>Trip Report: Okanogan Co., Washington, (28-29Feb - 02Mar96) ---
>
>Highlights from the Okanogan Highlands [Moses Meadow - Aenas Valley (brief),
>Cape Labelle Creek (2600-3600ft) - Wauconda - Toroda & Beaver Creeks - Chesaw
>- Molson - Havillah]; Details by the end of the week when I can get it all
>together.
>
>Okanogan Highlands: 28-29 Feb, 01-02 March (car-camping Moses Meadows,
>Wauconda, & Highland Sno-Park). Weather: CLEAR, calm, temp. -15F (Moses
>Meadows - brrrr!!!); balmy +10F - 25-30F elsewhere; snow cover 12-24", bare
>patches in sunny open areas; 'primitive' roads mostly snow packed, often
>icy, becoming mud & boggy in a few exposed spots. Nighttime & pre-dawn owl
>prowls, several hours each on foot at Moses Meadows, Wauconda, Beaver Creek,
>Lost Lake, and Highland Sno-Park; moon 2/3 to 5/6 full (pm), none (pre-dawn).
> Sleep? Little!! Food? Junk!!
>
>Okanogan Highlands (2,500 - 4,400 feet) only: 50 species.
>I keep a running tally sheet, thus totals shown are accurate & not estimates.
>* -- first spring arrivals (i.e., non-existent in deep winter)
>** -- highlights
>*** -- major high points & story to be posted later
>**** -- ditto above & trip bird (experience!)
>
>mallard -- 17
>common goldeneye -- 4
>Cooper's hawk -- 1
>red-tailed hawk -- 9
>rough-legged hawk -- 1
>ruffed grouse -- 2
>sharp tailed grouse -- 1*** (STGR WMA, near Chesaw)
>common snipe -- 4* (Beaver Creek, Oroville-Toroda Creek Rd)
>great horned owl -- 17
>northern pygmy owl -- 4
>barred owl -- 6
>great gray owl -- 1**** (Highland Sno-Park)
>saw-whet owl -- 0** (ZERO! -- Why?! -- common late January 1994)
>belted kingfisher -- 2
>downy woodpecker -- 7
>hairy woodpecker -- 8
>white-headed woodpecker -- 2** (Cape Labelle Rd only)
>northern (r-s) flicker -- 8
>pileated woodpecker -- 5
> woodpecker sp -- 21
>horned lark -- 2*
>gray jay -- 2
>Steller's jay -- 10
>Clark's nutcracker -- 11
>black-billed magpie -- 14
>American crow -- 2
>common raven -- 31
>black-capped chickadee -- 56 (riparian/deciduous brush)
>mountain chickadee -- 417 (evergreen forests everywhere)
>red-breasted nuthatch -- 164 (1:3 ratio, RBNU:MOCH seems to be norm)
>white-breasted nuthatch -- 7 (Cape Labelle Rd only)
>pygmy nuthatch -- 36* (arrivals/resident? -- Cape Labelle Rd only)
Richard, I suspect the Pygmy Nuts are resident anywhere in the ponderosa
pine zone, especially along its lower, more open fringes in the Okanogan
region. I believe they don't normally "migrate" but may be somewhat nomadic,
especially if ponderosa pine seed crops fail. This thought needs testinh,
however. Great trip list, makes me want to head out to the Okanogan!
Andy Stepniewski

>American dipper -- 3** ("singing" along Beaver Creek)
>golden-crowned kinglet -- 2*
>western bluebird -- 2* (Havillah)
>mountain bluebird -- 1* (Wauconda)
>Townsend's solitare -- 1
>American robin -- 2* (Oroville-Toroda Creek Rd)
>Bohemian waxwing -- 52** (Wauconda)
>northern shrike -- 1
>European starling -- 42
>song sparrow -- 2* (Oroville-Toroda Creek Rd)
>dark-eyed junco -- 79* (scattered throughout, esp. Cape Labelle Rd)
>Lapland longspur -- 3** (feed lot with RWBB's, not with SNBU)
>snow bunting -- 435** (Wauconda & Havillah)
>
>red-winged blackbird -- 510* (grouping about still frozen cattail marshes,
>but most not yet territorial, one even at Molson where I've never seen a bird
>in my life before, and this time, the *only* bird there! A *definite* sign
>of Spring if there ever was one!!)
>
>Cassin's finch -- 53* (Cape Labelle Rd only)
>red crossbill -- 438 (everywhere/anywhere in Douglas Fir)
>white-winged crossbill -- 65** (spruce ONLY -- several small flocks)
>common redpoll -- 61** (several small flocks, Chesaw - near Molson)
>pine siskin -- 336* (little groups everywhere and noisy!)
>house sparrow -- 2
>
>Moose -- 2*** (Wauconda & Lost Lake!!!)
>
>{{{A likely northern hawk owl well described by a local at Wauconda, in open
>country, perching on utility poles and tree snags along rt.20, ~3 weeks ago
>-- ho hum -- bummer! Everyone knows great-horned, and several mentioned
>seeing the "big" (great) gray ones out in the open occasionally}}}
>
>
>Richard Rowlett <pagodroma at aol.com>
>Bellevue, WA, USA
>
>