WILDLIFE WATCHING -- With lakes losing their ice caps and rain saturating the region's wetlands, this is prime time to view the waterfowl migration throughout the region. Reports are coming in of big congregations of tundra swans, ducks as well as sandhill cranes and other species.

Also note that great blue herons congregate this time of year along they Pend Oreille River before dispersing to nesting areas.  They often can be seen perched by the dozens on the pilings off the Usk Bridge.  By summer, there will be cormorants on most of those pilings.

Here's the birding field report for last weekend from Auduboners out of Newport, Wash.

Calispell Lake is still mostly frozen, but has many small areas that have melted off and these all are heavy with Tundra swans, probably a couple thousand at this time.  The swans were walking through 2-3 inches of slush on the ice yesterday. So the lake will probably be much more open by next week-end.  Lots of other waterfowl, also.