I spent about 4 days in Okanogan last weekend visiting the
Thunder Mountain burn on FSRD 39, and a few other places.
At the burn (mile marker 21 through 26 on FSRD 39) I saw
2 THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS, 1 BLACK_BACKED WOODPECKER (and
evidence of many more, I only spent a couple of hours
walking the burn). Also present was a GROUSE nest with
incubating female. I did not succesfully ID the grouse as the field
guides I used were not deterministic. Here is my description: Any takers ?
About 12 in. from beak to tail tip, Grayish-brown mottled on back
and breast with yellowish mixed in around the breast and rump,
cream terminal tail band on a darkish tail (also other bits
of white on the tail and/or upper tail coverts). Some white
under the chin and a blackish diffuse band about
1 or 2 cm below the chin. Sitting on a nest on the ground
at the base of a conifer in the burn about 1 or 2 meters from
the burn edge (edge with live coniferous forest) at about
5 and a half thousand feet.

Also present in the meadow at mi 21 were LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and
GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. At the Salmon meadows on Rd 3280
there were three BREWER'S SPARROWS, lots of LAZULI BUNTINGS, etc.

The Mt. Anne Rd. produced no Great Gray Owl, but I was rewarded with
a NORHERN GOSHAWK, 2 BLACK_BACKED WOODPECKERS, 2 CASSIN'S FINCH,
and the not-too-distant 'lowing' of either a LONG-EARED OWL or a COW !

The Moses Meadow Rd. which connects the Aeneas Valley Rd and SR 155
traverses some nice Ponderosa country where I found plenty of
DUSKY FLYCATCHERS and a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER nest.

Neil J. Fergusson ******************
1405 1/2 NE 56th St. * Baffins *
Seattle, WA 98105 * or *
(206) 517-5466 * bust *
cccc at u.washington.edu ******************