Snake River Oxbow Reservoir/Hwy 71
Seasons
Checklists
Location
From Richland, take Hwy 86 NW for 28 miles to the Snake River. Bird the area just north of the junction between Hwy 86 and the BrownleeOxbow Hwy (Hwy 71). This is the tiny town of Copperfield. Then take the Brownlee-Oxbow Hwy south for 10 miles before it crosses into Idaho. Keep in mind the eastern half of the river is in Idaho.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
There are three attractions here: the river, the rocky canyon, and the green seeps that are scattered among the canyons. Birds you might expect to see along this stretch would include Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, Eurasian Wigeon, a dozen other duck species, Chukar, Gray Partridge, Ruffed Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Wild Turkey, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Egret, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Spotted Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, California Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Screech-Owl, Greathorned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Common Nighthawk, Vaux’s and Whitethroated Swift, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Say’s Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Red-eyed Vireo, Horned Lark, swallows, House Wren, Canyon Wren, Rock Wren, Sage Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, migrating warblers, Lazuli Bunting, and Bullock’s Oriole.