Subject: [Tweeters] Another Okanogan and Douglas Co. BIRD REPORT...
Date: Feb 23 10:17:22 2009
From: Khanh Tran - fsprucegrouse at yahoo.com


Hi all,

Sorry for another banal and lackluster report but here it is...

I had a fun time birding with Ned McGarry (Lake Sammamish) this weekend. Weather, company, and quality of birds made it a great experience. It was nice to meet and exchange notes with Matt Pike and his pa. Always a great pleasure to see birders get 'lifers'!

I am always interested to see what transitions during this time of year in the Okanogan. Well, heck--- year round to be honest:) Definitely one of my slower bird trips this winter in terms of numbers and diversity.

Noticeably absent on this trip and winter were large flocks of Snow Bunting. We did not see one bird this trip.

This winter the largest flock reported in both counties consisted of 500-700 birds in the Okanogan Highlands near Davies Rd. Cameron Lake Rd produced very few buntings as I have seen up to 1000 birds in 2007 here and other several sizable flocks in the Highlands in past winters. I suspect some may started moving North already with not much snow pack or snow cover this year.

************Here is our list of SPECIES found*********************

YELLOW BILLED LOON: The straw colored bird was very distinctive as it fed with along the Common Loons. We were thrilled to study the loonies about 75 yards from our car. Lighting and water reflection was excellent.

NORTHERN HAWK OWL: The magnificient owl was abit subdued on both days. On Sunday it was perched really low on a tree on B NE and 15th.

NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL: The kitten-like bird still persists at Brideport State Park. I photographed the pellets and placed a nickel for size comparison.

NORTHERN PYGMY OWL: (A total of 5 visual birds) Birds were scattered in the Okanogan Highlands on Havillah, Chesaw, Bolster, and Dry Gulch Rd. A couple of them were down low and had great looks.

BARRED OWL; One bird in the Havillah Sno-Park before dusk.

GREAT HORNED OWL; (9 birds total). Eight birds on Havillah, Molson, and Nealey Rd in Okanogan Highlands. Other bird was at Mansfield Cemetery and one on a nest on Central Ferry Canyon Rd.

PRAIRIE FALCON: One bird along Spring Coulee Rd near Okanogan,WA. Crippling looks at one about 2 car lengths away. Gorgeous falcon!

MERLIN: 1 bird along Hwy 97 towards Orondo area.

ROUGH LEGGED HAWK; About 4 birds on the trip total.

SHARP TAILED GROUSE: (7 birds) We flushed a group of 5 birds on the ground near a drainage on Happy Hill Rd. They must have been roosting there early morning. We had 1 bird close to the road and a distant one in heavy fog. Numbers decreasing since December as birds are dispersing elsewhere.

RUFFED GROUSE; (1 bird) One elegant red morph, pollo-poulet along Pontiac Ridge Rd.

NORTHERN SHRIKE: (6 birds total). Birds found in Chesaw, Bridgeport,and Mansfield. One vocal bird near the Harris Sparrow site on Moe and Grange
Rd.

PYGMY NUTHATCH: We had a few birds feeding on large cones at eye level and close on Central Ferry Rd.

TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE: 2 birds on Salmon Creek Rd near Conconully.

BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS; (5 flocks total about 100 birds) Several small fleeting flocks at Bridgeport State Park, Central Ferry Canyon Rd, and Leavenworth.

GRAY CROWNED ROSYFINCHES; (Roughly 170 birds in three locations) A flock of 100 birds on Grange Rd, 50 on Nealey Rd and dozen birds on Hungry Hollow Rd in the Okanogan Highlands.

Flocks consist of both interior and coastal forms. Some of the Baskin Robbins flavor-of-the-month snowbirds are starting to melt more chocolate and less raspberry for spring. Beaks are starting to be more licorce colored in tone. Always a treat to watch.

PINE GROSBEAKS: (20 birds total). A flock of 20 on Mary Ann Creek Rd. Birds gleaning seeds on ground and eating needles on trees.

EVENING GROSBEAKS; A small flock of 10 birds in Conconully. Haven't seen very many birds this past winter. Love their calls.

COMMON REDPOLL; A flock of 75 bird on Mary Ann Creek Rd. We got to watch them up close off and on for 20 minutes.

HOARY REDPOLL; A possible one as I zoned in on a very pale bird with a clean rump on a river birch tree about 10 yards away. Ned was not able to get on it right away but we both did see a clearly pale bird flying with the main flock. Would have liked to have longer looks to confirm. These birds are always jittery and kept disappearing in and out of snow depressions upslope while feeding on weedy material.

RED CROSSBILLS: A flock of 20 birds near the ponderosa pines on Central Ferry Rd. We had close looks of one pair feeding each other.

WHITE WINGED CROSSBILLS; (12 birds total). We re-found the flock that was seen 2 weeks ago in Conconully. This time the birds were much higher up on a cone laden conifer on La-Una and Esther Rd. Nevertheless, these exquisite birds were glorious in sunny light. Great fun to see them pick up the cones and rip them apart. At times small seed debris were flying around us and had falling cones as well!

Conconully is a great little town and has proven productive for me over the last 3 winters. The restrooms in the State Park are heated for your derriere--a nice perk, indeed.

http://www.pbase.com/spruce_grouse/okanogan_winter_&page=all

Good birding from the Okanogan addict. There are worse addictions:)

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)