Hi all,

I led another successful 3-day, birding trip to the Okanogan and Waterville Plateau areas. The weather was clear and cold the very first day and later, under partly cloudy skies with light flurries. The birding has picked up a lot from previous trips but patience and persistence is still required to see these EXTREMELY nomadic birds.

With lighter snow covered areas, we had great diversity and decent numbers of raptors, shrikes, and other wintering finches. However, only two small redpoll flocks were found the entire three days. I also had time to explore some new areas on my last free day. It was definitely one of my most productive wintering bird trips in the past two winters. I am still new to the area and there is plenty to explore! Pine grosbeaks numbers were way higher last year as I had up to one hundred birds in the Methow Valley in one day. Others are down in numbers as well except for White-winged crossbills!

Highlights included seeing 7 owl species (8 Northern Pygmy owls-and no tooting needed); close encounters with BOTH Gray-crowned rosyfinch subspecies (littoralis and tephrocotis form); singing white-winged and red crossbills; the scenic drive along Nine Mile Rd near Molson; and chatting with Lee Johnson in Wauconda, WA. It was also nice to meet Meredith S., Richard H, and Scott D.

Also, I was extremely lucky and thrilled to get decent photos of the some of my favorite wintering birds under beautiful settings. Managed to get photos of both forms of rosyfinch subspecies.

http://www.pbase.com/spruce_grouse/recent_photos&page=all

Here is the trip report:

Okanogan Highlands: (Chesaw, Havillah, Molson)

3 Ruffed Grouse (Mary Ann Crk Rd)
2 Golden eagle (Mary Ann Crk Rd)
1 Northern Goshawk adult (Nine Mile Rd)
3 Northern Pygmy Owl (Bolster, W. Lost Lake, and Mary Ann Ck)
1 Great Gray Owl (Havillah Rd)
1 Barred Owl on wire (near Snow Park)
200 plus Snow buntings (Havillah Rd near Nealy intersection)
100 plus Snow buntings (Davies Rd)
15 Common Redpolls (Mary Ann Crk Rd)
15 American Tree Sparrow (Havillah Rd)
60 Gray crown Rosy finches (Nealy Rd)
200 plus Gray crown Rosy finches (Nine Mile Rd)
10 White winged crossbills (one singing male!)
20 White winged crossbills (Mary Ann Crk and Poland China Rd)
100 plus Red Crossbills (many sing males and got to see a nice variety of ages/sexes on gravel Rd)
2 Dipper (Beaver Lake)
2 Virginia Rails (Beaver Lake)

Wauconda area: (Toroda Creek)

1 Sharp Shinned hawk (Bunch Rd)
4 Northern Pygmy owl (4 birds within one mile strip near Bonaparte Creek)
6 Gray Patridge (Bunch Rd)
5 Clark?s Nutcracker
2 Pine Grosbeak (Toroda Creek Rd)
20 Common Redpolls (Toroda Creek Rd)

Conconully:

30 Sharp tailed grouse (Happy Hill Rd)
1 Northern Goshawk immature (in town)
1 Great horned owl (Conconully Rd)

Cameron Lake Rd: (very quiet-no snow buntings as last year I had up to 700 birds or more)

1 Gyrfalcon (fly-by bird off Snyder Flat Cut-off Rd)

Twisp and Winthrop, WA:

1 Northern Pymgy owl (Winthrop near Sun Lodge)
50 plus Bald Eagles (along Hwy 153 and in town)
2 Northern Goshawk adults ( Pearrygin Lake State Park, and Twisp Rd Road)
2 Pine Grosbeaks (Twisp)
100 Bohemian Waxwings (Winthrop)
100 plus Bohemian Waxwings (Twisp)


Bridgeport State Park:

2 Northern Saw-whet Owls
2 Great Horned Owls
1 Merlin
1 Harris Sparrow
1 American Tree Sparrow
100 plus Bohemian Waxwings
1 Townsend?s solitarie

Bridgeport Bar: (Grange and Moe Rd)

100 plus Bohemian Waxwings (near pullout parking lot)
200 plus Bohemian Waxwings (near Moe Rd)
20 plus White crowned sparrows
2 American Tree Sparrows

Waterville Plateau:

3 Cooper?s Hawk
1 Gyrfalcon perched on 4th telephone pole (Dyer Hill/24 NE)
1 Prairie falcon (Bridgeport Hill Rd)
2 Snowy owl (6 and F NW, H NE and 16th)
1 Long eared owl (Hertiage Rd)
40 Gray patridges (town of Withow, and McNeil Canyon Rd)
3 Clark?s Nutcracker (along pines at Central Ferry Canyon Rd)
3 Lapland Longspurs (near Mansfield along Hwy 172)
200 plus Snow buntings (near Mansfield along Hwy 172)
15 Red crossbills (along Central Ferry Canyon Rd)

It was a fantastic weekend filled with scenic beauty, fine birding, and getting to socialize with quality, friendly birders. I definitely need a much-needed break with all the driving (average 1400 miles per trip). My tennis game is significantly suffering. ?

Good birding,

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)