Tweets, Figuring last week's rarities were long gone, I lowered the bar, set
the alarm for 5:30 instead of 4am, explored Oak Crk Canyon Rd starting not
until 9:30 (met a Stan and Diana), dropped Wenas from the itinerary, back
home by 6:30. It was great fun seeing the east slope birds again, since I so
infrequently cross the divide. Most interesting: TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE in a
grassy semi-opening in the woods at the first really sharp bend about 5 or 6
miles up; and a male TOWNSEND'S WARBLER in the scrubbier trees down low
within a half-mile of the gate. En route, HERMIT WARBLERs singing at La Wis
Wis campground turnoff (just before the ascent up White Pass); FOX SPARROW
at the summit singing heartily from the crown of a 30-ft fir; glimpse of an
eagle (GOLDEN?) flying along the SW ridge above Clear Creek/Lake; CANYON and
ROCK WRENs singing up Bear Creek Canyon trail; WHITE-THROATED SWIFTs at the
bluff opposite the elk feeding site downriver; and at the nearby
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT site (Hwys 12 x 410) a male singing from an elevated
perch; pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKs resting on rocks on the near river shore at
the "danger: diversion dam 1000 ft" sign W of Trout Lodge. Here I watched 3
male WESTERN TANAGERs "sharing" the same stretch of river for foraging,
sometimes even the same tree. With this and other sightings of males
co-existing in close proximity I wondered if they were migrating still? I've
never seen more tanagers in a day! Breathtaking! And four RED-BREASTED
SAPSUCKERs flying over the hiway at various points. Oh, and I recall a post
about an Indigo-Lazuli hybrid, wondering if this might be the same younger
bird I saw/heard ("odd" song) at mile 2.1 up Oak Creek? 73 species on a
relaxed-mode day (plus scads of elk between Randall and Packwood). Good
birding!
-- Paul Hicks / Tenino / phicks AT accessgrace DOT org