Having just returned from the endless balmy summer of the Eastern Tropical
Pacific (5-month marine mammal & seabird research cruise), what should I
elect to do but bolt for my uno-ichi-bon number 1 most favored birding
destination in the State of Washington, the Okanogan Highlands, to immerse
myself in the frigid winter-locked highlands in the northeastern corner of
Okanogan County and conduct an 'unofficial' Christmas Bird Count. Coupled
with the rare coincidence of the full moon at perigee and the Winter
Solstice, birding the Highlands was viewed as a symbolic way to say farewell
and experience the last full moon of the millennium. Call it "Moonlight
Madness" ('Tweeters' post a few years ago), or "White-winged Crossbill
Bonanza" ('Tweeters' post in 1997) revisited. "Moonlight Madness" it was,
minus the Great Gray Owl of that extraordinary episode, and "White-winged
Crossbill Bonanza" it certainly was not.

Anticipation was high however for a "Redpoll Bonanza" with high count reports
coming from our neighbors to the north and roaming winter flocks already
established south into NE Oregon. Well, that didn't happen either! In fact
the most revealing avian feature of the highlands was the scarcity of any
birds at all. There were some incredible misses which heretofore and
intermittently over the past 20 years had never been missed -- no crossbills
at all, no siskins, and exponential record lows of the usual most common and
widespread suspects, namely Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches.
Grim silence everywhere! The 'winter finch' count netted only one lousy
redpoll and two Pine Grosbeaks and dipped on everything else!

An additional 10-15 or so species that are seldom missed in a typical winter
day effort were also conspicuous in their absence. Counts for nearly all
forest bird species were at record lows. All in all, the net results were
disappointing if not down right abysmal. The only real bright moment was a
late afternoon Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker (a first) obligingly
conspicuous chipping away on a dead snag along Oroville-Toroda Creek Road
along Beaver Creek southeast of Chesaw, and a scattering of 5 Pygmy Owls seen
when I normally consider myself lucky to *see* just one, were unusually
conspicuous, maybe "desperate". All owls were seen, none heard!

So what's going on up there this winter? A lousy cone crop for one. All of
the big three (Douglas Fir, Spruce, Ponderosa Pine) have little or nothing to
offer. Even the usually extensive catkin-laden stands of water birch along
Myers Creek (Chesaw valley) and elsewhere appear distressingly sparse and
spotty. When worst comes to worst, I can always count on Red Crossbills and
plenty of the other forest birds along Pontiac Ridge Road southeast of
Chesaw. Zero! I neither saw nor heard a single bird along that entire 6
mile stretch of road! Although none were seen this time, for sure there will
be a sudden invasion of Bohemian Waxwings one day soon in Chesaw -- the row
of crab apples where I've seen hordes in winters past near one residence
remains loaded and intact and just awaiting the waxwing's sudden arrival any
day now.

So, if the birding was disappointing, the highlands were nonetheless lovely
as always. Situated above the current long term sustained low cloud and fog
shrouded lowlands and Columbia Basin, the skies were crisp and clear yielding
to a brilliant winter landscape both by sun-drenched day and silvery
moon-drenched night. In fact, a full all night assault for owls by moonlight
starting at midnight was magical. So bright that moon, I drove the 58-mile
back-country road loop in search of owls almost entirely without headlights
and could easily scan the tree tops and fence lines most effectively with the
light gathering power of the Leica 10X42 bins. Never mind the fact that I
never once even heard an owl, and the net result of that 6 hour effort was
one Great Horned seen atop a snag silhouetted against the moon. Had I been
burning the headlights, I probably wouldn't have even seen that one.

The count: December 22, 1999, 0000-1700hrs. Elevation 2,500-4,000 feet
(mean: 3,500 ft) Temp. 15-26F, wind NNE 0-4 mph, snow cover patchy-2 to 6
inches (old, none new), still water 90% frozen, moving water 90% open. Six
hours of predawn owling crystal clear in all areas, Daylight birding clear
with isolated areas of ground hugging freezing fog local in some valleys
including lower Myers's Creek (Chesaw). Observers: 1. Owling: 6 hours, 58
miles; non-owling: 10 hours, 92 miles (2 on foot, 90 by car with countless
birdless stops).

Green-winged Teal (4) --Beaver Creek
Mallard (49)
Common Goldeneye (2)
Rough-legged Hawk (7) --6 light, 1 dark
Common Snipe (3) --Beaver Creek
Rock Dove (30)
Great Horned Owl (1)
Pygmy Owl (5)
Belted Kingfisher (1)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Pileated Woodpecker (1)
Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker (1) --Beaver Creek
Gray Jay (9)
Steller's Jay (2)
Black-billed Magpie (7)
Northern Raven (26)
Black-capped Chickadee (21)
Mountain Chickadee (14) --a horrible low!
Red-breasted Nuthatch (3) --ditto!
Golden-crowned Kinglet (6)
Northern Shrike (2)
Song Sparrow (2)
House Finch (1)
Redpoll sp. (1)
Pine Grosbeak (2) --Molson Summit Road
House Sparrow (43)

Total Species = 26 (record low) -- Expectations: 38-42 on an average day to
50+ on a good day is normal for a one-person/party winter's day effort
Total Individuals = 245 (an appalling record low)

Species seen near but outside count circle: Red-tailed Hawk (1), American
Kestrel (1), Bohemian Waxwing (125).

What's the 'dead of winter' outlook, say 4-6 weeks from now? Hmmmm....
Well, don't expect any crossbills. It might be a good time for a redpoll
search though if you've got a lot of fortitude and patience. Snow Buntings
and Rosy Finches perhaps, and who knows, maybe that elusive Northern Hawk Owl
will show up too.

Richard Rowlett (Pterodroma at aol.com)
Seattle / Bellevue, WA