as one who both hikes/scrambles and birds, birds are an afterthought on a hike. but this hike to davis peak by salmon la sac turned out to be a good birding trip.

this popular hike in the teanaways is marred by a fire [last year?]. the trail was closed and reopened mid-summer last year. what makes this so special is the great thermals above this mountain are favored by raptors. i saw 5 bald eagles- 1 adult and 4 immatures, the silhouette of what looked like a sharp-shinned hawk and a northern goshawk. plus i saw a couple of common ravens cruising by. insects have returned to the firezone douglas firs, attracting a pileated woodpeckers and two adult hairy woodpeckers with their dramatic markings. by the evergreens, i saw 2 eastern kingbirds, 2 mountain chickadees i think, an american robin worm in tow, and 6-8 unrecognizable lbbs. if i was better at bird songs, i might identify several other birds.

it takes two hours of hiking to get to see the accipiters.