Subject: [Tweeters] N.Central & NE WA birding 8/19-21 [longish]
Date: Aug 22 10:07:41 2005
From: Matt Bartels - mattxyz at earthlink.net


Hi Tweeters & Inlanders-
I spent Friday - Sunday birding in north-central and north-eastern
WA. Weather was great up in the mountains, though the low-land heat
did catch me yesterday when I stopped at some shorebird spots on the
way back to Seattle. My simplified itinerary was as follows: Friday -
Seattle-Okanogan, spending the day mostly up by Roger Lake. Saturday
- Stevens Co in AM, Pend Oreille in PM. Sunday - Pend Oreille in AM,
then Philleo Lake, Sheep Lake, Sprague Lake & the Potholes Rookery as
I came west in the evening. All in all , an enjoyable way to spend 3
days. [Delorme & WA ABA locations down at the end of the message]

Okanogan Co - Friday 8/19
Up in the hills, from Baldy Pass, through Roger Lake and over to
Freezeout Ridge, I found good numbers of birds.
BOREAL CHICKADEE - Just past the parking area at Freezeout Ridge,
downhill near the first hairpin turn. This species had been seeming
like a jinx species for me, so it was great to finally find an
accomodating flock.
AM. THREE-TOED WOODPECKER - a pair at the far end of Roger Lake
allowed great looks.
BLUE GROUSE - one hen, clucking at unseen chicks, along the Freezeout
Ridge trail
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER - many around, especially near Roger Lake -
either this area is thick with them in the summer, or a migrant push
was moving through.
CLARKS NUTCRACKERS - common everywhere, along with many GRAY JAYS
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK - A couple around Baldy Pass, more later. Seemed
to be moving through
Warblers seen included: MACGILLAVREY'S, TOWNSENDS [many],
YELLOW-RUMPED, & WILSONS mostly around Freezeout Ridge, but elsewhere
too.

The most unexpected bird of the weekend came down as I drove north
from Concoully. Just about 0.1mi. before [south of] Sugarloaf
Campground on Sinlahekin Rd, along the side of the road I saw a ...

SHARP-TAILED GROUSE -I'm glad it gave me a long look, because I had
Blue & Spruce on my mind and it took a while to process the pale
color, crested head, orange-ish eyebrow and size. Eventually, it
moved off the road and I could hear it clucking at a family in the
bush. The area I was looking in could probably be better accessed by
parking at Sugarloaf CG and walking south through the brush.

Out of the hills, I made a few stops at lakes to look for shorebirds too:
Conconully Reservoir - checked on the way up and down:
Lots of shorebirds were present along the narrow beaches, but they
managed to stay pretty distant from me for the most part:
BAIRDS SANDPIPER - maybe 10
WILSONS SNIPE- in the northeast marsh
LESSER YELLOWLEGS
SPOTTED SANDPIPER
distant DOWITCHER
Also, lots of ducks present.

Mud Lake: [along Fish Lake Rd/Pine Ck Rd, heading east from Fish Lake
- US97/20, about 6 miles from the highway
STILT SANDPIPER - though I saw more later in the weekend, this one
was my best look, working the near shore. Maybe a county first?

Finally, by dusk I was over by Havillah. As reported earlier, I did
manage to find:
GREAT-GREY OWL - one, at the Highland Sno-park location, along FR26,
just beyond the intersection with 3230.
While watching the GGOW I also heard a NO.PYGMY OWL tooting nearby.
There was enough light to try to find it, but alas it stayed hidden.
In the process, I also neglected to save enough light to look for a
second [or more] GGOW.

COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were out too above the fields at dusk, 10+

Also in the area, along a wrong-turn road, a little west of the
Highlands Sno-park, I was happy to find a lot of sparrows moving
around, made up mostly of VESPERS, & LARK SPARROWS. In with them was
a LAZULI BUNTING too.


Saturday 8/20, Stevens & Pend Oreille Co.
Early in the morning, on my way over to Amazon Ck., I finally
succeeded in a true listers quest... At West Kettle Falls [in the
trailer park just north of the bridge] I found the rumoured flock of
House Sparrows - A Ferry Co bird for me that finally put HOSP on the
list of 'birds seen in all 39 counties'. [Maybe I should just delete
this paragraph to preserve some self-dignity....]

Anyway, I spent the four-five hours in the morning at Amazon Creek
Marsh in Stevens Co, hoping to track down a No.Waterthrush. I found
no waterthrush, but did have pleasant time circling the creek and
seeing other birds. They included:
SOLITARY SANDPIPER - 1 in the marsh, flying around occasionally
RED CROSSBILL - a flock around most all morning
YELLOW WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, WILSONS WARBLER
WESTERN TANAGER, GRAY JAY, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, GRAY CATBIRDS

Next, I headed up to Salmo Mtn in the far NE corner of Pend Oreille Co.:
BOREAL CHICKADEE - a small flock at the turnoff to the Salmo Mtn. Lookout.
COOPERS HAWK - a couple flying by high up - more migrants?
RED CROSSBILL, CASSINS FINCH, CLARKS NUTCRACKER & GRAY JAYS - all up
near the top.

Over along SR 22 towards Pass Creek Pass, there were several pockets of birds:
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS - again, a half dozen or more, surprising me
with their concentration
CASSINS VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, HAMMONDS FLYCATCHER, WESTERN TANAGER
all along the roadside scrub. Up above, VAUXS SWIFT were present too.

For the evening, I headed up to Bunchgrass Meadows to camp. Before
setting up the tent, I walked down the blocked off entry spur road to
the meadows and came across
SPRUCE GROUSE - 2, the male looking maybe like a juv coming into
adult plumage. It was fun to watch them hopping up in the air to
snatch leaves/seeds from the bushes.

Sunday 8/21:
On the drive down from Bunchgrass Meadows in the morning, I stopped
for another family of
SPRUCE GROUSE, 5 of them, along the road, about a 2-3 miles before FR
1935 joins Sullivan Lake Rd.

Heading south:
TURKEY VULTURES - 1 just south of Tiger, 4 north of Cusick, 1 at
Calispell Lake.

Calispell Lake looked to be full of birds, but getting a good look at
them proved difficult. Eventually, with several stops and scopes
through trees, I saw the following:
STILT SANDPIPER - at a relatively nearby pond about 2mi. s. of the
McKenzie Rd. intersection. County first record?
WILSON PHALAROPE - 1
GREATER YELLOWLEGS - 2 at the bridge over the slough, while still on
McKenzie Rd.
LESSER YELLOWLEGS - w/ the Stilt Sandpiper
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - about 5-6 near slough
Also in the water were AM.WHITE PELICAN [only saw a few], RB gulls &
DC Cormorant.
Up above, there were a couple RED-TAILS, a COOPERS, and a NORTHERN HARRIER.
In the pines, PYGMY NUTHATCH, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, RB NUTHATCH moved around

Down south of Spokane, in Spokane county, I stopped at Philleo Lake
where Gina Sheridan & others have been finding good shorebirds - I
was unable to turn up the phalarope groups here in the gaps through
the trees I was able to scope - I did find several more STILT
SANDPIPERS, & a few LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER

Sheep Lake, in Whitman Co. :
PECTORAL SANDPIPER -2 only ones of the weekend?
BAIRDS SANDPIPER - many around
STILT SANDPIPER - of course!
LESSER YELLOWLEGS - including some still in bright plumage
SPOTTED SANDPIPERS

At the Sprague sewage ponds, a PEREGRINE FALCON stirred up the ducks.

Final notable stop was over in Grant Co., at the Potholes Rookery
outside of Moses Lake at dusk:
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON - many flying over regularly, adult & juv.
GREAT EGRET - common on almost every pond here.
Shorebirds were abundant here - I wish I had arrived earlier - though
I focused on the first smaller flock I came across, in the distance I
saw several clouds of peeps moving around that would have also been
worth checking out had light remained.
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER - one, nicely working next to Westerns &
Leasts for good comparisons
WESTERN SANDPIPERS -
LEAST SANDPIPERS - fewer than the WESAs
LESSER YELLOWLEGS
BAIRDS SANDPIPER - a few scattered in the peeps
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - 10+
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE - 100+ - this big flock was the final treat of
the trip, moving around pretty close to the dike road. I searched in
vain for a Red, or even a Wilson's, but mostly just enjoyed the good
looks at them swimming & squeaking around as light faded.

Directions:
Okanogan Co.:
Baldy Pass, Roger Lake, Freezeout Ridge: WA ABA Guide, pp. 449-450,
Delorme p. 114 ~C-1
Conconully Reservoir, WA ABA. p. 349-440, Delorme p. 114 D-2
Sugarloaf Campground, WA ABA p.440, Delorme p. 114 D-3
Havillah Highland Sno-Park, WA ABA p. 456-7, Delorme p. 115 B-7

Stevens Co.:
Amazon Creek Marsh, WA ABA p. 478, Delorme p. 118 D-3/4

Pend Oreille Co.:
Salmo Mountain, WA ABA p. 482-3, Delorme, p. 119, A-7/8
Pass Creek Pass, WA ABA p. 483, Delorme, p. 119 B-7
Bunchgrass Meadows, WA ABA p. 484, Delorme, p. 119 C-7
Calispell Lake, WA ABA p. 488, Delorme, p. 105 B/C-6

Spokane Co., Philleo Lake, Delorme p. 73 A-5
Whitman Co., Sheep Lake, WA ABA p. 401-3, Delorme p. B/C-1
Grant Co., Potholes Rookery, WA ABA p. 358, Delorme, p. 69 ~D-5?

--