On the way to
Boundary Campground where 5 car loads of birders met Thursday night, a couple
of cars made a stop at Biscuit Ridge in Walla Walla County. We stopped in the S-curves and Wilson Cady
heard a chirping by one of the young Great Gray Owls and we had great looks. Not far up we called in a Green-tailed Towhee
from the road.



Our route
Friday began a Boundary Campground and headed north down to Pataha Creek where
we had Belted Kingfisher, tough in Garfield County, and 4 Great Horned Owls. Peola Road heading east was very productive
with such birds as Rock Wren, Sage Thrasher, Chukar, Gray Partridge, Prairie
Falcon, and 2 Short-eared Owls. At Evans
Road Pond west of Clarkston a silent Sora walked out onto the mud in the shadows
and gave us all great views. We next
stopped to check on peeps at Swallows Park with 1 Least and a few Western
Sandpipers. It was getting hot weather
wise as we started up Asotin Creek.
Lunch was at Wickiup Wickiup Campground where it was much cooler. No Green-tailed Towhees could be found below
Wenatchee Guard Station. At the
Garfield/Asotin County line a Turkey Vulture was seen going back and forth
along the ridge. We birded our way west
back into Garfield County going to Diamond Peak Trailhead. On the way we stopped to check out a super
good looking Clematis growing below the road with many blooms on it. It was nice to finally get to Misery Springs
Campground where it was much cooler. A
Varied Thrush was seen by some below camp.
We tried for Barred and Boreal Owls.
No vocal response was heard, but a Boreal did fly through camp most
likely responding to the I-pod. This is
close to where Patrick Sullivan and I had a Boreal (10-1-95). These owls are very quiet during the summer
months, but occasionally they have been seen in the Oregon part of the Blue
Mountains in the summer.



The following
day we headed south down the steep FR 40 being in Asotin County most of the
day. Tim O?Brien hooted up a Northern
Pygmy Owl. Grouse Flats did produce a
hen Ruffed Grouse and sat in the middle of the road for a long time. The Grande Ronde River was super hot so we
headed up Rattlesnake Grade and found a Red-eyed Vireo sitting on a nest with
her tail sticking out on one side and her head twisted back hanging out the
other side of the nest watching us. At
Fields Spring State Park we had both Williamson?s and Red-naped
Sapsuckers. Chestnut-backed Chickadees
we down near the entrance to the park, but would not respond to the I-pod and
show themselves. Again the temperature
was hot as we headed for Wenatchee Guard Station and Misery Springs. We stayed up late that night trying for the
elusive Boreal Owl who did not show.
Hard to figure why they have to be so sneaky flying around in the
sub-alpine firs. It should be much
easier to see and hear in late September.



Sunday we
headed north down Scoggin Ridge and down Blind Grade. Grasshopper Sparrows were in their
appropriate habitat. At Last Chance
Store a pair of Cordilleran Flycatchers gave us all great looks. Rainbow Lakes fish hatchery pond was very low
and waiting for a Solitary Sandpiper where they are seen often in August. A Gray Flycatcher was gathering food along
the shore of Rainbow Lake and flew up the dry pine forested hillside. Figured it must be nesting. Upstream we found Lewis?s Woodpeckers and
head a Yellow-breasted Chat. Again it
was getting very warm. At Godman Springs
we had an American Three-toed Woodpecker and 2 Brown Creepers responded well to
playing the I-pod with one landing on the tree trunk just 3 feet away from the
I-pod. On our way to Tepee Trailhead we
found a pair of Wilson?s Warblers, very tough to find in the Blue Mt. as
breeders. At Tepee Trailhead we had
Northern Goshawk, Sharp-shinned, Turkey Vulture, and Nashville Warbler. The following morning a Cooper?s Hawk flew
over our camp making all three accipiters seen there.



Monday
morning was very windy. At Lewis and
Clark Trail State Park was a calling Veery and a Black-crowned Night-Heron in
the bushes along the pond south of the rest area. At Lewis Peak in Walla Walla County we had
another Northern Goshawk flying over the wheat fields and 2 Green-tailed
Towhees up higher. We could not locate
Green-tailed Towhees or Great Gray Owls on Biscuit Ridge, but did have Cordilleran
Flycatchers and Veeries 7.0 miles up Biscuit Ridge Rd. Tom Lamb still has all three hummingbirds and
he was glad to show them off to all of us.



It was great
to bird with the group who had never seen this part of Washington before and we saw not only lots of birds, but saw
lots of blooming plants and great views of the rugged Blue Mountains. Most the group was county listing and we
managed to get out of the counties just as many were sitting on 99 species
making it a great excuse to return to some of Washington?s finest scenery.



Ken Knittle
Vancouver WA 98665
mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com
Washington Birder online
http://www.wabirder.com/