Tweets,

Dave Swayne and I did a weekend backpack to Ingalls Lake with a side
trip to Long Pass. Weather was delightfully cool and mostly bug free,
both bonuses this time of year. Spent the night just below the trailhead
and were serenaded by a GREAT-HORNED OWL sometime past midnight.

On the way up, main characters were CHIPPING SPARROW and CASSIN'S FINCH,
plus a few OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN TANAGER and TOWNSEND'S
WARBLER. Just below Headlight Basin, we had a flock of SOOTY GROUSE,
including mom and at least 6 chicks, a couple already showing the
blue-gray terminal band on the tail. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER were
everywhere, at every elevation, plus we had scattered appearances from
TOWNSEND'S, NASHVILLE and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, even at timberline.
There were over a dozen AMERICAN PIPIT at the lake, plus a SPOTTED
SANDPIPER.

The detour to Longs Pass on the way out turned out to be a good
decision. At the pass, over 6200 feet, we had a mixed flock of ground
feeders that included more CHIPPING SPARROW, plus MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and
a young BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. CASSIN'S FINCH and WESTERN TANAGER were
about. We had great views of an adult and 3 juvenile WILLIAMSON'S
SAPSUCKER at the pass and on the way down the trail. Also, there were
distant views of BLACK SWIFT and close views of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW.
The most exciting appearance was when an AMERICAN KESTREL chased a
PRAIRIE FALCON up and over the ridge. The kestrel then perched, and we
watched the falcon make a quick loop over the ridge, then tuck into a
tight dive with the result, unfortunately, out of our view.

On the drive back home, we spotted a flock of maybe 25 WILD TURKEY in
the fields along the Teanaway, plus solitary OSPREY and TURKEY VULTURE
were seen from the interstate just east of Cle Elum. Trip list follows.

Scott Ramos
Seattle

*Ingalls Lake and Long Pass
August 14-16, 2009*
Sooty Grouse
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Prairie Falcon
Spotted Sandpiper
Great Horned Owl
Black Swift
Rufous Hummingbird
Williamson's Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Gray Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Mountain Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
American Pipit
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brown-headed Cowbird
Cassin's Finch
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak