Hi Tweets,

Our ski trip to the Methow Valley wasn't focused on birding, but Barbara and I did see some interesting birds from January 30 to February 3; our sightings were mostly in Okanogan County, though we also spent an hour on the Bridgeport Bar on 1/30. Some of the highlights were:

Tuesday, January 30:
2 adult and 1 sub-adult Trumpeter Swans near shore on the Columbia south of Pateros
1 Eared Grebe at the same location
1 Merlin in Brewster
16 frosty Western Meadowlarks roosting together on the Bridgeport Bar

Wednesday, January 31:
1 American Three-toed Woodpecker in a small burn on Jack's Trail near the Freestone Inn
10 Clark's Nutcrackers around Mazama. We saw this species repeatedly here and at Sun Mountain -- heavy snow at higher elevations probably has brought them to lower elevations this winter to forage in the ponderosa pines.

Thursday, February 1:
1 Northern Pygmy Owl atop a small ponderosa pine near Patterson Lake

Friday, February 2:
2 Northern Pygmy Owls, 1 still at Patterson Lake, 1 on the Cub Creek Road off the West Side Chewuch River Rd
20 Bohemian Waxwings roadside between Mazama and Winthrop
20 Pine Grosbeaks at the ski trailhead on Cub Creek Rd
3 American Dippers bobbing on the ice on the almost-frozen Chewuch River
1 Northern Shrike on the road to Pearrygin Lake

Saturday, February 3:
3 Wild Turkeys roosting midway up in some large roadside bushes near Loup Loup Pass
100 Snow Buntings on the Timentwa Flats accompanied by a half-dozen Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches
8 Common Loons on the Columbia near Pateros

Among the Red-tailed Hawks we saw were two dark-morph birds and an intermediate morph with a big rufous bib.Our trip netted 61 total species in this beautiful area where many of the local residents decorate their homes with "No Trespassing" signs.

Good birding!

Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net