Hi Tweets

Eastside Audubon took a trip to the Methow Valley over the last weekend (30, 31 July - 1 August 2011). The day started out fine, but as we turned off toward Arlington we became enveloped in fog. This lasted until just before Darrington, and as a result our bird count stood at 1 AMERICAN ROBIN. Our first stop was at Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport. There we saw or heard STELLER'S JAY, AMERICAN ROBIN, EUROPEAN STARLING, CLIFF, BARN and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWs, WESTERN TANAGER, BUSHTIT, HOUSE SPARROW, CEDAR WAXWING (doing lots of flycatching), HOUSE FINCH, COMMON RAVEN, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and WILLOW FLYCATCHER. A few miles down the road at Corkindale we saw more starlings, OSPREY, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, TREE and BANK SWALLOWs, TURKEY VULTURE, WILLOW FLYCATCHER (spending a lot of time perched on the steel transmission tower), AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, SONG SPARROW, LAZULI BUNTING (a pair), ROCK and BAND-TAILED PIGEON, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

We stopped at the County Line Ponds (Whatcom and Skagit Counties) and it was as quiet as I have ever heard it (well, it was the end of July). We did manage to find SPOTTED TOWHEE, AMERICAN ROBIN, RED-EYED and WARBLING VIREOs and RUFOUS HUMMINGIBRD. A ways up the road at the large pullout west of Goodell Campground we walked in along the access road to the gravel storage area. Going in we saw and heard SWAINSON'S THRUSH, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE. Where the road turns into the gravel area we stayed straight ahead and about 100 yards down the road we managed to pull up a nice adult male AMERICAN REDSTART and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

A brief stop at Rainy Pass turned up a probable HERMIT THRUSH, but the view was extremely short. We then ran into the mess of construction around Washington Pass. Thirty miles of SR20 has been under construction (chip-seal) with many stops and long delays. It took us about an hour-and-a-half to get thru this area. We stopped for lunch at Klipchuck Campground where a camper had set out some bird feeders (seed, suet and hummingbird). We saw STELLER'S JAY, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Audubon race), RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD (several being very combative), EVENING GROSBEAK, RED-BREASTED and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHes, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, VAUX'S SWIFT, DARK-EYED JUNCO, and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER.

Along Bear Creek Road (past Perrygin S.P.) we picked up EASTERN KINGBIRD, AMERICAN KESTREL, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, LAZULI BUNTING, RED-TAILED HAWK, SPOTTED TOWHEE, AMERICAN COOT, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, HOUSE WREN, SAY'S PHOEBE, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, GREAT BLUE HERON and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE. Turning off on Lester Road we went into Campbell Lake and the entrance to Pipestone Canyon. There was a wonderful study of adult and immature AMERICAN COOTs on the lake, and a single male RUDDY DUCK. NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWs were working the area over, and we saw RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. After dinner we ran up toward Patterson Lake and saw AMERICAN CROW. At Twin Lakes we found MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, EASTERN KINGBIRD, and MOURNING DOVE. At Patterson Lake, with declining light, there were OPREY, GREY CATBIRD, CEDAR WAXWING, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, BELTED KINGFISHER and later we had a calling, and quick flythru of a COMMON POORWILL.

On Sunday morning we saw NORTHERN FLICKER, immature BALD EAGLE, and OSPREY before we headed up early to the Sun Mountain Lodge. As we passed Patterson Lake we saw HOODED MERGANSER. Just short of the Lodge we had at least one female DUSKY GROUSE and a total of 11 birds - success for our early target bird. At the Lodge we saw CEDAR WAXWING, AMERICAN ROBIN, NOTHERN FLICKER, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, SPOTTED TOWHEE, EVENING GROSBEAK, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, CHIPPING SPARROW, WESTERN KINGBIRD, CASSIN'S FINCH and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE. Down the hill we stopped at Beaver Pond where we saw OSPREY (2 adults and 3 young on the nest), CEDAR WAXWING, EASTERN KINGBIRD, AMERICAN KESTREL, CANADA GOOSE, HOODED MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, RING-NECKED DUCK, MALLARD, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, PIED-BILLED GREBE, YELLOW WARBLER (feeding a fledgling), SONG SPARROW, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, CASSIN'S FINCH, PINE SISKIN, NASHVILLE WARBLER and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. Another stop along Patterson Lake we saw tons of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWs, BARN SWALLOWs, GREY CATBIRD (much more satisfying in daylight than the evening before), YELLOW WARBLER, PURPLE FINCH, and down the road RED-TAILED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, BLACKBILLED MAGPIE and EASTERN KINGBIRD. Just coming into Winthrop we has a tree with 11 TURKEY VULTUREs, a single COMMON RAVEN and heading out of town a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER.

Forest Road 37 yielded WARBLING VIREO, WESTERN TANAGER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, PINE SISKIN, YELLOW WARBLER, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD and DARK-EYED JUNCO. At Baldy Pass we had a nice look at a NORTHERN GOSHAWK circling overhead. We returned down FR37 and turned up FR39. We picked up NORTHERN FLICKER, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER. About a mile-and-a-half north of Freezeout Pass we saw BOREAL CHICKADEE. Elsewhere we saw NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW and NORTHERN FLICKER. Back down in Winthrop we saw CALIFORNIA QUAIL, ROCK PIGEON, and COOPER'S HAWK.

Monday morning we ran up to Loup Loup Pass and along the way we saw OSPREY, RED-TAILED HAWK and EUROPEAN STARLING. At the campground we found EVENING GROSBEAK (many), HAIRY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, PINE SISKIN, CHIPPING SPARROW, COMMON RAVEN, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, WARBLING VIREO, DARK-EYED JUNCO, WESTERN TANAGER, AMERICAN ROBIN, a sapsucker species, and a calling juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWK.

We then had to make the run for home. A great three days with ideal weather (after the early morning fog on Saturday). We saw a total of 87 species with the American Redstart, Dusky Grouse, Northern Goshawk and Boreal Chickadee the most notable.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
mail to bell assoc at iso media dot com