Tweeters:

Between assignments I decided to do some birding Tues-Wed in the central and
eastern parts of Skagit County, hoping to check on the status of some of the
county's local "eastern WA" species in the first, and see what the Mt. Hardy
burn in the eastern extreme of Skagit County would yield, for the second.
It was a real adventure going up into, and beyond, the Mt. Hardy burn
yesterday--in fact I somehow at last reached the peak (6400') at about 4 pm,
but it took me all day, 12 hours round-trip. My knees are sore and I have a
few cuts, but the birding, and mountain views, were terrific. The slopes
are steep; in fact, the last half of the trip was as much
rock-climbing/scrambling as hiking, ascending precipitous spires and
columns; I lucked out and each time I thought a chasm would halt further
progress, finding a rock bridge to the next formation. In the Delorme
Atlas, the distance from the parking area (which is right off Hwy 20 just
north of Swamp Creek and a few miles downhill/north of Rainy Pass) to the
summit appears to be just 1.75-2 miles or so, but when you add the 45-60
degree angle slope, I figure the trip to be at least 4 miles each way, and
there is no trail. The difficulty of the terrain makes progress slow,
coming down is as difficult as going up. Crumbly granite substraits occur
in several sites; coming down these can be dangerous.

I found a number of good birds in the burn (highlights below include a
county-first Boreal Owl, heard only, and two other species which have been
recorded just once and four times respectively). This is definitely a hot
spot for eastern WA species in the county; in late September last year I had
a out-of-range Osprey, Say's Phoebe and Pygmy Nuthatch here. In central
Skagit county, there are at least 3 Am. Redstarts at the agg/county line
ponds. If you've ever wondered where all the Rufous Hummingbirds are, I
have the answer--they are up high, working the wildflowers that are hitting
their peak, in particular Davidson's Penstemon (Penstemon davidsonii).
There was a veritable horde of hummers working these, which were chiefly
concentrated in the middle and upper burn and beyond. Among plants, I
collected Parnassia kotzebuei, the Kotzebue Grass-of-Parnassus, near the
summit of Mt. Hardy. This species is rare in WA and otherwise known only
from nearby peaks in Okanogan County. This is a southernmost disjunct
population, as the main range for the species is northern Canada, AK and the
northern Russian Far East. Yellow-pine Chipmunks, Golden-mantled Ground
Squirrels, and a highly varied insect fauna was evident throughout; an
oddity was finding many lady-bugs under the rocks right at the summit of Mt.
Hardy, where there was very little life otherwise present. I also had a
family of Hoary Marmots and somewhat expected Mt. Goat or cougar, and
although never finding either, I at one point heard an animal above me in
the columns send a few rocks down my way!

>From atop Mt. Hardy, one can see the Pacific Crest trail and Mebee Pass on
the Pac. Crest trail route looking southeast, and a sea of jagged, stunning
peaks to the west and southwest especially. Among these one can spot the
glaciers of Mt. Logan, the snowfields especially impressive when enshrouded
with puffy clouds as I saw them.

HIGHLIGHTS JULY 15, CENTRAL SKAGIT CO.

MARTIN RD. ACCESS ROCKPORT

Lazuli Bunting 1
Red-e. Vireo 2

CORKINDALE CREEK CROSSING (now dry)

Lazuli Bunting 2 (heard only)
Bank Swallow 5
no kingbirds

RANGER STATION ROAD (in Marblemount)

Eastern Kingbird 1 (apparently nesting as in 2001 at residence 7650 Ranger
Station Rd., just before ranger station)

MARBLEMOUNT BOAT LAUNCH

Lazuli Bunting 2
RE Vireo 3

COUNTY LINE (AGG) PONDS* (the "agg" ponds are the series of ponds accessed
by parking at the gated driveway immediately before the Whatcom County sign;
the ponds are so named for the large pile of aggregate on the left as you go
in).

Spotted Sandpiper family groups (including recently-fledged birds)
Red-naped Sapsucker 2 (incl. 1 bird with prominent white whisker, reddish
face around eye but entirely black nape; Red-naped X Red-breasted hybrid?)
Bank Swallow 2 (over ponds)
all four vireos, good numbers of Warbling and a few Red-eyed
Nashville Warbler 1 (single bird seen briefly in vining maple under utility
lines in shrubby area; reached by small access road on north side of 20,
opposite access road into agg ponds)
Am. Redstart 2 (first-yr. male & female on territory at the first small pond
on right)
Bullock's Oriole 1

COUNTY LINE PONDS* (heading n.e. on 20 from Marblemount, these are reached
just before the "agg" ponds at the Whatcom County line sign. The drive is
the last one before of the gated drive into the agg ponds).

Am. Redstart 1 (ad. male; very probable female also present)

JULY 16--MT. HARDY BURN (EXTREME E. SKAGIT COUNTY)

PRAIRIE FALCON 1 (soaring over Hardy burn; first summer record I'm aware of
for Skagit County and one of few for eastern section, although previously
documented as a rare fall migrant here)
BOREAL OWL 1 (responded twice to tape with "skieu" call at 1 a.m., on slope
above Rt 20 opposite parking area for Hardy burn; no response to Saw-whet
tape)
Barred Owl 1 (woods near Hardy burn)
Black Swift 3
Vaux's Swift 5
Rufous Hummingbird 75+ (penstemon blooms middle/upper burn and beyond)
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD 1 (female, upper burn at penstemons, studied for
five minutes while perched & feeding; distinctive calls heard; only 2nd for
Skagit County)
Three-toed Woodpecker 7 (two pairs and two singles located along Rt 20
between Rainy Pass and Hardy burn parking area; the most common woodpecker
in area! 1 also in Hardy burn).
Gray Jay 6
Clark's Nutcracker 3
ROCK WREN 4 (!!) (first bird was heard and then seen above burn, another was
singing further upslope, and two were heard in song (1 in talus southwest of
Mt. Hardy) and 1 in southern part of burn late in day. There are only four
other Skagit County records, all of single birds in June-July, mostly from
mountains)
Mt. Bluebird 6 (family group)
Townsend's Solitaire 1
Cedar Waxwing 2
W. Tanager 1 (woods near Porcupine Creek, seemed a bit high elev)
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch 7 (several pairs in rocky talus above burn; 1 in
central burn)
Pine Grosbeak 1 (singing bird above burn in stunted conifers, heard only)
Cassin's Finch 3

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

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