Subject: [Tweeters] Long weekend in the Pasayten Wilderness - Boreal Owl,
Date: Sep 6 23:47:39 2007
From: Matt Dufort - zeledonia at gmail.com


Hi Tweets,



A slightly belated report: my girlfriend and I spent a long Labor Day
weekend backpacking in the Pasayten Wilderness of the Okanogan National
Forest. We hiked into Horseshoe Basin from the Irongate Trailhead, reached
via FR 39 northwest of Tonasket. The basin is mostly above 6500 feet
elevation, and our campsite was in open meadows at 7300 feet. The hike in
was through a massive burned forest of spruce and lodgepole pine from last
year?s Tripod Fire. While it wasn?t primarily a birding trip, many
high-elevation species obligingly revealed themselves over the course of a
few days.



The definite highlight was a BOREAL OWL that called for about five minutes
shortly after sunset on Sunday evening, heard from our campsite above Sunny
Pass. It was giving the longer ?winnowing? call, not the short ?skiew? call
more often heard in the fall. This was a thrill to hear!



The area around Sunny Pass was quite good for raptors, and I saw large
numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper?s Hawks, Harriers, and Kestrels, as
well as single Merlin, Prairie Falcon, and Osprey (flying high and headed
south). In addition to the Boreal Owl, I heard calling Great Horned Owls on
several nights. On two evenings a Long-eared Owl hunted right around our
campsite, flew 10 feet over our heads, and even perched on rocks 30 yards
from our tent.



I was surprised to see numerous mixed-species flocks made up primarily of
Mountain Bluebirds and Yellow-rumped Warblers ? the highest single-flock
count was about 30 bluebirds and 50 warblers. These flocks were
occasionally accompanied by other warblers (Nashville, Wilson?s, and
Orange-crowned) and sparrows (White-crowned, Chipping, Savannah, Lincoln?s,
and one Brewer?s). I also saw several small groups of Vesper Sparrows.
Birds were definitely on the move, with flocks of 100+ Robins and
White-crowned Sparrows passing through on several mornings.



I searched the higher peaks for ptarmigan, and found several feathers but
none of the elusive mountain chickens. I did hear one fly-over Gray-crowned
Rosy-Finch.



Other species that were common in the area included Horned Lark, Pipit,
Clark?s Nutcracker, and Mountain Chickadee (unfortunately, no Boreals), plus
a few fly-over Siskins and Red Crossbills (though far fewer of the latter
than I expected, and no White-winged).



The burned area was still mostly devoid of life, with only a few woodpeckers
(numerous Hairy and 4 Three-toed), Mountain Bluebirds, and Townsend?s
Solitaires.



A final highlight was one female SPRUCE GROUSE, along the entry road near
the Irongate Trailhead.



On the way home, we stopped by Spectacle Lake, which looked to have some
pretty good shorebird habitat, but all I could turn up was a Greater
Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, and a few Killdeer.



Hiking in the mountains this time of year is glorious, and it?s always
interesting to see what?s up there.



Good birding,

Matt Dufort


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