I spent the weekend up at Mt. Rainier with some non-birders, but did a little casual birding up at Sunrise and found a few good birds, most notably an adult PRAIRIE FALCON from sourdough ridge at about 6500 feet. The bird was plainly visible as it rapidly crossed a valley meadow, showing a pale upperside and characteristic dark axillaries and coverts, and only light markings on the breast. It briefly perched on the ridge and then flew off eastward. The Breeding Bird Atlas does not show prairie falcons as far west as Mt. Rainier and I would be interested in learning if there are any other records.

I was hoping to spot a ptarmigan, but no such luck. Other interesting species noted from the trail up to Burroughs Mountain included:

RING-BILLED GULL- a flock of 20 at 7000 feet
CLARK'S NUTCRACKER
GRAY JAY
MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE
WINTER WREN- gleening insects in the open off heather
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
HERMIT THRUSH
VARIED THRUSH
AMERICAN PIPIT- several across the alpine tundra
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER- audubon's
FOX SPARROW- numerous
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH- heard calling but seen only fleetingly, like most of my rosy-finch sightings.

Notable mammals included a black bear scene in the same valey as the prairie falcon, numerous hoary marmots, and a pica.

- Tim Perkins
Sammamish, WA