Hey Tweets,
some additional observations to report from last weekend at the Okanogan.
Myself, Bob Stallcop, Jeff Cohen, and Dave Richardson used the long weekend to blast around the Okanogan highlands and Waterville plateau. We had great looks at many of the birds present (YB Loon, Saw-whet Owl, N Hawk Owl, GC Rosy-finch, etc) that have been reported already. Here are some other observations:
On sunday, we located 5 GREAT-HORNED OWLS in the Okanogan highlands, 4 of them out and visible during the day. One at the barn on Grange and Nealy, one on the road into Chesaw (at noon standing in the open on a hillside), one down in a creek bottom, and one on a power pole outside Havillah. The last we heard only at the Havillah sno-park at dusk (above the last meadow). We also located one on a nest on the Waterville Plateau on monday.
At the Havillah snow park in the morning, we had GRAY JAY and CLARKS NUTCRACKER.
The highlight of the Okanogan was a flock of 10 GRAY PARTRIDGE at Chesaw, on Brewster road. They were out in the open, but under a large tree, and they did not flush when we approached, but did this sllooooowwww motion walk across the snow into the brush. For several minutes, while we were less than 100 feet away, they crept (one slow step at a time) across the 10 feet towards the brush. You could barely notice they were walking, and only noticed if you looked away, then looked back. Fascinating behaviour that we had never seen before.
We located a flock of about 60 COMMON REDPOLL on Nine-Mile road west of Molson. We also found a nice mixed flock of MOUNTAIN and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, PYGMY NUTHATCHES, and a CLARKS NUTCRACKER.

Monday we located the SHARP-TAILED GROUSE at Scotch creek, about 8 individuals. While there we saw GOLDEN EAGLE, RED CROSSBILL, a fly-over MERLIN, NORTHERN SHRIKE, and 4 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS. The shrike was really chasing the sparrows, and nearly got one as we watched!

We dipped on the Gyrfalcon, but did manage to locate the SNOWY OWL outside of Mansfield on monday.
No Snow Buntings all weekend.

And My nemesis bird continues, the mythical Pine Grosbeak. I've spent 3-4 long weekends the last 4 years over there, and have NEVER seen a Pine Grosbeak up there. Sigh. My only one for the state, I saw in Kennewick !!
So if anyone has suggestions on how to break that jinx, PLEASE let me know!

And It was GREAT to bump into all the birders out there this last weekend. The WOS field trip, the Tahoma Audobohn group, and especially nice to meet Meridith Spencer !!! Thank you all for the tips while we were out there, and for posting before we left! It was a blast!

Guy McWethy
Renton, WA
mailto: lguy_mcw at yahoo.com