Tweeters,

On Thursday, as my son and I were working our way toward the Hawk Owl location near Mansfield from the east on 15 road NW (Delorme) we encountered a flock of Spruce Grouse at a house at the intersection of Pioneer School Road and A Road NE. There was heavy fog and light snow, and the family dog raised a fuss as we approached in the vehicle. A flock of about 20 heavy bodied dark gray birds flushed from a brush pile into the tall fir trees around the dwelling. They stayed well hiden in the trees as I left the SUV and approached on foot. At one point I got a brief but clear look at the head of one bird: It had a black neck and distinctive white markings in front of the eye and extending down the otherwise black throat.. I concluded after some study that these white markings eliminated Blue Grouse, while the overall heavy profile and dark gray appearance ruled out other upland game birds.The retiring behavior also seemed right for Spruce Grouse.

As I am visiting from SC and had never before seen this species, I welcome commnets on this ID. I don't know how unusual this report may be, but since I haven't seen it mentioned on Tweeters I thought I should note it.

Had a good week overall-didn't get lost in the Okanogan and got photos of Northern Pigmy Owl, Townsend's Solitaire, and Gray-crowned Rosy-finch.
Always good to see so many Bald Eagles and Ravens, which were the most common birds in many areas. I left quite a few for my next winter trip to Washington. Worst miss was Bohemian Waxwing, which I'm 90% sure I saw fly across at 6-10 feet altitude as I drove through Snoqualmie Pass on Thursday. Of course, there was no way to pull over and check them out, so they'll probably remain just a near miss.

Thanks for all your help. Next time I'll join up with a planned trip to the Okanogan if possible. What a beautiful area.

Steve Compton
Soon to return to Greenville,SC

PS: Oh, we never did see the Hawk Owl