Subject: [Tweeters] Okanogan birding
Date: Oct 20 07:08:37 2014
From: Tim Brennan - tsbrennan at hotmail.com


Hey Tweets!

I got back last night from a weekend in Okanogan County with Khanh Tran and Kevin Black. We had snow-free driving on all of the high elevation roads (up to 7000 feet), and some good looks and listens of some great birds.

I met Khanh in Ellensburg at the Bar 14 pond where I saw a pair of Western Grebes, my 150th year bird for Kittitas (which was the goal for the year, and came on my last trip through the county for the year!). We drove up to Omak with a stop in Ephrata for dinner and got to bed early.

Our Saturday was mostly spent on roads above (west of) Sinkahekin road, where we started the morning with two life birds for me: American Three-toed Woodpecker and Spruce Grouse. The Spruce Grouse family (8 total - seven females and a subadult male) were very easy company, walking alongside us on the path. While watching them we heard one of two flyovers of Pine Grosbeak for the trip, although we never got a visual on any birds. More hunting on this beautiful but surprisingly quiet day gave us some Boreal Chickadees, also unseen but calling distinctively in a mixed flock with Mountain Chickadees.

It was a good day for grouse overall, as we had a Dusky Grouse in the road early in the morning, and a Ruffed Grouse giving us amazing looks in the evening in the Okanogan Highlands. We went in search of Great Grey Owl, and all heard faint calls for Great Grey and Long-eared, although the closest owl was an agitated Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Fog on Slate Peak on Sunday may have been the reason we dipped on Ptarmigan and Gray-crowned Rosy-finches, but we had Spruce Grouse and Sooty Grouse on the road on the way up. A side trip into Whatcom County from Harts Pass gave us some great looks at Golden Eagles as well.

Overall it was a great trip, and my first serious trip up to high elevation in Eastern Washington. Khanh and Kevin were awesome companions on the trip, and I learned a lot about the birds, their habits and their habitat.

Happy birding!

-Tim Brennan
Renton

Tim--Sent from my iPhone