Birding Trail: Swifts and swallows pirouette at Dry Falls

Dry Falls Overlook, Site 36 from "Coulee Corridor" route of Audubon Washington's Great Washington State Birding Trail

Location: Off Highway 17 overlooking Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, southwest of Coulee City, Grant County.

Habitat: State park overlook to stunning 400-foot cliffs rising from marsh-ringed lakes surrounded by shrub-steppe.

Best seasons for birding: Good year-round.

Birds commonly seen: The place to learn the difference between swifts and swallows. From this elevated perspective, look down on or straight across at aerial ballet performed by white-throated swifts, and violet-green and barn swallows. During winter, check utility lines for northern shrikes and juniper trees for Townsend's solitaires.

Viewing tip: Dry Falls is a geological wonder of North America: During ice-age floods from glacial Lake Missoula, a waterfall 10 times the size of present-day Niagara Falls flowed over these cliffs.

Getting there: From Interstate 90 at Moses Lake, take Highway 17 north about 43 miles. At Milepost 94.5, just past the entrance to Sun Lakes State Park, turn east into overlook parking lot.

Source: Audubon Washington, Great Washington State Birding Trail maps. See maps online (or order hard copies, $4.95 apiece), at wa.audubon.org.