Tweeters,

I spent four days this past weekend backpacking, camping, and doing some birding with Cliff Rice at Mt. Rainier. Most our time was spent in the vicinity of Winthrop Glacier on the north side of the mountain, which we hiked to from Sunrise. The birding was rather slow overall, although we did spend a few rewarding hours in an alpine meadow with scattered snowfields at 6,500-7,000 feet. American Pipits were the most common species there, followed by Gray-crowned Rosy Finches. We observed at least two juvenile rosy finches, including one that was begging from its parent. We also saw several Savanna Sparrows there, which are rare in the park during the summer according to my checklist. The best sighting in the meadow was a PRAIRIE FALCON, which flew past me clutching a small bird, probably either a pipit or rosy finch. Some of the other species seen in the park included a male Sooty Grouse calling from a perch 30 feet high in a conifer, Downy
Woodpecker, Fox Sparrow, American Dipper, and several Rufous Hummingbirds out on the moraine of the glacier.

We also had three or more Common Nighthawks foraging at about 7:30 pm in the village of Greenwater on our way home.

Gary Wiles
Olympia, WA
wilesharkey at yahoo.com