Tweeters:

While XC skiing with my kids in Mazama over New Year's, I took the
opportunity to tae the day off from trying to keep up with my
twentysomethings. I drove to the Okonogan highlands on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Thank you, Richard Rowlett, for your interesting trip report which gave
me the inspiration to make the 200 mile round trip. I arrived around
noon and it was already starting to get dark! There were winter storm
warnings on the radio so I did not stay much past 4pm.

Near the intersection of the Tonasket-Havillah Rd. and Siwash Creek Rd.
(DeLorme p.115, C5.5) I stopped to scope a Kestrel which was on a wire.
Since I was parked *mostly* off the road, and there was little traffic,
I decided to scope the area for whatever else I could find. Yowzer!!
Even at approx. a mile away that was a *huge* bird sitting on a rock on
the far hill to the southwest. Got to be an eagle, methinks, nothing
else is that big. When it flew I got a good look at the wing windows
and white base of tail, also with the head and tail proportions I
clearly identified it as a juvenile Golden. It made my day along with
some lifer Pine Grosbeaks at the Highland Snow Park.

To scan the area where I saw the eagle, go past (heading n.e.) the
junction of the roads mentioned above and look back toward the s.w. I
thought I would try to get a closer look at the bird by backtracking to
the junction, but I was too close to the hill and could only see up and
not out, and did not see the eagle from there. Traveling a mile or so
up the Siwash Creek Road also proved fruitless.

Other birds of note were a flock of 35 American Goldfinches, which
surprised me. I didn't expect to see them in that cold, snowy country!
I also saw the flock of ~220 Snow Buntings mentioned in an earlier post
on the Tonasket-Havillah Road. There were 2 Rough-legged Hawks, 3
Red-tailed Hawks, above mentioned Kestrel and so many Northern Harriers
I quit counting and tried to concentrate on getting back to Mazama
before the snow started.

Richard, I also followed in your footsteps last spring on your Blue
Mountain trip. Where are we going next?

Nancy
Bellingham, WA
ntaylor at pacificrim.net