Hello Tweets,

On the afternoon/early evening of the 27th and 28th of September my mother
and I birded and hiked at Chinook Pass and the general Sunrise area at
Mt.Rainier National Park. Our main purpose of the trip was checking a few
new areas to us in search of Boreal Owl in the Chinook Pass area on the
evening of the 27th and leading a field trip combined with hiking and
birding for the Columbia Basin Audubon Society to portions of the Sunrise
area on the 28th. Both days were very exceptional for weather with cooler
temperatures overnight at Sunrise with frost,but warming up in the day with
occasional wind at times,mainly near the exposed area around Frozen Lake
west of Sunrise. On the 27th my mother and I did not encounter Boreal Owl in
the Chinook Pass area although habitat and elevation were appropriate,but we
did encounter a few notable species to be mentioned below during our evening
visit,before heading over to Sunrise to spend the night. On the 28th we
began our day by birding the general main parking lot area then hiking a
loop trail to the Sunrise Campground and Shadow Lake, then back to the main
Sunrise parking lot by 10:30am,before meeting a group of 11 participants on
our field trip at the lower Sunrise parking lot at Sunrise Point at 12:30pm.
My mother and I arrived at 12:15pm at the lower Sunrise parking lot as field
trip participants began to show up,as we enjoyed views of the beautiful
scenery and migrating raptors,as they soared around Sunrise Point,before we
all gathered and travelled to the main Sunrise parking lot and slowly hiked
and birded from the lower Sunrise trail to Frozen Lake then back along the
upper Sunrise trail to the main Sunrise parking lot. At times the birding
was quite slow,but we noted a good assortment of species,as well as enjoyed
great vista views of nearby Mt.Rainier and exceptional views of Hoary Marmot
and Pika for all the field trip participants. On our way back from Frozen
Lake we ran into Richard Bledsoe,who was returning from his own hike to the
Third Burroughs as he followed us back towards the main Sunrise parking
lot,where we enjoyed great views of two foraging Blue Grouse(1 adult
female,1 immature female)in an open area of the trail, just north of the
main Sunrise parking lot. The birds were originally observed on the trail by
my mother and another field trip participant,before they walked over into an
open area of the trail,where both birds were photographed and viewed at very
close range from all the entire field trip group,as well as other hikers.
Two additional Blue Grouse were located and photographed at another location
south of the main Sunrise parking lot,as they were also seen foraging in an
open area.

Our main highlights for the near 2 day trip follow for selected locations
and times:

September 27th,2002

Hwy.410 at Buckley,Pierce Co. 2:50pm

2 Western Scrub Jays

Chinook Pass,Yakima Co. 4pm-7pm

8 Turkey Vultures
1 immature Bald Eagle
1 Northern Harrier
3 Sharp-shinned Hawks
4 Grays Jays
6 Clark's Nutcrackers
3 Hermit Thrushes
1 Varied Thrush
5 Yellow-rumped Warblers
1 Fox Sparrow
4 Golden-crowned Sparrows
1 PINE GROSBEAK
22 Cassin's Finches

September 28th,2002

Sunrise area(morning hike to the Sunrise Campground then back to main
Sunrise parking lot) 7am-10:30am

2 Northern Harriers
4 Sharp-shinned Hawks
2 Cooper's Hawks
8 Red-tailed Hawks
25 Grays Jays
9 Clark's Nutcrackers
43+ Mountain Chickadees
5 Chestnut-backed Chickadees
17 Red-breasted Nuthatches
3 Winter Wrens
8 Golden-crowned Kinglets
22 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
2 Mountain Bluebirds
6 Townsend's Solitaires
1 Hermit Thrush
27 Varied Thrushes
4 Am.Pipits
17 Yellow-rumped Warblers
34 Savannah Sparrows
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
30 Golden-crowned Sparrows
7 White-crowned Sparrows
68+ Dark-eyed"Oregon"Juncos
5 Brewer's Blackbirds
7 Cassin's Finches
18 Pine Siskins

Sunrise Point parking lot/CBAS field trip 12:15pm-1pm

3 Sharp-shinned Hawk
5 Red-tailed Hawks
3 GOLDEN EAGLES
1 Merlin
10 Band-tailed Pigeons
4 Townsend's Solitaires
4 Evening Grosbeaks

Sunrise area/CBAS field trip 1:20pm-7:30pm

We encountered many of the same mountain species on the afternoon field trip
hike noted from the morning hike my mother and I made to Sunrise CG,with
fewer songbirds numbers present,but a few species were not observed or
present. The main highlights follow:

3 Northern Harriers
6 Sharp-shinned Hawks
9 Red-tailed Hawks
1 Am.Kestrel
4 Merlins
1 PRAIRIE FALCONS
4 Blue Grouse
1 Great Horned Owl(last species of the field trip)
6 Townsend's Solitaires
3 Hermit Thrushes
1 Townsend's Warbler
1 VESPER SPARROW(unusual location and late date)
1 Fox Sparrow


Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
GODWIT at worldnet.att.net