Tweets,

George Gerdts and I did a bit of bird camping first half of this week,
mostly in northern Okanogan County (where somehow we managed to not run into
any other birders), dodging rather unsuccessfully the rain (and snow!).
Mostly we revisited familiar venues, but did some exploring in the Tiffany
Mt. area ne of Winthrop. We drove Toats Coulee Rd. and FR 39 from Oroville
to Tiffany Meadow Monday evening. At an extensive burn (that appears to be
4-5 years old) between miles 23 and 24 (at Dog Creek) we found a pair of
THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS tending a nest near the road. This was the first of
maybe a dozen Three-toeds we saw on the trip. We camped at Tiffany Meadow on
the north fork of Boulder Creek (where Savannah, Chipping, and Lincoln's
Sparrows were singing), then hiked the Tiffany Lake trail from Tiffany
Springs camp (at ca. mile 7). On either side of the lake is an extensive
area of old growth Engelmann Spruce heavily hit by -- I guess -- spruce bud
worm. Hundreds of big trees here have been intensely flaked by the
Three-toed Woodpeckers (with some help from hairys, pileateds, and
flickers). We got close looks at several BOREAL CHICKADEES here, including
one carrying food (positive nesting). We failed to stumble on a Spruce
Grouse, however. We climbed around on Middle Tiffany Mt. and Rock Mt. (both
just about 8000 feet) tracking rumors of ptarmigans (but saw none) until
chased off by snow flurries. There is a very pale faced HORNED LARK form
nesting up here. TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE songs wafted up to the summit from
timberline.

While on the subject of toe-challenged woodpeckers, we detoured on our way
home via the Sand Lake Trail burn off FR 1284 just northwest of White Pass
(see Bill Shermerdine's posting of last week), expecting to find extroverted
and confiding BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS. However, after a very stiff climb in
a persistent drizzle we emerged into a high blackened ridge. Rain drops do
an excellent imitation of woodpecker tapping, so we chased phantoms for the
first hour. Eventually we heard a tell-tale "keek" call which we tracked
down only to find yet another Three-toed. We shortly located the nest and
watched the female make several quick grocery runs. We found a second nest
by tracking a "keek" call, but the female was inside the nest hole (on
eggs?) and would not show herself. We suspect she was a Black-backed but
couldn't say for sure. Also found a flicker attending a nest with young, but
still no Black-backeds, until two hours into our visit, when what appeared
to be a troupe of birds of the year began to dance about from trunk to trunk
giving odd raspy croaking calls. Adding a touch of color, once the sun came
out, a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS.

Other birds of note for our trip include two singing male BLACK-THROATED
SPARROWS above the west end of the Beverly railroad bridge south of Wanapam
Dam (as per Patrick Sullivan's earlier post). One was above the base of the
cliff to the west of the road, the other just east of the paved road. Nice
LARK SPARROW songs also noted at the spot. Also just one NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSH, along Mary Ann Creek on Molson Summit Road, but two groups of
BOBOLINKS, in the Antoine Valley along the Tonasket-Havillah Road not far
northeast of Tonasket and at the south end of Palmer Lake north of Loomis.

Gene Hunn
enhunn at home.com