After risking our lives driving in dense fog on partially washed-out
forest roads to get to the hike-in point, Scott Richardson and I (with
able assistance from Bob Roswell and SCA volunteer Chet from the Hood
Canal R.D.) ran a Partners In Flight/USFS neotrop bird route on the South
Fork of the Skok (about 8 miles W of Lake Cushman on the DeLorme).

Not a terribly bird-diverse morning, but no rain, so no complaints.

I don't have Scott's summary - he counted 6 (8?) points.

I had 12 points. Counts were for 8 minutes at each point in the old-growth
hemlock, red cedar, silver fir, and Doug fir. All native plants, lots of
the forest flowers in bloom. Banana slugs. Even some sunshine after the
fog burned off.

Varied Thrush 23
Winter Wren 23
Golden-crowned Kinglet 14
Brown Creeper 3
Swainson's Thrush 9 (Heard lots in between points)
Pacific-slope Flycather 18
Western Tanager 2 (Only!?)
Hairy Woodpecker 4 (Plus one female 10 seconds after the count
period)
Chestnut-backed Chick. 5 (Quiet for these at the points)
Red Crossbill 2 Flying over
Hermit Thrush 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Vaux' Swift 1 (Vocalized while flying over)
Hermit/Townsend's/Black-throated Gray Warbler - 1 calling at a point - I
never could figure out which of these was making the zeedle-zeedle etc call.

Rufous Hummers were seen, again, moments after the 8-minute count period
were over at 2 sites.

We got to the points a hair late, and it wasn't foggy enough to get
Marbled Murrelet. I didn't hear Band-tailed Pigeon or Blue Grouse at the
points. But we did see 4 Blue Grouse hens with broods on the walk/drive
out of the woods. It always amazes me when those little precocious
chicks can fly up into the low branches of a tree with mama...

Heard several Gray Jays above the trail between two stations. Robins
down along the 'riparian' zone, as well as many 'uncountable' Swainson's
Thrushes, and a few Hermit/Townsend's/?. I missed any vireos. All in all a
wonderful way to spend a morning (now back to the 'real' job).

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov