Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• Birds soon to be looking for cavity nesting sites

  March 4, 2012 in Outdoors on Page C14 The past week of snow and frigid weather has been but a minor setback. Bird migrations will be getting into full swing through the Inland Northwest this month as sure …

• Weather could cause nesting delays

  July 31, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C9 A resident of Silver Lake emailed a concern this month that he’d seen no nesting red-necked grebes around the lake. He wondered if motor boat traffic was foiling the waterfowl’s … 2

• Late springs prove fatal for swans

  May 29, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C12 We’d like to think we live in a relatively pristine area without need for environmental regulations or Superfund help. But 150 or so tundra swans a year tell us something …

• High-tech birders may be foes of feathered friends

  May 22, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C9 Growing use of smartphone applications, field access to the Internet and recordings to flush out bird species for better viewing and photography could be impacting the survival of some birds. …

• Rescuer’s act of kindness expands to save barn owls

  May 1, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C10 On any given day in the spring, a shed surrounded by rolling vineyards on the fringe of Kennewick holds about 20 young barn owls. They’re confined until they grow big …

• Tsunami one more disaster for albatross

  March 27, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C14 The albatross has had more ups and downs with Japan’s seismic events than the courtship flight of a snipe. While the world focuses on Japan’s March 11 earthquake disaster, a …

• Owls have a hoot making winter babies

  February 27, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C12 Several of the 11 owl species that inhabit most parts of Idaho and the region are already well into their courtship and production of a new generation, according to Jim …

• Some male critters feeling light-headed

  February 6, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C14 It’s the shedding season for the area’s deer, elk and moose. Even the biggest bucks and bulls have been getting rid of their head-gear and looking a lot like the …

• Bird watchers ask, field guides deliver

  August 1, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C12 Kris Buchler, who was teaching a beginner bird-watching class for Coeur d’Alene Audubon this spring, was tentative when a novice asked her, “What’s the best field guide to birds?” “Everybody …

• Pole spared for birds

  July 25, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C9 Heavy equipment operators could sometimes be accused of being on a power trip when they’re maintaining the huge transmission lines that traverse wildlife habitat in this region. But neighbors say …

• Digging for key to burrowing owl decline

  June 6, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C10 Experts from across the U.S. attending the burrowing owl symposium last month in Umatilla, Ore., may have outnumbered the species’ dwindling population in the Mid-Columbia. Thirty-five wildlife specialists concerned about …

• Biologists raise owls by the barrel

  June 6, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C9 Artificial burrows might help turn the tide on declining burrowing owl numbers in Washington Volunteers are helping state and federal biologists encourage more of the owls to nest by expanding …

• Leggy killdeer somehow survive in high-traffic areas

  May 16, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C12 In a natural area, killdeer lay their eggs in a slight depression of gravel, perhaps near a stream. But these prairie-loving shorebirds are remarkably adaptable to rearing young among the …

• Eagles fall in love, flirt with disaster

  April 18, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C10 The term “falling in love” is especially appropriate for breeding bald eagles. Although most pairs in this region are nesting by now, their passions were revved up during late winter …

• Albino skunk stirs memories

  March 28, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C12 The 1953 archive photo of a white skunk published with a Critter Watch column on March 14 hit home with local reader Priscilla Brash Martin. “What a surprise to see …

• Wildlife lovers use ears, eyes

  March 14, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C14 The first wildlife signs of spring aren’t just sights for winter-sore eyes. They’re comforting to the ears, too. Tina Wynecoop, who lives just north of Spokane, has been reveling in …

• Swans, herons flock to region

  March 13, 2010 in Outdoors Migrating tundra swans are flocking by the thousands to the Colville and Pend Oreille River valleys.

• Winter wildlife in a family way

  February 28, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C12 January and February might seem to put a chill on love in the great outdoors, but winter clearly arouses interest among some critters. Great horned owls have been having a …

• Swan brings brood back to Turnbull, quelling fears he was killed

    January 26, 2010 in City on Page A1 As he has for possibly more than four decades, the trumpeter swan nicknamed Solo returned Monday to the year’s first big patch of ice-free water at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. … 2

• Bald eagle congregation peaking at Lake CdA

  December 13, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C12 Wolf Lodge Bay is alive with bald eagles that have migrated to the northeast corner of Lake Coeur d’Alene to feed on spawned-out and dying kokanee. U.S. Bureau of Land …

• Birds make swift entrance into chimney

  September 20, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C12 Terry Gray spends several late-summer evenings each week fixated on a chimney in downtown Moscow, Idaho. As dusk approaches, he keeps his eyes cast skyward for swirling masses of Vaux’s …

• Trust the real experts in wolf debate

  September 3, 2009 in Outdoors on Page B1 Wolves are running a spectrum of emotions in the thoughts of people across the nation this week. Certainly it’s news to ask a hunter why he wants to kill a … 2

• Cameras track rebounding species

  July 5, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C10 Washington’s wild areas are becoming more diverse and interesting as several furbearing species – wolverine, fisher and sea otter – slowly recover some of their former range. Here are three …

• Learning to live with wildlife provides food for thought

  April 26, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C10 Learning to live with wildlife starts with two basic lessons: •Give them space.

• Spring in the air, and in your hair

  March 29, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C10 Birds, bears, buttercups and ticks – our region’s perennial signs of spring are out and about, along with a lot of people recovering from cabin fever. While fly fishers are …

• Moose on loose can be dangerous

  March 12, 2009 in Outdoors on Page B1 It was a cheerless moment we eventually must expect here in the Near Nature, Near Perfect Spokane River valley. A moose was accidentally killed Tuesday afternoon as state wildlife officials …

• Bird counters unite online

  February 8, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C9 Your home’s picture window is a front-row seat for The Great Backyard Bird Count, which starts Friday and runs through Monday. The 12th annual event, organized by the Cornell Lab …

• Bulls, bucks shed macho image

  February 1, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C12 Moose, elk and deer males are feeling a little light-headed these days. The bucks and bulls are shedding their antlers to make room for new and maybe larger racks by …

• Snow hounds game

  January 11, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C10 Deep snow isn’t the only curse dogging wildlife in the region this week. “Loose dogs are taking a toll on deer,” Wanda Clifford, Inland Northwest Wildlife Council executive director, said …

• Rare white chickadee visiting Valley couple’s yard

  December 26, 2008 in City, Outdoors on Page A1 Weeks before the region’s first snowfall, Frank and June Potter were enjoying a “white” Christmas in the front yard of their Spokane Valley home. Their feeders and heated water dish …

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