Today was an absolutely glorious day for studying the alpine wildflowers at Blue Mountain, up out of Port Angeles by Deer Park. Just as the fog started coming in at about 4:00 pm, about halfway between Deer Park and Blue Mountain, an American Pipit put on a display as it circled me very low, doing dips and dives before it settled on a rock outcropping and started its tail dipping. Then a pair of what for all the world looked like McKown's Longspurs appeared and perched on separate outcroppings. The female, with a very pale, almost white throat and belly, had an insect in its bill, as though it was prepared to feed its young, and remained motionless at the top of the rock for over five minutes, behavior sometimes observed of a Rock Wren. No, it was not a noisy wren; it was silent. Earlier, in the same general area, but alongside an outcropping right along the road, there was a bird with the same appearance and behavior of a Yellow-rumped Warbler, that was rather nondescript brown except for a thin, well-defined yellow stripe on the top of its head. I don't have the foggiest idea of what is was. Unfortunately, I have no pictures. If anyone has a chance to check out the area, I'd love to know what you find.



Scott Warner

Brier, WA