This morning Tracey Norris and I ventured to Mount Rainier at the Sunrise access. We hiked the Mount Fremont and 1st Burroughs Mountain Trails, then looped back around the 1st Burroughs Mountain back to the parking lot for a total of 7.4 miles of hiking. Glorious day up there with little wind, great birds and butterflies. Mosquitos were pretty heavy unfortunately.



To the birds, the highlight being 4 White-tailed Ptarmigan 1 femaile with 4 fluff-ball chicks following her around seen on the rocky slope of the 1st Burroughs Mountain trail, just before the trail crosses a large snow field. Also in this area were 10 Gray-crowned Rosy Finch.



The other highlight, for me at least, was a female Mountain Bluebird with chicks nesting in of all places the grated attic vent above the Sunrise Ranger Station and Gift shop.



Here is the full list from our visit 7:45-12:45.



White-tailed Ptarmigan - 5 (1 Ad. female, 4 chicks)

American Kestrel - 1 Mount Fremont trail

Hummer sp. 9 - zooming by quickly most likely Rufous

Hammond's Flycatcher - 1 Near the parking lot.

Gray Jay - 4 Shadow Lake

Clark's Nutcracker - 7 Parking Lot and Shadow Lake

Horned Lark - 4 Mount Fremont trail

Mountain Chickadee - 2 Sunrise picnic area

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2 Shadow Lake

Mountain Bluebird - 5 (1 Ad. female 4 chicks presumed, they were begging loudly).

American Robin - 5 - Shadow Lake

Varied Thrush - 1 Shadow Lake

American Pipit - 4 Burroughs

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4 Shadow Lake

Chipping Sparrow - 2 Sunrise Picnic area

Dark-eyed Junco - 21 - Various

Fox Sparrow (Slate-colored) - 1 Main trail towards Frozen Lake - Singing

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch - 10 Burroughs

Pine Siskin - 2 Shadow Lake



Many Yellow-pine Chipmunks, Cascade Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrels, Hoary Marmots and Pika around, and 1 Elk seen.



Cheers



Ryan Shaw

Tacoma

rtshaw80 at hotmail.com

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