Subject: [Tweeters] Burroughs Mountain - rosy-finches, ptarmigan
Date: Aug 6 22:45:08 2008
From: Louise Rutter - louise.rutter at eelpi.gotdns.org


I took advantage of a day off work to hit Burroughs, out of Sunrise in Mount
Rainier National Park today. I went up via Frozen Lake - the reports of
steep snowfields on the Shadow Lake trial didn't inspire me as I know that
trail too well, especially on a day with wind. (The park ranger I ran into
on the way back down agreed with me.)



Walking up to first Burroughs, the gray-crowned rosy-finches were calling
noisily above. They weren't close to the trail, quite a way up the scree
slope, but following the noise and watching for them flitting between rocks
was easy enough, with the give-away grey wings. With patience, I got some
nice looks at the landed birds, completing my Washington finch list for the
year. Up on the top of first Burroughs, a single juvenile horned lark was
running about among the alpine flower show.



On the path up to Second Burroughs, I finally found my lifer white-tailed
ptarmigan, after various unsuccessful hunts last year. She was a most
cooperative example of her species, wandering across the path three feet in
front of me in pursuit of her half-grown brood of six. My huge apologies to
the birder couple I passed only ten minutes before, but I'm just not fit and
healthy enough to go for a run at 7000 feet right after a mile-long climb,
and I didn't know for sure which path you decided to take down. I managed a
repeat of your prairie falcon fly-by, but if it's any consolation at all, I
missed the goats...



Some very nice species picks, but it was a fairly birdless day overall, with
only a common raven at the top of second Burroughs and some dark-eyed juncos
to add to the list, plus a Clark's Nutcracker that flew past the car on the
drive up to Sunrise. If only the birds has been as prevalent as the
mosquitoes. Take the bug spray! I was only bitten once in the car park
before I got the repellent on, but every time I stopped for a minute to
drink or snack, I was surrounded by hovering plagues, which was unpleasant
enough in itself. I've never actually found them right at the top of Second
Burroughs before; clearly they were feeling hardy.



Louise Rutter

Kirkland