I was in Central Washington early this morning
doing a last "chase" for the year. Main target
was LEOW at Lemoine. Significantly hampered by
cold (22 degrees) and snow (12-18") and visibility
(lots of fog), I had barely acceptable success as
either I or a Raven flushed an owl from the thick
pines along the Lemoine Ravine - fleeting view in
flight only.

Earlier I stopped at Withrow and saw two separate
flocks of gallinaceous birds - one of 10 birds and
the other of 8. Pretty far away and subject to
the same limitations per above, I was only able to
get pretty dismal pictures. I had assumed they
were Gray Partridges which I have had in the area
in the past, but am having some second thoughts.
As seen in the two pictures (apologies for
quality) at the referenced link, the birds were
essentially very dark, especially in contrast with
the white omnipresent snow and hampered by the
fog. They were significantly larger than the many
California Quail that I also saw in the general
vicinity (Hwy 2) later but as much as I would like
them to be, I do no tthink they were large enough
to be Greater Sage Grouse which I missed this
year. One thing that puzzles me is the large tail
seen in the first picture.

I would welcome any thoughts on ID.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103072475474183849815/WithrowChickens?authkey=Gv1sRgCPKqoPq5o9Oucw#

--
Blair Bernson
Edmonds