Hi Tweets,

The annual ski trip to Mazama and Sun Mountain is about the only time in our calendar where birding doesn't come first, but with so little snow this year, the birds seemed more active, and we saw more species. Highlights included an adult PRAIRIE FALCON (unusual in the Methow Valley) seen three days on the east slope of Sun Mountain, 40 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in water birches by the Methow in Winthrop, and 2 PINE GROSBEAKS in a residential part of Twisp.

We birded our way up the Columbia River to Mazama on Super Bowl Sunday, finding a Merlin and a Cooper's Hawk on the Bridgeport Bar and large numbers of ducks in the lower Methow by Pateros. On 2/10 we drove back to Seattle via the Waterville Plateau, hoping for Snow Bunting. But the snow was largely gone, so the birds had scattered and we were limited to lots of the usual raptors, HORNED LARKS, and nice views of a GOLDEN EAGLE with a hostile entourage of 3 ravens flying south along SR 17 about 2 miles south of Dry Falls Junction.

Total species seen: 60

Pied-billed Grebe

Eared Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Canada Goose

American Wigeon

Gadwall

Mallard

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

Lesser Scaup

Common Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Common Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Golden Eagle

American Kestrel

Merlin

Prairie Falcon

California Quail

Chukar

American Coot

Ring-billed Gull

Rock Pigeon

Belted Kingfisher

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Horned Lark

Bohemian Waxwing

American Dipper

Marsh Wren

Varied Thrush

Black-capped Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Pygmy Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Shrike

Steller's Jay

Black-billed Magpie

Clark's Nutcracker

Common Raven

European Starling

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Western Meadowlark

Brown-headed Cowbird

Pine Grosbeak

House Finch

House Sparrow



Good Birding!



Paul Webster

Seattle

paul.websterATcomcast.net