Stefan Schlick and I spent the July 4th Holiday weekend birding various locations in the Okanogan Region of Washington and British Columbia. We camped out on Friday evening in the Liberty area (tried briefly for FLAMMULATED OWL but did not find one), then on Saturday worked our way up into the Okanogan Highlands, stopping at the Confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers along the way. We birded a few spots in the Highlands (tried for the ALDER FLYCATCHER near Muskrat lake, but did not locate it) and spent the evening camped out at the Highland Sno-Park near Havillah.

Early Sunday Morning we headed up to Cathedral Provincial Park British Columbia (see Opperman pp 445); where upon reaching the parking lot we were transported up to the lodge. After a day of hiking, camping and birding the area we were then transported back down to our car and returned to the Washington Okanogan, camping at Toats Coulee Camp on Monday evening, west of Loomis. Tuesday was spent birding FR 39 (what a great road), through the Okanogan Cascades, with a few stops in the Winthrop area (where Stefan got his Black-capped Chickadee for the year), before heading back home via Vantage and I-90.

The birding varied, starting out well, then being somewhat slow at Cathedral Provincial Park, but picking up again in the Washington Okanogan Cascades. The highlights of our trip are as follows:

THREE-TOED WOODPECKER - (15) 1 at Beaver Lake Campground & 1 at Big Tree Trailhead in the Okanogan Highlands, 10 at Cathedral Provincial Park, and 3 along FR 39 - 2 at MP 26.5 & 1 at MP 14.4

LEWIS WOODPECKER - (10) at Loomis - about 1/2 mile after turn off onto Toats Coulee Road.

BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER - 3 at Elk Heights Burn

NORTHERN GOSHAWK - 1 along FR 39 at MP 25

LONG-EARED OWL - heard at Toats Coulee Campground

CASSIN'S FINCH - 3 along FR 39 at MP 15.5

PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER - 1 along FR 39 at MP 18 (very high elevation - boreal)

RED CROSSBILL - several birds (flyover) along FR 39 at MP 22, 1 bird in the Liberty area (FR 9705)

VEERY - Mac Lloyd Park Winthrop

BLACK TERN - several along Beaver and Beth Lakes - Okanogan Highlands

BOREAL CHICKADEE - 2 at Cathedral Provincial Park, 2 along FR 39 at MP 10.5 and 1 at MP 5.5

LINCOLN' SPARROW - along FR 39 at MP 6 and at Roger Lake

BLUE GROUSE - 2 at bottom of hill along Bartroff Road in Okanogan Highlands

LEAST FLYCATCHER - 2 still at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW - 1 singing near Chesaw Road & Dry Gulch Road in Okanogan Highlands

VESPER SPARROW - Bartroff Road in Okanogan Highlands

RUFFED GROUSE - Highland Sno-Park in Okanogan Highlands

RED-EYED VIREO - Heard calling at north end of the bridge just south of Winthrop

EVENING GROSBEAK - 1 seen in the Liberty area (FR 9705)

BANK SWALLOWS - several at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers

WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER - 1 seen at Lost Lake in the Okanogan Highlands

CHUCKAR - several heard calling at Loomis - about 1/2 mile after turn off onto Toats Coulee Road

AMERICAN DIPPER - 1 at Red River Bridge off of the Teanaway Road northeast of Cle Elum



Michael Fleming

Ballard, WA

michaellf AT myway.com

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