----------
> From: Andy Stepniewski <steppie at wolfenet.com>
> To: TWEETERS <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Chelan Ridge hawk watching-September 19
> Date: Sunday, September 19, 1999 11:14 PM
>
> Tweeters,
>
> I spent from 10am to 4 pm on Chelan Ridge (the so-called "Cooper Ridge")
> hawk-watching site located at 5,100' north of the east end of Lake
Chelan.
> Today was the third day in a row with more than 100 individuals spotted.
>
> Although Bud Anderson posted directions to this wonderful spot recently
on
> Tweeters, herewith are more detailed directions, with a few
> clarifications.
>
> >From the junction of Highways 150 and Alternate 97 just east of Chelan,
go
> north on Alternate 97 2.8 miles to Apple Acre Road. Turn left (north) and
> go 3.5 miles and stop by the roadside below impressive cliffs of gneiss
> typical of this part of the Okanogan Highlands. Scan for raptors,
> especially Golden Eagle and listen for Canyon Wrens. On the west side of
> the highway here, peer downslope to the pretty kettle lake, a remnant
from
> the withdrawal of the Okanogan Ice Lobe at the close of the Pleistocene.
> The Ponderosa Pine forest here should be checked for Pygmy Nuthatch.
>
> Continue another 1.2 miles to Antoine Creek Road. Turn left (west) and
> traverse farmlands. In late fall, the last orchard (2.6 miles) and
adjacent
> riparian area might have Pine Grosbeak. Pine Grosbeak have also been
noted
> at scattered sites in the dense riparian vegetation for the next three
> miles up Antoine Creek Road in late fall. The pavement ends another 1.2
> miles up Antoine Creek Road, continue steeply uphill (west) on the main
> gravel road. The Antoine Creek Road becomes Forest Service (FS) Road 8140
> (1.9 miles) and the Okanogan National Forest boundery is reached a little
> farther on (1.9 miles). From here to the ridge crest of Chelan Ridge,
> nearly the entire landscape of young Ponderosa Pine, apparently the
result
> of a huge fire in 1970. Bitterbrush covers many slopes, providing
critical
> winter forage for part of the large Okanogan Mule Deer herd.
>
> Continue winding up and generally west, but with many switchbacks, to
> Chelan Ridge (8.0 miles) at a 'T.' Turn right (north) onto FS 8140. A
small
> area of Lodgepole Pine and Engelmann Spruce forest here apparently
survived
> the recent fires and may provide suitable habitat for Spruce Grouse.
After
> 1.5 miles, park just beyond a cattleguard; the Forest Service has placed
> two portable toilets here. It is about 45 minutes driving time from the
> beginning of the Antoine Creek Road (one hour from Chelan). Find ribbons
on
> the west side of the road here and take the rough trail ( steep, on a
> south-facing sidehill) to the hawk-watching site (about .6 mile) located
on
> a promontory west along the sagebrush-covered slopes of Chelan Ridge. The
> hawk-watching site is a narrow ridge crest with fabulous views in all
> directions - west to the high peaks of the North Cascades, north across
the
> intervening Methow Valley to the Tiffany Mountain area, east to the
> wheatlands of the northern Columbia Basin, and south to a sliver of Lake
> Chelan about 4,000' below. There is room for only about 10 people at the
> summit proper. Level sites for scopes are even more limited. Bring all
> provisions; there is no water anywhere in the area. Sun protection may be
> important. Be prepared for wind and cold. Pleae pack out all garbage.
>
> Favored hawk flight paths apparently change with wind direction and
during
> the course of the day so observers need to determine which quadrants of
the
> landscape and the sky are most productive at the time of yheir visit.
>
> Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks are the species most frequently spotted,
> followed by Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. Lesser numbers of
Osprey,
> Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Swainson's Hawk,
> Broad-winged Hawk (best mid-September, a few sightings each year),
> Rough-legged Hawk (mostly October), Golden Eagle, Merlin, and Peregrine
and
> Prairie Falcon are noted. No doubt some Gyrfalcons would be tallied if
> censusing was conducted into November.
>
> A cooperative research project by the Okanogan National Forest and
> Hawkwatch has documented this as the best known fall hawk-watching site
in
> eastern Washington; preliminary results indicate one-third more hawks
than
> Diamond Head to the south (in the Blewett Pass area).
>
> Today, I noted from the site during a "A Big Sit":
>
> Turkey Vulture - 1, Hawk Watchers Assn. counting these, are they taking
> exception to the 7th ed. AOU checklist placing them with the ibis?!
> Osprey - 1
> Northern Harrier - 5
> Sharp-shinned Hawk - 48+
> Cooper's Hawk - 12
> Northern Goshawk - 3, including one immature that dive-bombed the decoy
> owl!
> Swainson's Hawk - 2
> Red-tailed Hawk - 14+
> Golden Eagle - 9, wow!
> American Kestrel - 5+
> Merlin - 2
> Prairie Falcon - 2
>
> No doubt the official tally for the entire day would reveal more birds
than
> the ones I noted.
>
> Other birds included:
>
> Hairy Woodpecker - 1
> Northern Flicker - 3
> Violet-green Swallow - 25
> Steller's Jay - 1
> Clark's Nutcracker - 10, including one with a distended crop (possibly
> wanting to cache conifer seeds on the hawkwatch site?!)
> Black-billed Magpie - 1, likely a post-breeding dispersal from Okanogan
or
> Methow Valleys
> Common Raven - 25+
> Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
> Winter Wren - 1
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
> Mountain Bluebird - 15+
> Townsend's Solitaire - 5
> American Robin - 1
> American Pipit - 10, heard overhead
> Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
> Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler - 40+
> Spotted Towhee - 2
> White-crowned Sparrow - 50
> Dark-eyed Junco - 40
> Lapland Longspur - 3, heard overhead
> Cassin's Finch - 5
> Pine Siskin - 10
>
> No doubt I and the others present on Chelan Ridge today had a very good
> day, but doubtless there are many other exceptional hawk-watching days
each
> fall.
>
> Thanks Bud Anderson for help in putting out the word for this impressive
> site.
>
> Also, kudus to Kent Woodruff, biologist for the Okanogan National Forest
> for sponsoring the study being conducted by Hawkwatch and providing
access
> (and Sani-kans!).
>
> Andy Stepniewski
> Wapato WA