Boldly jumping on the bandwagon I spent all day birding the Colockum
Road and Naneum ridge looking (in vain as it turned out) for a Great
Gray or Hawk Owl - maybe next time. Though rather quiet at first
glance - apart from the sound of chainsaws - there was quite a few birds
around.

1 golden eagle
3 rough-legged hawks
1 ad. Cooper's hawk
6 red-tailed hawks

2 northern shrikes

32 common ravens
3 Steller's jays
9+ black-billed magpies

1 ruffed grouse
1 hairy woodpecker

2 white-breasted nuthatches
5 red-breasted nuthatches
2 brown creepers
31+ mountain chickadees

1 Townsend's solitaire
2 mountain bluebirds
1 american pipit

4 varied thrushes
2 american robins

3 pine siskins
10 red crossbills
1 gray-crowned rosy finch - heard flying overhead
2 snow buntings

I only counted birds one way while travelling along Colcockum road to
the top of Nameum Ridge.

There were mountain chickadees everywhere I stopped and walked around.
Black-billed magpies were also "common" but obviously at much lower
densities.

The Steller's jays seemed much more blue than the birds on this side of
the Cascades. The Cooper's hawk was also spectacularly blue-gray and
orange. Very impressive birds.

The american pipit was a surprise it was flying across one of the
meadows about 1km beyond the point where Colockum Road forks with
Powerline Road.

The snow buntings were up at the lookout at the top of Naneum Ridge
feeding on the northern slope where it was cold enough for them with the
first of this winter's snow.

The american robins were probably the most interesting birds of the day.
They were flying down the south side of Nanuem ridge - near the summit
at around 2000m.

Does anybody know whether there have been any raptor or migration counts
taken from Naneum Ridge. While the ridge is further east than Table
Mountain it might form a "headland" funneling birds before they
crossover heading south/north.

Stuart
--
Stuart MacKay, Seattle, WA
stuart at blarg.net