Hello all from MerryLynn,
After Mike left for work this morning I decided to hike up N. Fork Coppei
Creek - in the ice, snow, slush, and creeks running down the road in places!
At the last corner before the straight stretch to the top I stopped and
whistled Pymy Owl - then listened. A Varied Thrush flew across the road into
the brush up above the bank - as I was watching him I noticed a bird sitting
in a small P. Pine - then I found two more - soft gray with pale gold caps -
yes Pine Grosbeaks!!! Bird #100 for Walla Walla county for the year! I was
able to watch these birds for 3 min. as they flew down to the snow-smashed
weedy ground and picked around - then back up into the pine. Then suddenly
they took off and flew around the corner - and there were six of them - one
looked a little more colorful on the head - a young male. They never made a
sound.
On the way up I also tried for Pygmy Owl - with no luck yet on the way down
just past where the Indigo Bunting was last June I could hear two of these
little owls duetting - and finally found one of them. I also had a pair of
noisy Pileated Woodpeckers both up and down - hope they nest in the area.
Other birds:
Winter Wren - one bird at the bottom of the hill.
Black-capped Chickadee - 2 birds - no Mountains or Chestnut-backed.
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1 bird - no Ruby-crowned.
Steller's Jay - heard one in the distance.
No other woodpeckers or finches at all and no juncos - all in all very quiet
up there.
Minnick Hill is still closed due to high snowbank - so you have to go to
McCowan road and back to Coppei if you decide to head up there. Lewis Peak
has better access to high country so may be a better spot to drive up and
check.
Poor Mike got to hear all about it at lunch but had to go back to work.
Later, MerryLynn
..................................................................................
Mike and MerryLynn Denny
Birding the beautiful Walla Walla Valley

If you have not birded, you have not lived