Hi all,

This weekend Blake Matheson and I had a successful and fun birding and photography trip to Douglas and Okanogan Counties. It was mostly clear and sunny the entire time, with some interesting birds. It was nice to exchange a few hugs and handshakes with Ruth Sullivan and Stefan Schlick's WOS group during our brief meeting at Bridgeport State Park.

Being of this late in the winter, noticeably absent were redpolls and white winged crossbills, while numbers of evening grosbeaks and Cassin's finches has significantly increased. A dozen or so Northern shrikes and Rough Legged Hawk were easily seen in many locations. Many red winged blackbirds were on territory singing away.

We started our trip in the town of Leavenworth (quite birdy) and ended our birding route on the Waterville Plateau. We had fewer bird species but quality extented looks of many birds.

Website: http://www.pbase.com/spruce_grouse/recent_photos


Town of LEAVENWORTH, WA (East Leavenworth Rd):

30 plus Evening Grosbeaks
50 plus Bohemian Waxwings
30 plus Cassin's Finches
10 plus Red Crossbills

BRIDGEPORT STATE PARK:

4 Tundra Swans (Moe Rd)
1 White Pelican
1 Northern SawWhet Owl
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Say's Phoebe
25 Bohemian Waxwings (in park)
100 plus Bohemian Waxwings (Central Ferry Canyon Rd)

MANSFIELD and surrounding areas:

1 Snowy Owl (H NE and 15th)
1 Prairie Falcon (Mansfield)
20 plus Snow Buntings (Withow)
30 plus Gray Patridge (Withow)

CAMERON LAKE RD:

20 PLUS snow buntings
2 Red Crossbills

CONCONULLY:

1 Prairie Falcon
15 Sharp Tailed Grouse
10 plus Cassin's finches
20 plus Gray Crowned Rosyfinches (Riverside Cutoff Rd)
50 plus Bohemian Waxwings

HAVILLAH, CHESAW AND MOLSON AREA:

8 Common Goldeneye (Molson Lake)
5 Ruffed Grouse (Mary Ann Crk and Hungry Hollow Rd)
3 Northern Pygmy Owls (Bolster, Beaver Lake, and Havillah)
6 Great horned owls
8 Gray patridges (Grange Rd)
3 Gray Jays
3 Clark's Nutcracker
3 Evening Grosbeaks
12 American Tree Sparrows
2 Slate colored Junco
30 plus Gray crown rosyfinch (both forms)
100 plus Red Crossbills
200 plus Bohemian Waxwings (Havillah Rd, Dry Gulch Extenstion)
1 Dipper

Good birding to you,

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)