Hi all,

This weekend, Steve Nord and I had a fun and productive birding trip to the Okanogan and Douglas Counties. Overall, the birding was rather slow, but we were successful at finding almost all of our target, wintering finch and raptor species. Numbers of these wintering species are much lower than last winter; pine grosbeaks are noticeably absent, while it is a good year for White-winged crossbills.

I cannot emphasize enough, the success for finding these elusive, mobile wintering birds require persistence, patience, and ALOT of luck!! Also, I have extensively scouted and birded this area since November, visiting these areas at least twice a month. It is a BIG area with plenty of good habitat and feeding locations for the birds.

Before I get into the detailed trip report, highlights included at least one definitive HOARY REDPOLL and one questionable bird (photo included), a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL feasting on a mouse, and an acrobatic flock of GRAY CROWN ROSYFINCHES. A few WHITE WINGED CROSSBILLS were seen and as well as a small, fly-by flock. It was nice to meet Gary Fredericks whose earlier reports have been instrumental in my successful trips to the Okanogan.

Golden eagles, Bald eagles, Cooper Hawk's and Northern Shrikes were seen in many locations. Noticeably absent were larger numbers of Rough legged Hawks.

It was great to get diagnostic views of at least one definitive HOARY REDPOLL and another probable bird mixed in with a flock of 15 COMMON REDPOLLS. The birds were skittish at first while feeding on the road, but soon calmed down as they actively fed on the catkins. We then methodically and carefully focused all of our attention to the palest bird, frosty bird with a light rear scapulars, faintly streaked sides, clear undertail coverts and a stubby little bill. It was quite active and fed in the denser areas of the tree so getting photos of it was difficult.

We were confident that it was a HOARY after studying the bird for at least 5 minutes as it fed. And just when the flock flew away from the catkins, they decided to land about 15 feet from my jeep on the graveled road to fed on the grit. Luckily, the paler bird of the two, decided to reveal his true identity by 'flashing' his clean, white rump, several times. It squatted down with it's back facing us as it spreads it wings. It was white, as white can be with no streaking. It's back was also noticeably paler in appearance.

We cheered with joy after getting excellent looks at these diagnostic field marks! Our first clean look of a hoary with all the field marks and a lifer for Steve!! Nothing wrong with being flashed by a hoary, cottontail :)

As a result of my excitment, I focused my viewfinder and camera on the other frosty, pale HOARY that was not as obvious or distinctive. It was a challenge to take a shot of the target bird and keeping track of it with my binoculars at the same time. Both birds were very pale and quite active. I pished and tried playbacks to get the birds closer to us for better photos but no success. However, I was able to get some decent shots of the probable HOARY, that wasn't as pale and had a small streak in the undertail coverts. The definitive bird, had absolutely none.

In a sense, we were lucky to have a small flock to comb through. About a month ago, I had to sort through at least 250 plus birds, to see two Hoaries. This was rather challenging accomplishment but the efforts paid off. Redpolls in large flocks can be quite jittery especially upon close approach for photos or studies.

I have included photos of the second (questionable bird) on my website. This bird is also frosty in appearance, has a light back, lightly streaked, only a single streak on the undertail coverts, and a stubby bill.

Credentials for correct identification of definitive bird: Steve Nord (excellent, sharp birder) has 35 years plus of birding experience, I have 25 years and have seen over 1000 Common Redpolls and 3 Hoaries in the past two winters.

I have made a few comments below each redpoll photo.

http://www.pbase.com/spruce_grouse/redpoll_gallery

Here is the report:

OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS: (Chesaw, Havillah, and Oroville)

4 Chukars (Fanchers Rd)
8 Turkeys
1 flyby GYRFALCON (Mary Ann Creek Rd)
1 flyby NORTHERN GOSHAWK (Havillah Rd)
1 Peregrine falcon (Hwy 97, 5 miles before Tonasket)
60 GRAY CROWNED ROSY FINCHES (Nealy Rd)
15 plus COMMON REDPOLLS (Hungry Hollow Rd)
1 HOARY REDPOLL(maybe two birds)
2 immature/female WHITE WINGED CROSSBILLS (Chesaw Rd)
small flock of WHITE WINGED CROSSBILLS (Nealy Rd)
50 plus Red Crossbills
40 plus SNOW BUNTINGS (Lost Lake Rd)
2 PINE GROSBEAKS (Havillah Rd)
2 Slate colored Juncos (Nealy Rd)

CONCONULLY/OKANOGAN:

4 SHARP TAILED GROUSE (Conconully/Happy Hill Rd) at noon
120 BOHEMIAN WAXINGS

BRIDGEPORT STATE PARK/Town of Bridgeport

1 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL
2 Cooper's Hawk (one who was successful at getting a varied thrush)
1 Merlin (pursuing a small song bird)
1 Townsend's Solitaire
40 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS
40 SNOW BUNTINGS (Cameron Lake Rd)

WATERVILLE PLATEAU:

250 plus Horned Larks (numbers are increasing)
70 plus SNOW BUNTINGS (K NE)
Several possible SAGE GROUSE tracks in the snow (near Hertiage Rd)
8 GRAY PATRIDGE (F NW)
1 Golden Eagle

Good birding to you!

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)