 - December 7, 2004

Contact: Craig Bartlett, 360-902-2259

Rain is predicted for much of the state during the Thanksgiving holiday, and that suits many hunters and fishers just fine. They know that a good downpour can often set the table for better hunting and fishing for days to come.

"A good, hard rain will flush things out and bring some fresh fish into the rivers," said Rick Ereth, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in Montesano. "It's been looking like June around here."

In westside such rivers as the Satsop and Wynoochee, higher stream flows are expected to bring a new surge of bright, late-running coho salmon. Steelhead also move on high water, energizing fisheries from the Snake River to the Olympic Peninsula.

For archers and muzzleloaders, the soggy forecast comes just in time for the late deer and elk seasons now getting under way throughout the state. Those game animals are a lot easier to track and stalk when the ground is wet and the forest quiet, said Jack Smith, a WDFW regional wildlife manager.

Cold, wet weather also pushes ducks and geese down from Canada, boosting hunting prospects throughout the state. Snow, predicted for parts of eastern Washington, only improves hunters' chances of tracking ducks, geese and big game.

"Most hunters and fishers don't mind dressing for the weather if it improves their prospects," Smith said.

For an overview of fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities now available in Washington state, see the regional summaries below. Fishing regulations for specific areas are listed in the state Fishing in Washington rule pamphlet, posted on WDFW's website. Updates to fishing rules are also posted.

Hunting regulations are listed in the Big Game Hunting pamphlet and the Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game pamphlet.

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: Moochers and trollers have been finding a few blackmouth scattered throughout Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, with some of the best catch rates coming in waters from Camano Island south to Possession Point. In the San Juans, try the waters north of Orcas and San Juan islands. Elliott Bay-based anglers have been finding keepers off Harbor Island. Remember to keep the gear as close to the bottom as possible. All areas seem to have plenty of sub-legal fish; be sure to carefully release these "shakers" so that they can grow into legal keepers in a few years. Blackmouth season ends Nov. 30 in all marine areas except Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon area), where fishing continues through Dec. 31. Blackmouth season resumes Dec. 16 in Marine Area 10 (Seattle-Bremerton area); elsewhere the season resumes in February. For a different saltwater experience, keep the boat on the trailer and head to one of several lighted piers along the Seattle waterfront for a little squid jigging - one of the best-tasting critters to be found in Puget Sound, and one of the easiest to catch. Check out WDFW's Sport Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet for all the details. Anglers who like to fish in the region's rivers can find chum salmon and the last vestiges of the coho salmon run. The Skagit, Snohomish and Green rivers have all produced dogs and silvers lately. Fish have been caught by plunkers using salmon eggs or sand shrimp, while corkies and yarn, spoons, plugs and winged bobbers can also be effective. Look for winter-run hatchery steelhead to start showing up in the catch as these feisty fish move into rivers. Rivers that typically see good hatchery winter steelhead numbers include the Green, Skykomish and Skagit. Mountain whitefish - a tasty distant cousin to the trout - should start schooling in preparation for spawning later in the winter months. Whitefish can be found in a number of northern Puget Sound streams and can turn a fruitless steelhead outing into a decent day of fishing. Whitefish can be taken on small nymph patterns fished near the bottom, or on maggots or eggs. There is no minimum size for whitefish, and the daily limit is 15. Anglers can find schools of tasty perch in deep water of lakes that are open to fishing year-round, including Lake Washington, where good-sized cutthroat trout can also be caught.

• Hunting: Pheasant hunters have until Nov. 30 this year to pursue birds. Skagit Wildlife Area Manager John Garrett says the season's final pheasant releases on the Skagit and Snoqualmie wildlife areas will be coordinated to provide hunting opportunity on Thanksgiving, as well as Nov. 27-28. Garrett says the two areas will share about 600 pheasants. Waterfowl hunting should improve as more birds move south into the region from Canada. Garrett says duck hunting has been good on the Skagit Wildlife Area, and the Headquarters, Island and Samish units all have standing water. "On any day that has some nice stormy weather, the hunting can be quite good," Garrett said. Mallards make up the bulk of the birds in the southern portion of the region, while pintail and wigeon are the main species up north. For a more solitary bird-hunting experience, look for forest grouse in the Cascade foothills.

• Wildlife viewing: Birds - and plenty of them - are the main attraction for wildlife-watchers this time of year. There are nearly 3,000 swans in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties - most of them trumpeter swans, but also a number of tundra swans. Tens of thousands of snow geese can be seen in agricultural lands near the mouths of the Skagit River, and there are hundreds of thousands of dabbling ducks scattered from the U.S.-Canadian border south to Snohomish County. The most populous species include northern pintail (104,000), mallard (95,000) and American wigeon (69,000). The best places to see big concentrations of birds include Samish Bay, Padilla Bay and Skagit Bay. Sightings that have recently reported to the Tweeters birding website include four white-tailed ptarmigan near the Mount Baker ski area; a gyrfalcon dining on a dunlin on the Samish Flats; a northern rough-legged hawk on the Sammamish River near the boundary between Redmond and Woodinville; an American dipper bobbing along the Cedar River; and a bald eagle and osprey perching and fishing at Pine Lake on the Sammamish Plateau. Non-birding wildlife enthusiasts can also find interesting animals to view, including salmon spawning in area rivers. Sockeye salmon are spawning in the Cedar River, from the mouth upstream to the Landsburg diversion dam. Chinook and coho are also spawning in a number of rivers. Remember to keep children and pets away from the water, and please don't harass the fish. Members of Puget Sound's resident K Pod of killer whales have been seen recently as far south as Vashon Island.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound

• Fishing: A perfect storm appears to be forming for salmon anglers fishing coastal rivers. After weeks of low water and dark coho, rainstorms are expected to increase flows and draw bright fish into rivers during Thanksgiving week. "A good, hard rain will flush things out and bring some fresh fish into the rivers," said Rick Ereth, WDFW fish biologist. "It's been looking like June around here." Some rivers, notably the Wynoochee and Wishkah in Grays Harbor County, are already yielding limits of bright coho, but there are "a lot of old rags out there," Ereth said. Higher flows should also draw more steelhead into rivers on the north coast, where they are just beginning to show in the catch, said Mike Gross, WDFW fish biologist. "We're starting to get reports of winter steelhead in the Hoh and Quillayute rivers, and Thanksgiving is the time that anglers traditionally start thinking of going after them," he said. Contrary to information published in the WDFW Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, anglers can retain one wild steelhead per year in 12 state rivers - all but one of them on the Olympic Peninsula. Those rivers are the Bogachiel, Calawah, Clearwater, Dickey, Goodman, Green, Hoh, Hoko, Pysht, Quillayute, Quinault and the Soleduck. Anglers must still release any wild steelhead caught on all other rivers and streams throughout the state. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission repealed a two-year moratorium on wild-steelhead retention in those 12 rivers after the rules pamphlet went to press. Most other regulations in the fishing pamphlet remain the same, although anglers should always check for rule changes on the WDFW Fishing Hotline (360-902-2500) or the WDFW fishing regulations website before they start casting. In the saltwater, anglers are still pulling in plenty of chum salmon along with some coho. On the Puyallup River, anglers have been catching both species on corkies and yarn and eggs. At the mouth of Kennedy Creek in Totten Inlet, 55 anglers caught 52 chum on Nov. 21, while 69 anglers took 16 dogs in front of the Hoodsport hatchery that day. "Fishing has slowed down in the past week, but should pick up again if we get some rain," said Mark Cylwick, WDFW hatchery specialist, noting that the Hoodsport run usually peaks around Thanksgiving. To reduce competition, anglers can call the hatchery information line at (360) 877-5222 to find out when tribal fisheries are scheduled in the Hoodsport area. Competition hasn't been much of a problem in the fall blackmouth fishery, which closes Nov. 30 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Seven anglers checked two blackmouth Nov. 20 at Ediz Hook, while anglers at Sekiu took a few fish on 150-175 feet of line. At Point Defiance, anglers trolling flashers near the grain elevators have had the best luck. Ready for something different? Sea-run cutthroat trout are hitting hard in estuaries around southern Puget Sound and Hood Canal right now. You have to release them, but they put up a heck of a fight. And, with any luck, razor clam diggers will soon get another chance to hit the beach. WDFW will announce in early December whether it plans to proceed with a dig Dec. 10-12 on evening tides, based on the results of marine toxin tests scheduled on coastal beaches. As with the first two digs of the fall season, no digging will be allowed on any beach before noon. Low tides during the tentative opening are as follows: Dec. 10: 5:12 p.m., -0.7 ft.; Dec. 11: 6:01 p.m., -1.2 ft.; Dec. 12: 6:49 p.m., -1.5 ft.

• Hunting: Archers and muzzleloaders can be thankful for the soggy Thanksgiving forecast. With late deer and elk seasons for both groups starting today (Nov. 24), a good downpour could spell relief from the clear, dry conditions that plagued the late modern-firearms hunt. "Hunting was really slow," said Warren Michaelis, a WDFW wildlife biologist who staffed the Dayton check station in Mason County during the recent modern-firearms season. "With dry conditions and moonlit nights, very few bucks were taken in our area." The same was true at the Vail check station, said Kelly McAllister, WDFW district biologist. On Nov. 20, 531 hunters took just 25 deer in the popular Vail unit, McAllister said. The next day, 465 hunters took just nine deer. Atmospheric conditions are one explanation for the low yield. Another is the high success rates during the early deer season, said Jerry Nelson, WDFW deer and elk manager. "Some of our best deer harvest typically occurs during the late buck season, but we've had a number of reports of early breeding behavior by bucks during the early season. It's possible that a number of those animals that would normally have been taken during late buck were harvested during the early general season this year. While the timing may differ from the norm, early indications are that the average overall harvest for westside deer will be up for the second straight year." Whatever the case for ungulates, waterfowl hunting could definitely benefit from some hard weather, said Max Zahn, another WDFW wildlife biologist. Goose hunting has been productive around saltwater areas of Pacific and Grays Harbor counties (Goose Management Area 2B), but ducks have been slow to arrive, he said. "We need some cold, wet weather to bring more ducks down from the north," said Zahn, noting that nearly 300,000 dabblers have been holding up in northern Puget Sound. "We should start seeing more of that kind of weather in the next month or so."

• Wildlife viewing: Chances of seeing a western snowy plover on the Washington coast are pretty slim, especially at this time of year. For one thing, most plovers that nest in this state head south in winter. For another, the small shorebirds are listed as "threatened" by the federal government and "endangered" by the State of Washington. In recent years, fewer than 70 adult birds have been counted on Washington's southwest coast, the northern tip of the plovers' range. But this year might be a watershed year for nesting success. According to a recent report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 27 chicks survived to fledge from their nests. "At least they held their own," said Max Zahn, a WDFW wildlife biologist who helped monitor nesting success this year. Good weather probably played a big part in the plovers' breeding success this year, but Zahn also credits staff and volunteers of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge for their work to improve nesting habitat on the Long Beach Peninsula. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, which has jurisdiction over state beaches, also deserves credit for posting signs cautioning visitors to avoid disturbing the nests, he said. "The birds nest right in the sand, so they're very vulnerable," Zahn said. "We urge people walking or driving on the beach to keep their eyes pealed for nesting plovers, particularly in the area where wet sand meets dry sand." Chum salmon, on the other hand, are fairly easy to spot these days. With a large run now in progress, fall-winter chum are churning up local waters including Johns, Sherwood, Eagle, Chico and Perry creeks. The Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail in Mason County is a great place to view these torpedoes in action. Staffed by the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, the half-mile trail will be open every weekend in November from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most of the trail is ADA accessible. For more information, call (360) 754-6464 or see http://www.spsseg.org on the Internet. Weekday visits for schools and other organized groups are available by reservation only. To make reservations, contact Karin at the Mason Conservation District at (360) 427-9436; 1-800-527-9436; or Karinis@attglobal.net.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: The winter steelhead are starting to show in southwest Washington, and angling should just keep getting better in the weeks ahead, says Pat Frazier, deputy fisheries manager for the region. So far, nearly three dozen of the fish have returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, and WDFW staff last week encountered a Cowlitz River angler who had caught one of the first steelies of the season. Another of the early-returning steelhead was taken to Mayfield Lake in mid-November as part of a plant that also included 25 adult fall chinook, 18 adult coho and two cutthroat trout, Frazier said. Battleground Lake also received a recent plant of sea-run cutthroat and steelhead. Other recent fish transfers by Tacoma Power resulted in plants of 95 steelhead and 41 cutthroat trout at the Interstate 5 bridge on the Cowlitz; 104 steelhead and 76 cutthroat trout at Massey Bar boat launch; and 64 steelhead and 30 cutthroat trout at the Olequa boat launch. Farther upstream on the Cowlitz, "fishing is still in good shape," says Frazier, with anglers continuing to find coho; in mid-November at Lake Scanewa 10 bank anglers were checked with 10 adult coho, while 67 boat fishers had 31 coho. Adding to the action, Tacoma Power recently transferred 3,421 adult coho to Lake Scanewa, dropped off 259 adult coho at the Skate Creek Bridge in Packwood and took 947 adult coho to the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park. Meanwhile, on the Columbia River, sturgeon fishing is reportedly still productive in the gorge area.

• Hunting: The Thanksgiving week marks the last pheasant releases of the year, says Mick Cope, WDFW's upland bird program manager. Although the pheasant season closes Nov. 30 in most of western Washington, some sites-including southwest Washington's Lincoln Creek and Kosmos release sites-will remain open for pheasant hunting to Dec. 15, although no additional releases are planned after November. Goose hunting season opens Nov. 27 in Management Area 2A (Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties); hunters are reminded of special requirements and rules to protect dusky Canada geese. See pages 6 through 9 of WDFW's Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons pamphlet for details. The late-buck deer season wrapped up Nov. 21 for modern firearm hunters, but late muzzleloader and archery deer and elk hunts continue into December in western Washington (check the WDFW "Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules" pamphlet for details. Successful deer hunters in southwest Washington are reminded to promptly notify WDFW toll-free at 1-800-888-7513 if they harvest a deer in Wahkiakum, Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania or Klickitat counties. A WDFW biologist will contact the reporting hunter to arrange for collection of a brain-stem tissue sample from the deer for testing for chronic wasting disease. All participating hunters who submit viable samples from deer 16 months or older will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win prizes and gift certificates from local businesses.

• Wildlife viewing: Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, the Shillapoo Wildlife Area and woodland bottoms elsewhere in the region all offer the possibility of sandhill crane sightings, birders report. A correspondent for the Tweeters bird-watching website reports spotting three acorn woodpeckers at the Granary Tree in the Bingen/Lyle area (head east on Old Highway 8 for, after about a half mile there is a little hill on the right and a trail leading toward the Granary Tree.) Visitors are cautioned that the area is private property; do not enter any property without the permission of the landowner. Another birder reports from a Nov. 21 trip up the Columbia Gorge, where he reports three greater white-fronted geese were still at Rock Creek Park in Stevenson. At Drano Lake (the mouth of the little White Salmon River) recent sightings included 22 Barrow's goldeneye, eight common goldeneye, 10 hooded mergansers, one common loon and four bald eagles. At Spring Creek Fish Hatchery a recent visitors saw a red-necked grebe, a male Eurasian wigeon, a spotted sandpiper, a mountain chickadee in a mixed flock of black-capped chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, Bewick's wren, golden-crowned kinglets, ruby-crowned kinglets, varied thrush and yellow-rumped warblers.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Four rainbow trout lakes in the region open Dec. 1 for the winter-only season that runs through March: Hog Canyon Lake in Spokane County, Fourth of July Lake on the Lincoln-Adams county line, and Hatch and Williams lakes in Stevens County. Based on his sampling of Williams Lake, WDFW northeast district fish biologist Curt Vail reports that anglers can expect about two-thirds of their catch in 8½ to 10½-inch rainbows from fry plants and the other third in 15 to 16¾ -inch carryovers. "I can't guarantee that the ratio will hold up through the season," Vail said, "but the carry-overs that are in there are excellent-looking fish." Hatch Lake is a different story, Vail said. Water levels are low and the lake suffers from an infestation of illegally-stocked yellow perch, which doesn't bode well for rainbow trout. WDFW has suspended trout fry plants at Hatch Lake, so anglers are likely to catch more perch than trout this season. Although both lakes are open now, they could be iced up on the opener, depending on the weather. WDFW central district fish biologist Chris Donley is confident anglers will once again quickly catch their limit of two trout over 14 inches at Fourth of July Lake this year. His recent sampling showed that about 75 percent of the trout there are 14 to 20 inches long. The rest of the trout run 10 to 14 inches, with lots of them right at the 14-inch mark. "Anglers need to remember that the rule is no more than two fish, 14 inches or more," he said. Hog Canyon Lake is suffering from low water levels and will only provide fair fishing on its 10 to 13-inch rainbows. Dec. 1 also marks the start of whitefish season on portions of the Little Spokane River. Whitefish fishing has been open on portions of the Grand Ronde and Kettle rivers since Nov.1. Only one single hook 3/16-inch or smaller measured point to shank (size 14) may be used to avoid hooking off-limits fish such as steelhead or salmon. There's no minimum size limit on whitefish and up to 15 can be taken daily. Fishing continues to be good for rainbows on Lake Roosevelt, with most successful boat anglers trolling with trout gear in the top 25 feet of water. Snake River steelhead fishing continues to improve as temperatures dip. WDFW Lyons Ferry Hatchery crews sorting returning steelhead broodstock recently released about 1,200 steelhead back into the Snake River at the hatchery.

• Hunting: Forecasted snow should improve opportunities for late season archery and muzzleloader deer and elk hunting, which runs Nov. 20 through Dec. 8 in many units throughout the region. That's especially true in the north and central districts. Snow should also improve bird-dog scenting conditions and tracking for upland game bird hunting. WDFW wildlife biologist Todd Baarstad says that those opportunities remain fair in Lincoln County, especially for those in pursuit of Hungarian or gray partridge. Baarstad urges hunters to take the time to secure permission to hunt private lands in WDFW's cooperative access programs. The last farm-raised pheasant releases of the season will be made Thanksgiving week on the usual sites; for more information, see the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program pamphlet on the WDFW website or at the Spokane regional office, North 8702 Division St., (509) 892-1001. Waterfowl hunting is slow to non-existent in some areas of the region that remain dry. "It's still awfully dry out here," reported WDFW's Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area manager Juli Anderson. "The two actual 'Swanson lakes' are completely dry. A couple of the larger, deeper lakes around here have some water in them and there may be some opportunity for those willing to walk in." Goose hunters have a few extra days of hunting during the Thanksgiving holiday week in Goose Management Area 4 (including Lincoln, Spokane and Walla Walla counties). This area normally operates on a Saturday-Sunday-Wednesday only season, but offers goose hunting on Thursday, Nov. 25, and Friday, Nov. 26.

• Wildlife viewing: The big news in the bird-watching world of eastern Washington is the appearance of bluejays at many backyard feeders. "These aren't our native Steller's jays," says WDFW wildlife biologist Howard Ferguson of Spokane. "This is Cyanocitta cristata, the sky blue and white jay with the black necklace, common in the Midwest and eastern United States, but rarely seen here. This certainly isn't the first time bluejays been seen in this area, as individuals have been dispersing further and further west for several years. But there's been an apparent influx of them this fall." No one knows how long bluejays will remain in the area, but Ferguson warned that they can be real "feeder hogs." He advised that backyard bird feeding stations be "diversified," with both tube and hopper type feeders so that smaller birds aren't out-competed by jays or other aggressive species. Meanwhile, keep the food and water coming, says WDFW Spokane office manager Lois Blanchette, whose staff fields hundreds of calls at this time of year from bird lovers wondering how to help their feathered friends during wintery weather. "Especially keep open water available for those thirsty birds," she said. Minus a birdbath heater in recent cold snaps, she says that should keep armchair birdwatchers well-exercised, replacing iced-up water dishes with fresh water daily.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Portions of the Chewuch, Entiat, Methow, Similkameen, and Wenatchee rivers and Sinlahekin Creek open to fishing for whitefish Dec. 1. WDFW fish biologist Art Viola of Cashmere says that whitefish are an under-utilized resource that make for tasty tablefare, especially smoked. "The whitefish season is a good excuse to get out of the house and escape the winter doldrums," Viola said. "Anglers can do fairly well on whitefish once they find the winter schools of fish. Some use caddisfly or stonefly larvae or nymphs as bait, collected right in the water using a screen." Viola reminds whitefish anglers that only size 14 or smaller hooks can be used to avoid hooking steelhead or other off-limits fish. WDFW fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak alerts Methow and Similkameen whitefish anglers to watch for forthcoming rule changes designed to protect steelhead. Viola reports that steelhead fishing on the Columbia River remains steady from Wells Dam downstream to Rocky Reach Dam, with some catch continuing in the mainsteam above Wells up to the mouth of the Methow River. Jateff reports that steelhead fishing has slowed on the Methow in past weeks as the water temperatures have started to drop. The Similkameen River from the mouth to 400 feet below Enloe Dam opened Nov. 15 and should provide some additional opportunities for steelheaders, he said. Steelheading remains open indefinitely, depending on hooking mortality for wild fish. Jateff notes that three rainbow trout lakes in Okanogan County open for a catch-and-keep season starting Dec. 1 - Upper and Lower Green near Omak, and Little Twin near Winthrop. "In all of these lakes there is no minimum size, bait is allowed, and there's a five-fish daily limit," he said. Jateff also reminds anglers that the size and daily catch limits have been removed from Rat Lake near Brewster due to a lake rehabilitation scheduled for next spring. Those relaxed regulations on Rat Lake will be in effect until March 31, 2005.

• Hunting: The latest waterfowl survey indicates that traditional numbers of ducks and geese have yet to move into the Columbia Basin, but waterfowl hunters should have improved opportunities when more wintery weather advances. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Randy Hill of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, who flies the surveys regularly with WDFW wildlife biologist Jim Tabor, said there seems to be a shift in some normal waterfowl patterns, probably related to both weather and food supplies. "Our latest Moses Lake count of large geese was actually exceptional for mid-November," he said, "and indicates early movement south or from nearby areas, including Banks Lake, since small geese outnumbered them there by a wide margin." Hill said there are reports of very few small geese in some of the usual areas, like dryland wheat, but Douglas County wheat green-up seems to be behind schedule. "We also have had an exceptionally early green-up of bluegrass around the refuge and cheatgrass is well on its way," he said. "The corn harvest is half done or more, and the huge acreage will be providing lots of food when geese shift over. So far most of the geese are feeding in alfalfa that remains green, winter wheat and a few cornfields cut short for silage. Most of the cornfields have stubble that is still too tall for geese to land, and tillage, snow, ice, wind and other weather might be needed to make those fields accessible." Hill says ducks will probably stay once they move in, at least until snow and ice push them out. "But there will probably be lots of cattle grazing the cornfields to keep them open," he said. "Our 60,000 mallards count is pretty weak for mid-November, but we haven't had a good cold front from the north, barely a skiff of ice at one or two locations and no snow anywhere." For Hill and Tabor's complete duck and goose flight survey, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events2.htm#geese. Goose hunters have a few extra days of hunting during the Thanksgiving holiday week in Goose Management Area 4 (Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Spokane and Walla Walla counties). This area normally operates on a Saturday-Sunday-Wednesday only season, but offers goose hunting on Thursday, Nov. 25, and Friday, Nov. 26.

• Wildlife viewing WDFW wildlife biologist Scott Fitkin of Winthrop reports that wintering bald eagles are starting to congregate in the Methow and Okanogan valleys. "With the first significant snowfall, bighorn sheep will likely be visible on rocky slopes in or near the town of Loomis," he said. "In the Methow, large concentrations of mule deer are becoming more evident on the foothill slopes, including significant portions of the Methow Wildlife Area. Late November is the latter part of the breeding season and it's a good time to view mature bucks now that the late permit seasons have ended." In the Columbia Basin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Randy Hill of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge says that tundra swan numbers are up, although the birds are scattered widely. That's from the latest aerial waterfowl survey conducted by Hill and WDFW wildlife biologist Jim Tabor. "Unlike last year at this time, there were no great egrets seen, possibly moved out by the higher water levels in Potholes Reservoir," Hill said. "But the cattle egret flying down Winchester Lake was just an indication of the wide distribution reported this fall. This also is the first flight that I recall when white-fronted geese were seen but snow geese were not. Both are unusual in our area, but snows are much easier to detect." For Hill and Tabor's complete survey, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events2.htm#geese.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Dec. 1 marks the opening of whitefish season portions of the Bumping, Klickitat, Naches, Tieton and Yakima rivers. Only one single hook 3/16-inch or smaller measured point to shank (size 14) may be used to avoid hooking off-limits fish such as steelhead or salmon. There's no minimum size limit on whitefish and up to 15 can be taken daily. Also opening on the first is rainbow trout fishing at North Elton Pond near Selah alongside Interstate 82. This 15-acre lake is well stocked prior to this winter-only season with half-pound rainbows. The season remains open through March 31.

• Hunting: Goose hunters have a few extra days of hunting during the Thanksgiving holiday week in Goose Management Area 4 (including Benton, Franklin and Kittitas counties). This area normally operates on a Saturday-Sunday-Wednesday-only season, but offers goose hunting on Thursday, Nov. 25, and Friday, Nov. 26. The last farm-raised pheasant releases of the season will be made Thanksgiving week on the usual sites; for more information, see the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program pamphlet on the WDFW website or at the Yakima regional office, 1701 S. 24th Ave., (509-575-2740).

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW habitat biologist Perry Harvester reports seeing a bald eagle along the Yakima River for the first time this winter. "They're apparently making their way to their wintering areas," he said. "Weather conditions have been quite mild this year and a surprising amount of 'green-up' has occurred on the shrub-steppe slopes. Grasses and forbes have sprouted on some of the south slopes to the extent that they are actually as green as typical early spring conditions. It appears that the leaves are staying on the trees much longer than normal, and some willow and cottonwood trees along riparian areas still have green leaves. While there's still much winter ahead of us, this could provide unexpected, late foraging opportunities for deer, elk, and other animals going into the winter, which could help survival." WDFW Oak Creek Wildlife Area manager John McGowan agrees that weather has been relatively mild and winter feeding of elk and bighorn sheep has not started. Still the animals used to the free chow on the wildlife area are gathering. "We have a number of sheep in the area of the feed site on the Old Naches Highway," McGowan said. "You should scan the mountain carefully as you drive to the feed site to see the sheep. There's also a group of about 100 elk using the fields and spring above the headquarters feed site on Highway 12. The best time to see them is between 7and 8:30 in the morning or 3:30 to 4:45 in the afternoon." McGowan also noted that winter migrating bald eagles are starting to show up along the Tieton River along Highway 12 and the Naches River along Highway 410. Local birders report an apparent irruption of mountain chickadees in the valley lowlands. Also reported are record numbers of bluejays, usually not found in the western United States. Dozens have turned up east of Yakima County. Cattle egrets have also been making birding news in the past month, with sightings on both sides of the Cascades. Recently several were reported near Othello. About half the size of a great egret, they favor wet pastures, plowed fields, marshes and lawns.