----------
> From: PAGODROMA <PAGODROMA at aol.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Cc: woody at methow.com
> Subject: WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS bonanza!!!
> Date: Monday, December 29, 1997 1:08 PM
>
> My, it feels like balmy Miami around here (Seattle) this morning! I've
just
> returned from CBC's up in the Okanogan -- 'Twisp' on Saturday (12/27) and
my
> own party of 'one' and *unofficial* 'Okanogan Highlands' on Sunday
(12/28).
>
> The *Okanogan Highlands* Top Six:
> WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL --- 315 (!!)
> Red Crossbill --------------------------- 262
> Common Redpoll ---------------------- 228
> Pine Siskin ------------------------------ 140
> Mountain Chickadee ----------------- 132
> Bohemian Waxwing ------------------ 50
>
> Other honorable mentions: Green-winged Teal (12), Sharp-tailed Grouse,
Great
> Gray Owl, Saw-whet Owl, Song Sparrow, Snow Bunting, and Pine Grosbeak.
>
> So, you Washington bird chasers; if ever you want to see WHITE-WINGED
> CROSSBILLS, now is the time and here's the place to go and it's easy!
DeLorme
> p115, T38N, R29E, NW corner Sect.22. Heading northeast from Tonasket,
take
> the Tonasket-Havillah road and follow the signs to the Sitzmark Ski Area.
1/4
> mile north of the ski area and at the intersection with Hungry Hollow
Road
> (turning east) is a large isolated forest of heavily cone-bearing spruce.
The
> White-winged Crossbills were all over the place in here and easily
detectable
> and visible by just walking along the two roads. Along here alone, my
best
> count-estimate was 225 (low 180, high 300+). Lots of beautiful gorgeous
adult
> males.
>
> Alternatively, if you have a retractable sun (bird?) roof in your car,
you can
> just sit there and bird in 'real style', making little pishing noises
> interspersed with pygmy owl toots, and have the crossbills drop out of
the
> trees to hover overhead at arms reach like colorful ornaments just
waiting to
> be plucked out of the sky! Deja vu! Indeed! This White-winged
Crossbill
> scenario happened to me once before a couple of years ago in this exact
same
> spot! I wouldn't even consider birding up there, even at -20F without
the
> sunroof and side windows open at all times!
>
> The call notes are quite distinctive from the much more widespread and
> ubiquitous Red Crossbill, found everywhere in the Okanogan Highlands.
When a
> flock of 100 or so are flying around moving from tree to tree, enmass
they
> sound exactly like the soft electrical crackling one might hear when
standing
> under a high voltage power line. Another tip: Don't waste your time
looking
> for White-winged Crossbills in Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pines. Those
mostly
> little groups are virtually ALL Red Crossbills. White-winged's prefer
spruce,
> and in the Highlands, especially it seems, those smaller isolated patches
> scattered around the mostly open and sweeping rangeland hills. I found
White-
> winged Crossbills on Sunday's outing in nearly every one of those small
> parcels of spruce. Is this an eruption or what?! This was more
White-winged
> Crossbills outside Alaska than the sum total I've seen in my entire life!
>
> If you have never seen Red Crossbill up close and personal, there is no
excuse
> for not doing so in the Okanogan Highlands. If you still can't get a
> satisfying bead on them, then just give up and try stamp collecting '-)
Red
> Crossbills are everywhere and one of the most ubiquitous trademark
species
> (along with Mountain Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch) of the whole
area!
> If you are driving snow-covered roads, watch for a fall of fresh Douglas
Fir
> cones in the road. There will be Red Crossbills right over your head,
quietly
> and not so quietly snipping the cones off and dropping them to the
ground. A
> lot of the Red Crossbills were in full song now, giving a call of
something
> familiar from back east -- like a Carolina Wren or something similar.
>
> I have only posted directions to the most readily accessible and easiest,
and
> I'd like to think for now, 'guaranteed' White-winged Crossbill spot. I'm
not
> mentioning some of the others as most are accessible on mostly unplowed
and
> untracked 'primitive' roads. At least this was the case all day Sunday
with
> only the mainlines, Tonasket-Chesaw, Oroville-Chesaw, and Oroville-Toroda
> Creek southeast out of Chesaw plowed of the fresh 4" powder which fell
> overnight, and those only by around mid-day. Unless you are adequately
> prepared to drive those snow covered roads, have the proper vehicle and
self
> confidence to do so, and familiar with some of those 'primitive' areas,
it
> might be advisable to just stick to the main roads which are often icy
and
> snow covered or snow packed enough and a bit treacherous. At least if
you get
> in trouble, there will likely soon be a local coming along offering to
assist.
> I'd suggest and advise NOT doing what I do all too often and just
stopping and
> jumping out of the car in the middle of the road, a nasty and dangerous
habit
> I'm trying to overcome. If you are parked along any of the roads up in
this
> nosey neighborly remote country, nearly everyone stops anyway to see if
you
> need help or just inquire what you are doing.
>
> Some of the other species that you might be interested in looking for:
>
> COMMON REDPOLL -- Numerous flocks scattered here and there and at least
twice,
> mixed with the White-winged Crossbills feeding on the spruce cones.
However,
> best bets are in areas of catkin laden alders which grow extensively
along the
> Meyer's Creek valley and through the middle of Chesaw, up the Mary Ann
Creek
> Road, W & NW of Chesaw, and any other areas where you come across them
alder
> thickets. In Chesaw, I found one flock of 50 Common Redpolls feeding in
the
> alders right along the north side of the road in the center of 'town'
where
> Meyer's Creek crosses the road (there is also an active feeder there),
and a
> flock of 50 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS right across the street. I carefully
> scrutinized every redpoll I encountered for something a little more
robustish,
> paler, frosty, and 'stub-nosed' but found nothing even remotely
suggesting
> anything other than Commons. Still, as a matter of course, ALL redpolls
> should always be carefully examined for that one 'odd' Hoary which
probably
> has a better chance of showing up in Washington in Chesaw than perhaps
any
> other location in the state.
>
> PINE GROSBEAK -- In the 'Great Gray Owl woods', Highland Snow Park, 1
mile SE
> of Havillah. Just a by chance sighting and probably a longshot to
refind.
> They (it) could be anywhere. I started at first light there for owls.
> However, the place was totally stone dead silent and shrouded in a dense
pall
> of freezing fog. Not a peep. Then, low and behold, the very first bird
of
> the day started to *sing* -- turned out to be a beautiful male Pine
Grosbeak.
> I hadn't heard one for so long but knew it was something that had to be
> 'good', completely different and unfamiliar as I'd forgotten what they
sounded
> like and had to chase it down. I only saw one; there could have been
more but
> it was so foggy, one was the best I could do. The next three birds in
order
> were Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll, and White-winged Crossbill. Those
were the
> first four species in a row within the first 30 minutes; what an
auspicious
> start!! :-))
>
> GREAT GRAY OWL -- returned to the Havillah / Highland Snow Park area in
time
> for a fog-free gorgeous dusk. The Great Gray Owl for once was sitting
right
> out in the open and obvious along the side of the entrance road, 1/4 mile
off
> the main Tonasket-Havillah Road. Way too easy! This is in the first
large
> meadowy area *before* coming to the first strip of trees which separate
the
> west meadow from the interior meadow a mile or so further east -- the one
with
> the house and barn. It was much more owly back in here at dusk and at
the end
> of the day than it was at the start. Several Great Horned were heard as
was a
> SAW-WHET, tooting relentlessly and heard from the snow park parking lot
about
> 2 miles along at the end of the wheeled access drive. I didn't have to
> 'molest' any owls to get them started. They contributed to the count
strictly
> on their own.
>
> SHARP-TAILED GROUSE -- single bird at the Sharp-tailed Grouse WMA, 2
miles
> west and 1-1/2 miles north along Mary Ann Creek Road. Riparian areas on
the
> west side is often best and I have still never had to even get out of the
car
> to see this bird here. Good REDPOLL habitat along here too.
>
> If you are up roaming around the Okanogan Highlands, keep this thought
and
> image foremost at ALL times; HAWK OWL!! There has to be a Northern Hawk
Owl
> or two up here!! I hear tantalizing reports form locals from time to
time and
> I've spent countless hours scanning every raptor and every tree top,
snag,
> rockpile, woodpile, roof top, and fence post, in this endlessly forest
and
> tree dappled sweeping and rolling range land. Still no luck, but one
day, 'my
> ship WILL come in'. I intend to see one HERE before I go running off to
chase
> one anywhere else! Likewise, Great Gray's could be in a million
different and
> all good looking spots. Wintering Boreals I believe are likely here as
well,
> especially in the spruce groves but will just require a lot of night
work, a
> hard thing to do after an intensive day of birding, then facing an often
> brutally long and cold night a long way from the warmth of a motel room
in
> Tonasket or Oroville. The White-winged Crossbill grove looks as good as
any.
>
> I've got to seriously organize the "Okanogan Highlands" CBC and make it
> official; recruit all the power birders from around the state plus
everyone
> else who might enjoy the never disappointing serene beauty up there and a
good
> romp in the snow. As it was this time, it was a mad dash just to get to
and
> superficially cover only 1/3 of all the high spots within a proposed
count
> circle which I drew up a few years ago. Due to the vast network of roads
and
> 100% of the circle contains a 'good' route -- there are NO bad birding
routes
> in this count circle -- I planned it this way! :-)) There is something
here
> for everyone, except maybe a pelagic trip, if you like to walk or hike,
cross-
> country ski, snow mobile, or do it by car. Whatever the method, none can
go
> wrong.
>
> I recorded ONLY 33 species (missed a lot of 'easy' ones), 1,323
individuals.
> I blew off a sapsucker (left unid. and a good bird) that flew by while I
was
> distracted and wasting 20 precious minutes trying to turn a distant lump
on
> the top of lone Douglas Fir into a Northern Hawk Owl. It turned into a
much
> further away Rough-legged Hawk than I thought thus the smallish
appearance.
> "F***!!" A typical 3-4 day winter expedition it takes to scout the
circle
> properly and thoroughly should tally 50 5 or so. Don't expect to
piddle
> around much with count padding species like waterfowl. If any at all,
there
> won't be many. Myer's Creek through Chesaw, I like to think, is the
clear
> gateway to Washington for wintering Canadian arboreal birds. The count
circle
> in the Highlands can at times be owl heaven. Always the eternal
optimist, I
> firmly believe at least for now that all three of Washington's most
sought
> after owl species (Northern Hawk, Great Gray, and Boreal) are accessible
and
> could be located here with some serious focused effort on a Christmas
Bird
> Count.
>
> --------------------
>
> Results of the **unofficial** 1997 Okanogan Highlands CBC, Washington
> Party of one (me), Total party miles/hours: car (84 / 8), foot (1 / 2.2)
> Hours: 0700-1712hrs (10.2hrs)
> Percent of count circle covered: ~30% (lots of holes!!)
> Weather: Snow overnight, ending by first light. Mostly overcast, areas of
> freezing fog (early am & late pm), partly sunny late afternoon, wind
mostly
> calm.
> air temperature: 14-28F.
> snow cover: 4" fresh powder overnight (2" at Havillah) on top of little
or no
> base.
> open water: lakes = 95% frozen; trickling streams = 80% open.
>
> Total species = 33 (lots of common 'misses')
> Total individuals = 1,323 (72% winter finches; 44% were crossbills)
>
> Mallard (42)
> Green-winged Teal (12) -- good Highlands winter record I think
> Bald Eagle (1) -- immature
> Northern Harrier (1)
> Red-tailed Hawk (4)
> Rough-legged Hawk (7) -- 6 light, 1 dark
> California Quail (6)
> Sharp-tailed Grouse (1) -- see reference above
> Rock Dove (1)
> Great Horned Owl (3)
> Great Gray Owl (1) -- see reference above
> Saw-whet Owl (1) -- see reference above
> Belted Kingfisher (1) -- heard only, sex unknown
> Downy Woodpecker (2)
> Hairy Woodpecker (7)
> woodpecker sp.? (2)
> sapsucker sp.? (1)
> Clark's Nutcracker (1)
> Black-billed Magpie (7)
> Common Raven (33)
> Black-capped Chickadee (10)
> Mountain Chickadee (132)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch (48)
> Golden-crowned Kinglet (1)
> Bohemian Waxwing (50) -- see reference above
> Song Sparrow (1)
> Snow Bunting (1) -- in dense freezing fog, maybe more?
> Pine Grosbeak (1) -- in dense freezing fog, maybe more?
> Red Crossbill (262)
> White-winged Crossbill (315) !!!! -- see notes above!
> Common Redpoll (228) -- see notes above
> Pine Siskin (140)
>
> Richard Rowlett (Pagodroma at aol.com)
> 47.56N, 122.13W
> (Seattle/Bellevue, WA USA)