OLYMPIA – The millennium isn't the only milestone drawing near. This month, the Audubon Society will begin its 100th annual Christmas Bird Count and, as always, the group is looking for more spotters to help count those loons, grebes and other birds that call Washington home for at least part of the year.

More than 44,000 bird enthusiasts from Alaska to Argentina are expected to take part in the annual bird count, first conducted by Audubon founder Frank Chapman and a small band of enthusiasts back in 1900. As in past years, spotting teams will count all the birds they see in one 24-hour period between Dec. 16, 1999 and Jan. 3, 2000 (local chapters pick their date) and report their data to a local Audubon Society chapter.

It's a fun way to learn more about birds, get acquainted with other birders and contribute to an important source of information about bird populations, said Kris Schoyen, office manager for the state office of the National Audubon Society,

"Everyone from hotshot birders to novices are welcome to participate," Schoyer said. "The more eyes and ears, the better."

Newcomers interested in participating in the Christmas Bird Count should contact their local Audubon Society chapter, call the state office at (360) 786-8020 or check out the state chapter's website.

Sporting holiday gifts: Looking for a gift for the outdoors enthusiast who has everything? The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) won't start selling year 2000 hunting and fishing licenses until March under its new licensing plan, but many stores do sell gift certificates that can be redeemed in time for next year's licensing season, which runs from April 1, 2000 through March 31, 2001.

Click on license plate to go to WA State Dept. of Licensing

Or you might consider a personalized vehicle license plate, available from the Department of Licensing ($46 for passenger vehicles, $44.50 for motorcycles, trailers and campers). The majority of the proceeds from those license-plate sales directly benefit WDFW's wildlife diversity program, helping to protect non-hunted species facing possible extinction.

WDFW also has a new book and a new CD available just in time for the holidays. "Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest," written by agency biologist Russell Link, is available for $28 from WDFW, Attn. Landscape Book, 1608 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek, WA 98012. The CD-ROM "Sport Fish of Washington," a narrated, pictorial tour of all of Washington's major fresh and saltwater sport fish, is available for $5.40 plus a $1.25 shipping fee from WDFW, Licenses Division, 600 Capital Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091.

Northern Puget Sound:

• Fishing: Winter steelhead fishing begins to attract anglers to local area rivers throughout the month of December, with many of the highest success rates occurring Christmas week to early January. The number of hatchery smolts released by WDFW in 1998 was well above average, setting the stage for good fishing opportunities for sports anglers throughout the winter season. The Skykomish, Green, Snoqualmie, Skagit and Stillaguamish rivers have all been good bets in past years. It is especially important to check your fishing pamphlet during winter fisheries since some rivers allow harvest of wild origin fish and some require release. Anglers should check the fishing hotline (360-902-2500) for any emergency regulations.

  Whitefish season opened Dec. 1 on the South Fork of the Skykomish River from Sunset Falls upstream. Or, for an urban fishing experience, try jigging for squid off of a lighted dock in Tacoma, Seattle or Edmonds. An old fishing rod with light line and a luminous squid lure is all you need to attract one of the three-year-old animals returning to the Sound to spawn. "If you like razor clams, you'll love squid," says WDFW staffer Tony Floor.

• Hunting: Waterfowl hunting should get increasingly better as the days get colder and the birds take to the air. At last count, there were nearly 350,000 ducks in Northern Puget Sound -- an unusually high number. On the last weekend in November, hunters were averaging two to three ducks a piece, but that ratio should grow steadily before the season comes to a close in mid-January. Meanwhile, the late deer and elk seasons opened Nov. 24 to archers and muzzleloaders and will run through Dec. 15. Hunters should check the rule book to determine which areas are open.

• Watchable Wildlife: With so many birds in flight these days, hunters and birders alike should keep their eyes peeled for bald eagles and other species passing through on the wing. The Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival is still more than a month away, but a number of feathered participants have already been spotted hovering above estuaries in the North Sound area eyeing returns of spawning salmon below. All five species of falcons in the state can also be seen looking for prey on the Skagit and Sammish rivers, and both swans and snow geese have already arrived from the north -- Fir Island Farms near Conway being a particularly good place for viewing.

Olympic Peninsula:

• Fishing: "Steelhead is definitely the name of the game around here" for the next two months, says WDFW biologist Bill Freymond in the Montesano office. While there are still some late hatchery coho returning to the Satsop and Humptulips rivers, the buzz these days is about the early returns of steelhead to the Queets. Freymond said Queets, the Hoh and the Strait of Juan de Fuca are all positioned for strong returns this year. But the Quilliute River system is "the real gem" of the northern Peninsula with an expected return of 33,000 steelhead this year, he said.

  Freymond noted that the runs of hatchery steelhead usually peak around Christmas, followed by another run of wild fish in January. Both are fair game to the sport fishery, although anglers should check the rule book carefully for bag limits and regulations that apply to specific areas.

  Meanwhile further south, the Dungeness crab pot fishery – which had been closed since mid-September – opened Dec. 1 along the coast and in the Columbia River.

• Hunting: Hunting was generally good during the regular blacktail deer season, and WDFW biologist Greg Schirato expects much the same for the special season for archers and muzzleloaders. "Hunters took some of the biggest bucks we've ever seen out of Vail Tree Farms (open weekends only) near Rainier during the regular season," Schirato said. "I'm pretty sure there are a bunch still there." Duck hunting has been fairly slow, although Schirato said the 500-acre Chehalis Valley Wildlife Area offers some good opportunities. Hunters in the Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay area have had fairly good luck with pintails and widgeons, and 80 Canada geese had been checked through the Willapa check station through the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.

• Watchable Wildlife: It's entirely possible these days to see a pod of migrating gray whale and a herd of Roosevelt elk all in the same day. The Destruction Island lookout off Hwy. 101 is a good place to spot gray whales as they migrate along the Washington coast en route from Alaska to the calving grounds off Baja California. Roosevelt elk can be seen these days in many lowland areas around the Olympic Mountains. Best bets are the Johns River Wildlife Area near Westport, the Quinault and Hot rivers in Olympic National Park and the farmland east of Port Angeles. Also watch for Canada geese, mallard, widgeon, snow geese and trumpeter swans, whose populations peak during the dark days of winter.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: The steelhead season has special significance in southwest Washington this year. In 1998, WDFW and Tacoma Power planted the Cowlitz River with three quarters of a million steelhead smolts, a large number of which is an expected back as adults this year. It was one of the largest release of winter steelhead in the state," said WDFW fisheries biologist Joe Hymer, noting that a few early returnees have already been spotted. "We expect those fish to run about 8 pounds."

  Meanwhile, WDFW has planted Kress Lake near Kalama with several dozen summer-run steelhead weighing around 8 pounds and plans to plant more area lakes in the coming weeks. Sea-run cutthroat, weighing about a pound each, have also been planted in Horseshoe Lake near Woodland and Rowland Lake near Lyle. It's still not too late to catch a coho salmon either, although creels have lightened somewhat in the past week due to high water on the Elochoman, Cowlitz and Lewis rivers. Sturgeon are still biting on the lower Columbia though, with catches averaging around one fish for every other boat from Kalama to Vancouver.

• Hunting: Goose-hunting season got off to a bang this year when 258 hunters reported taking 600 geese during the Thanksgiving weekend. The best news was that only three off-limits duskies fell, helping to stave off an early season closure. Archers and muzzleloaders also turned out for the late elk and deer season, which is scheduled to run through Dec. 15. Success rates are still being determined.

• Watchable Wildlife: If you're heading up to Mount St. Helens this month, keep an eye out for elk coming down from higher elevations. If birds are your thing, the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge just a few miles north of Vancouver between I-5 and the Columbia River is a great place to see sandhill cranes, geese and other waterfowl.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Winter trout fishing opens Dec. 1 and runs through March 31 on four lakes in this region stocked with hatchery rainbow trout. Some of the best fishing may be found at Fourth of July Lake on the Adams-Lincoln county line south of Sprague. The rainbow fry stocked there earlier this year are about 10 inches now, and those that carried over in the lake from last year are running 13½ to 19 inches. Fishers may keep only two trout longer than 14 inches in their daily limit of five trout. (The lake has a boat launch but no internal combustion engines are allowed.)

  Hog Canyon Lake, about 10 miles northeast of Sprague in Spokane County, was treated to remove tench last year and now offers stocks of nine to 13-inch rainbows. The public access area to the lake will be closed through Dec. 17 for repairs to the dam, but fishers can park on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property above the lake and hike a quarter-to-a half-mile in to the lake until then. Williams Lake in Stevens County, about 14½ miles north of Colville, has 10 to 13-inch rainbows. Hatch Lake, also in Stevens County, was just rotenone-treated and will not be re-stocked until next year.

  Whitefish season also opens Dec. 1 on the Little Spokane River and Sherman Creek. Lake Roosevelt rainbow trout fishing usually picks up this month, with boat fishers catching some of the hefty net-pen-reared-and- released fish throughout the reservoir.

• Hunting: Like most duck hunters east of the Cascades, those in the eastern-most counties of the state are waiting for the weather to turn cold in Canada and drive the birds into range. Hunting for upland birds has also been slow, although WDFW released game-farm pheasants at regular sites throughout the region just before Thanksgiving.

• Watchable Wildlife: Now is the time to start watching for bald eagles along major waterways -- including Lake Roosevelt and the Pend Oreille, Spokane and Snake rivers and their tributaries -- as they dine on fish or waterfowl. It's also a good time to see bighorn sheep, although you probably won't get the chance if they see you first. For a closer look at these magnificent animals, consider an outing to the sheep feeding station near Metaline Falls. A herd of 27 sheep, managed by WDFW and the U.S. Forest Service, has made it annual appearance at the feeding station as the cold weather begins to set in. Getting to the sheep requires a 1/4 mile hike in the snow, so wear appropriate cold-weather gear.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Four lakes in Okanogan County open Dec. 1 for the winter trout season. Green Lake and Lower or Little Green Lake, about five miles northwest of Omak, will produce catches of nine to 14-inch rainbows. Little Twin Lake, about two miles south of Winthrop, has mostly 11-inch rainbows with some up to 16 inches. Rat Lake, about 5½ miles north of Brewster, offers rainbows from 11 to 16 inches, plus 14-inch brown trout. Meanwhile, rainbow fishing continues to be good at Potholes Reservoir, which is open year-round. Whitefish season opens Dec.1 on the Wenatchee, Methow, Chewuch, and Entiat rivers with selective gear, no bait. Sinlahekin Creek and the Similkameen River (upstream of Enloe Dam) also open Dec.1 for whitefish, and bait is allowed.

• Hunting: Hunters checked at Potholes on Thanksgiving weekend averaged about two ducks a piece. "That's pretty slow," said WDFW wildlife biologist Mark Quinn, who noted that Potholes – and Grant County in general – normally provides some of the best duck hunting in the state. Although a Nov. 18 aerial survey revealed 215,000 ducks in the north Columbia Basin, relatively few have come down from Canada where temperatures have been unusually warm. Quinn said hunting should improve once the storms move in up north and the birds move south. Archers and muzzleloaders are also hoping for snow and colder weather, which could still force the deer down from higher elevations before the special season comes to a close in mid-December.

• Watchable Wildlife: Waterfowl viewing remains good throughout the Columbia Basin, including Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, Winchester Wasteway, and Frenchman Hills Lakes. Start watching for wintering bald eagles, too, along these and other waterways, including Banks Lake and Lake Chelan. If, by chance, you're headed up Lake Chelan on the Lady of the Lake, watch for mountain goats on the hillsides as they come down from the high country.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: North Elton Pond in Yakima County near Selah, alongside Interstate 82, was freshly stocked with half-pound rainbows just before the Dec. 1 season opener. There is a two-trout daily catch limit and no internal combustion engine boats are allowed. The winter whitefish season also opens Dec. 1 on portions of the Bumping, Cle Elum, Klickitat, Naches and Tieton rivers. The Columbia River above Vernita Bridge has also had very hot fishing for large (17-19 inch) whitefish.

• Hunting: Like those in the Columbia Basin, bird hunters in southcentral Washington are playing a waiting game these days – waiting for cold weather to drive the ducks and geese down from the north. "The northern birds haven't shown up yet, and the locals birds all know where the reserves are," said Jeff Bernatowicz, WDFW wildlife biologist. Lack of snow also has kept the elk at higher elevations, out of the sights of archers and muzzleloaders.