Hi Tweets,

I wanted to share a few highlights of a trip to Okanogan County last weekend.
As I expected for a November trip, birds were pretty scarce at most
locations, except a few areas with waterfowl concentrations. Rather than hit
the traditional birding hotspots I usually go to, my friend Fred Boesche and
I took the chance to explore new areas. The areas I had never (or rarely)
birded before included parts of the Cameron Lake Plateau SE of Omak/Okanogan
and the Tunk valley/Chewiliken valley areas SE of Toansket, as well as
Nighthawk and Oroville. All these areas are worthwhile just for the natural
beauty alone. Our more unusual bird sightings were:

A Harlan's Hawk near Brewster (present in the same area last winter). The
hawk frequents the area north of the Okanogan River bridge on Hwy 97, just
across the road from the Okanogan delta western access point.

A Golden Eagle over the Wal-Mart in downtown Omak.

10 Tundra Swans and 17 swan species at the north end of Palmer Lake, west of
Tonasket. Also watched Clark's Nutcrackers foraging in a nut orchard just
north of the lake.

2 Common Redpolls w/ 40 goldfinches at Chopaka Lodge on the east shore of
Palmer Lake.

A Great Horned Owl roosting in the Water Birch trees just south of Forde Lake
in the Sinlahekin WRA.

3 Tundra Swans and a flock of Chukar (heard) at the north end of Blue Lake
(Sinlahekin again)

An adult Golden Eagle at Blue Lake, which was being scrutinized by a flock of
twenty Ravens - to what end I don't know. Never saw any food items in the
eagle's possession.

And lastly, as well as most exciting bird of the trip, was a Northern Pygmy
Owl which perched for over 10 minutes in the south end of the Sinlahekin WRA
- near the junction of Fish Lake road and Conconully Rd(?), just north of
Fish Lake. We were able to get good long scope looks at the Pygmy Owl, which
made for the best looks at a Pygmy that I've ever had.

Both Conconully Lake and Conconully Reservoir are *very* low. No birds were
on the former body of water, but 10 Great Blue Herons and 80 Common
Mergnasers were presumably taking advantage of a concentrated fish supply on
the reservoir. Don't know how much feeding they got done Sunday though, as
they were kept constantly in flight by a float plane that kept practicing
takeoffs and landings over and over. It ain't easy being a bird.......

good birding,
Jim Flynn
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