Subject: [Tweeters] Mt. Baker Highway Birding
Date: May 30 22:12:45 2005
From: VICJEN BURGETT - vicjenb at yahoo.com


Birded the Mount Baker Highway above the town of
Glacier today. A total of 46 species were found in
this area (there would have been several more if I was
better at birding by ear, I'm sure!) The weather was
lousy; all of the higher elevation areas were densely
shrouded in fog/cloud throughout most of the day.
Nevertheless, there was plenty to enjoy, including
several (at least five) booming male BLUE GROUSE
around Heather Meadows, along with a nice
SLATE-COLORED FOX SPARROW, a pair of BAND-TAILED
PIGEONS that exhibited courtship behaviors at close
range on a limb, many VAUX's SWIFTS, a HERMIT THRUSH,
etc. On the main road just above the Silver Firs
campground at 7AM was an adult RUFFED GROUSE strutting
aroung. Later I flushed a female with a brood of
young from the roadside along lower Canyon Creek Road.
An adult BLACK BEAR was similarly mid-road (although
it immediately bolted before I could fumble for my
camera), but about a mile along the dirt snowmobile
road that leads out of the parking area across from
the Silver Firs campground entrance. Most of the
typical neotropical songbirds were located as well.
But no AMERICAN DIPPER! I checked nearly every stream
crossing or river view, including many spots where I
have seen them previously! Where are they all?! On
the plus side, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS and VARIED
THRUSHES were simply EVERYWHERE, and those are two
species that I never get tired of! SWAINSON'S
THRUSHES are clearly back, but perhaps not yet in full
numbers?

-Victor Burgett



__________________________________
Yahoo! Mail
Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour:
http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html