Subject: Nile Creek burn
Date: Aug 11 20:16:04 2002
From: Jim McCoy - jfmccoy at earthlink.net



We camped this weekend at the burned area above Nile Creek between Cliffdell
and Naches off Rte 410, and came up with 36 species in and around the burn.
No black-backed woodpeckers, but six other woodpeckers and plenty of other
goodies:

I was ready to pack it in for the weekend at mid-morning on Sunday, and had
just started back to camp when I heard a toot, and then another. By the
third it clicked in: northern pygmy owl! This would be a new bird for me,
so I immediately started running in the direction of the distant call before
chiding myself -- with no experience of the species, I couldn't well judge
the range of the call. Hoping I hadn't spooked it, I slowed down and
listened in vain. There was no sign of mobbing birds, either. I went all
the way back to what seemed the furthest point it could have been calling
from, and didn't hear a thing. I was distracted briefly by a small flock of
red crossbills, probably the same group I'd seen earlier in the morning,
before turning back to the owl. I made a half-hearted attempt to do my weak
imitation of a bird I'd never heard live before, so imagine my surprise when
I received a response! A lengthy duet ensued, and eventually I was able to
triangulate to the top of a large conifer, where a northern pygmy owl was
perched in bright sunlight. The only birds bothering it at all were
violet-green swallows, and they certainly didn't seem much agitated by its
presence. I guess testosterone levels are beginning to drop this time of
year. Thus unencumbered, the bird had the leisure to offer me several great
looks on three different perches.

The list is below. Note that I *do* know about the annoying conventions set
by I don't know whom, but I'm protesting: I can't think of an earthly reason
why bird names should be capitalized, and it seems just absurd to hyphenate
names like wood pewee and pygmy owl. Following these conventions seems like
an insult to the language. It's a lonely crusade, but somebody has to do
it. Note further that I somewhat hypocritically used all caps on the
interesting species. ;-)

* = in denser forest downslope from burn

turkey vulture
sharp-shinned hawk
red-tailed hawk
American kestrel
NORTHERN PYGMY OWL
COMMON NIGHTHAWK (heard)
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER (more naked-eye looks than I could use at a male
that seemed to follow me around for 45 minutes)
northern flicker
WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (M, F, juvenile)
RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (juvenile)
downy woodpecker*
hairy woodpecker
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
western wood pewee
HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (about eight feet away)
Steller's jay
GRAY JAY*
CLARK'S NUTCRACKER
common raven
violet-green swallow
mountain chickadee
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
red-breasted nuthatch
house wren
golden-crowned kinglet* (heard)
western bluebird
American robin
yellow-rumped warbler
Townsend's warbler
western tanager
chipping sparrow
VESPER SPARROW
dark-eyed junco
CASSIN'S FINCH
RED CROSSBILL (flock of five males)
pine siskin


Jim McCoy
jfmccoy at earthlink.net
Redmond, WA