Subject: Wallowa Mts. backpack
Date: Jul 6 08:17:27 1999
From: Charles Swift - charless at umich.edu


INlanders, Tweeters:

Spent the long 4th weekend in the Wallowas backpacking in the N. Fork
Catherine Ck. drainage. In addition to having some fun we hoped to add some
new birds for the Oregon Breeding Bird Atlas for that area. We did add
about a dozen species and upgraded another dozen or so to probable or
confirmed breeders. We had hoped to get up above treeline and search for
pipits and rosy-finches but were stymied by snow above ~6000' (still 5' of
more in places) and we actually had a good snow shower on Sunday afternoon
while day hiking above our camp. We camped at Catherine Meadows at about
5500' and had a hard frost Sunday evening.

Around our camp we had Lincoln's Sparrows (seemed to like the patches of
Corn Lilly), Cassin's Finches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Varied Thrush,
Spotted Sandpipers, and were awoken every morning by a persistent
Olive-sided Flycatcher. Above 6000' the bird activity declined markedly but
we had scattered Varied and Hermit Thrushes, DE Juncos, and Yellow-rumped
Warblers (and our only RC Kinglet). At Catherine Ck State park and lower
elevations we had Veeries, Red-naped Sapsuckers, a Townsend's Solitaire, a
pair of Dippers on a nest under a bridge and other odds and ends. Saturday
and Monday were good butterfly days but we didn't see a single one on
Sunday as it was cool and cloudy/rainy/snowy all day (high was maybe 50!).
Sunday evening a cow Elk came close to our camp as it fed and Monday we saw
several Pikas on the way down.

On our way home Monday afternoon, we saw an American Bittern at the marsh
at the old Hot Lakes resort east of La Grande, OR.

Charles.