Tweets,



Nancy and I woke to see the sun shining and decided to take advantage and
have a go at FS Road 70 east of Greenwater on the King-Pierce County line se
of Enumclaw to see how close to the Naches Pass trail we could get. We took
along our snowshoes, just in case, and good thing we did.



The main road (FSR 70) was blocked by snow at about mp 13, which is about 3
miles short of the end of the road at the lower meadow and about 3.5 miles
from the cabin at the main Government Meadow. Basically snow all the way up
from there, but nevertheless lots of Hermit and Varied Thrushes in song,
Townsend's, Yellow-rumped, and Wilson's Warblers, a Warbling Vireo or two, a
couple of Olive-sided Flycatchers, singing Fox and Lincoln's Sparrows,
Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, singing Cassin's Finches, and a single
chortling PINE GROSBEAK, the last named where the trail approaches the lower
Government Meadows forest border.



Just inside the forest border along the main Naches Trail we heard a soft
tapping and then the hollow "wick" call of a non-Hairy Woodpecker. Finally
spotted the bird: a female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, busily flaking, my first
for the county. Judging by the piles of flaked bark beneath several dead
trees in the vicinity three-toed woodpeckers of one sort or another have
likely been hard at work here all winter.



It will likely be two more weeks before it will be possible to drive to the
trail head at the end of FSR 70, but it was a nice 7 mile snowshoe hike
through a mix of sun and showers.



Gene Hunn

18476 47th Pl NE

Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

enhunn323 at comcast.net