Vantage to Pomona FEIS Index 34 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment PAGE 3-87 Project study area, several peregrine falcon nests have been documented on cliffs along the west side of the Columbia River. Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) breed in arctic tundra. Within Washington, they winter in open habitats in very low numbers. While gyrfalcons are rare within Washington, they winter in small numbers every year; Audubon Society Christmas Bird Counts documented them in Washington every year from 1990 to 2011 (Audubon Society 2014). The Project study area is considered to be within gyrfalcon winter range by the Seattle Audubon Society (BirdWeb 2013). Upland Game Birds Chukars (Alectoris chukar) are found in steep, rocky shrub-steppe habitats with perennial and annual grasses and forbs (Larsen et al. 2004). The Project study area is within the primary management zone for chukar and they are documented to occur within the Project study area. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) are associated with prairie grasslands and sagebrush grasslands with an understory of perennial bunchgrasses and forbs (Paige and Ritter 1999). The sharp-tailed grouse decline in Washington is primarily a result of loss and degradation of habitat. The Project study area is within the historical range of the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, but they are now known from only four counties in northeastern Washington (Stinson and Schroeder 2010). Potential suitable habitat exists in the Project study area, but it is unlikely that Columbian sharp-tailed grouse are present. Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) inhabit edges of open fields. Within Washington, they are often found in wet areas and rarely found in dry areas—prime habitat in Washington is cattail and willow patches near irrigated farmlands (BirdWeb 2013). The Project study area is within the known range of the ring-necked pheasant, and suitable habitat occurs in agricultural pockets within the Project study area. They have been documented on the JBLM YTC and near the Vantage Substation, just outside the Project study area. Mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus) are known to occur in three separate populations within Washington; the nearest is about 45 miles south of the Project study area, in Klickitat County (BirdWeb 2008). They inhabit dense thickets with scattered open areas on slopes; suitable habitat does not occur within the Project study area. Waterfowl, Shorebirds, and Other Water-birds American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) nest on isolated islands on lakes and rivers, and forage in shallow lakes and rivers. Non-breeding pelicans occur within the Project study area on the Columbia and Yakima Rivers (BirdWeb 2013). POWER biologists observed them within the Project study area on the Columbia River. Great blue herons (Ardea herodias) use a wide variety of wet habitats, including lakes, streams, canals, and moist meadows. They nest colonially, usually in mature riparian forests. Within the Project study area, suitable habitat exists along rivers, streams, and irrigated agricultural areas near canals (BirdWeb 2013). Black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) breed in wetlands along the Columbia River. In the Project study area, they have been documented in several locations on Priest Rapids Lake (BirdWeb 2013). Both species nest colonially on Goose Island above Priest Rapids Dam (WDFW 2015a). During the breeding season, Clark’s grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) and western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) nest in freshwater wetlands with a mix of open water and emergent vegetation (BirdWeb