Correction:

Closer scrutiny of maps of Mt. Hardy show that the peak is above the 2400
meter band, the summit appears to be at least 7600', so the rise from the
parking area is close to 3000'. The distance on the map (as the crow, or
should I say nutcracker, flies) seems to be closer to 1.3 miles to the
summit instead of 1.75, but the overall distance to the top must be about 3
miles, instead of four, but this is debatable and very hard to measure,
given slope and cut-arounds. I slopes are south-facing and very exposed,
which explains in part why I found very few lingering snow patches, even
near the summit.

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


>From: "Scott Atkinson" <scottratkinson at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: scottratkinson at hotmail.com
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: e. and c. Skagit Co 7/15-16 (long)
>Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 10:54:10 -0700
>
>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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