Subject: [Tweeters] WA birds 5/22-25 from east to west: Kittitas, Okanogan,
Date: May 27 08:06:51 2010
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com



Tweeters:



Just finished a four-day trip to find Dusky and Sooty Grouse for some east-coast guests. We found them both up close and much more in a wide-ranging trip that began at Wenas and concluded in n.e. Clallam County. Highlights of the 150 bird species included:



5 alcid species, including four TUFTED PUFFINS (1 just leaving Keystone, 3 by BJ nearing Port Townsend) from Keystone-PT ferry 5/24

Long-eared Owl: heard near Winthrop (River's Run Inn) 5/24

Short-eared Owl: seen dusk just s.e. of Soap Lake 5/22

FLAMMULATED OWL heard only on piney slope along FS Rd 100 (approx 2 mi west of east end confluence with Boesel Canyon, north of Grizzly Mt, DeLorme Atlas 9th Edition, p 19, F9)

Gray Flycatcher: after two at Wenas 5/22, one in Winthrop 5/23, two more at Early Winters campground in OKANOGAN (Arrowleaf Trail) 5/25

Veery: FOS along Chewuk R in Winthrop 5/23

10 warbler sp including HERMIT X TOWNSEND'S HYBRID about .3 mile up Cedar Creek trail off Hwy 20 5/24, OKANOGAN has a very few Hermit Warbler records (fide WA Birder)

HERMIT X TOWNSEND'S HYBRID apparently mated to a male HERMIT WARBLER seen point-blank range up FS 28 (2880 on some maps), approx. 4 miles south of Dungeness Forks campground 5/25 (DeLorme p. 44, A/B-3), extreme n.e. edge of OP range

another HERMIT WARBLER (male) at confluence of FS 28 (2880) and turnoff for East Crossing camp, approx. 2.5 mi south of Dungeness Forks near dusk 5/24 in mixed flock of Townsend's, YR Aud, one Bl-thr Gray (as previous), extreme n.e. edge of OP range

GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW: very late 5/23 and out of range at Rendezvous Pass in OKANOGAN (DeLorme p 19, F9)



Quick stop Corkindale powerline crossing, central SKAGIT 5/24: 3 BANK SWALLOWS, one EASTERN, two WESTERN KINGBIRDS; one Lazuli Bunting; one Bullock's Oriole heard singing



Also saw BLACK BEAR near Hurricane Ridge and a wide variety of other mammalia here and elsewhere; Harbor Seal (pup) and Harbor Porpoise from Kingston-Edmonds ferry 5/25. Mule Deer were too abundant to miss near Winthrop 5/23-24; three White-tailed Deer were between Winthrop and Mazama also, 5/24. Abundant wildflowers on east slope chiefly, including showy Larkspurs (Delphinium sp), various Lupines (Lupinus sp), Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), among many others.



Scott Atkinson

Lake Stevens

mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com





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