Subject: Chelan Ridge hawk watching-September 19
Date: Sep 19 23:14:55 1999
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at wolfenet.com


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