Hi Tweeterdom - Finally last week, I fulfilled a several-year dream to go to the hallowed NE corner of the state and visit the fabled Salmo Mountain. Turns out, we were none too soon. We started out over Washington Pass on Monday and did a nice hike up to Blue Lake. We took the Tarn Loop above the lake, where Ptarmigan had been routinely seen during September. There was about a foot of snow at the lake and the heather patches only visible where they ended at vertical rocks. The wind was blowing very hard and I had to assume that any sensible ptarmigan would be hiding in a tree well or the sheltering branches of one the many alpine firs. So, no ptarmigan, but we did have a close encounter with a tree-hopping 3-toed Woodpecker. Snowed pretty hard on us on the way down but the larches and overall scene was spectacular. We spent Monday night in Winthrop and drove across SR 20 from there to Colville and on to Ione/Metalline Falls on Tuesday. En route, we birded a bit in sunshine and lovely larches and aspens on the west side of Loup Loup pass. Descending to Okanogan, the downer for the day was the incredible devastation from the Labor Day fire, of the west side of the Timentwa Plateau. We can only dread our next trip up Cameron Lake Rd. to see what's happened on top of the plateau, around the Cameron Lakes, and over to those lonely ranches (e.g., on Timentwa Rd.) where people have always had their challenges to make a living (and provide habitat for some of our favorite wintering birds). Note: the only place to get food in the Ione/Metalline area is the 5th Ave. Restaurant and Tav. In Metalline Falls (call for takeout) or the grocery stores in each town. Wednesday we headed up past Sullivan Lake up to Salmo Pass. We saw no cars from the lake to the pass, only moose, snowshoe hare, and another unid'd critter (marten or bobcat??) tracks in the fresh snow. The road, as reported by Maxine Reid, was excellent. There was about a foot of snow at the pass with no birds about, so, we headed on to the trailhead parking area. Before we could get out of the car, a jeep speeds up behind us and, it's the Border Patrol! Great conversation with the young officer but the crux was, I urged him to take the daring drive to the summit of Salmo to see if it was possible. He left, and we birded the road and back to the pass, getting great looks at a pair of No. Pygmy Owls, two jay spp. and a call ID on a Pine Grosbeak. When we got back to the Pass, we could see the tracks of the BP guy who had gone up the summit road and lived to return. Against the better judgement of my spouse, but encouraged by the BP officer's example and patchy sunshine (despite the 26 degrees), we headed up. The road from the pass to the summit of Salmo is not to be taken lightly, or perhaps ever, by anyone in a 2WD or even low-slung AWD vehicle . We made it almost to the small plateau just below the summit before the slow speeds mandated by the rutting and large rocks in the road, combined with the packed snow from the BP jeep's passage, caused the Forester to lose traction on the last steep turn. The snow was slick enough that backing straight was not possible, and a significant dropoff made backing the way we were headed, un-palatable. To my spouse's credit, she didn't throw up. I got out the shovel (never go birding without one) and, because it's only October and the road embankment, while snowy was not frozen, I was able to dig dirt and gravel to put in the track where we wanted to back down, and up hill where we (I) wanted to go. It all worked, we got straightened out, backed down onto the dirt, and with a bit more speed, made it to the summit for a great lunch spot. Snow squalls limited the expanse of the view to the Canadian Selkirks, but it was still a fabulous place. The only bird seen was a brief glimpse of a juv. crossbill which left before I could check wingbars. On the way down from Salmo summit, we did finally see a couple of distant Boreal Chickadees, but the views were regrettably brief. Farther down, we saw grouse tracks, made since we had gone uphill! I followed the tracks for at least 400 yards back up hill, hoping to track the bird into a hiding place, before I gave up as snow was beginning to fall in earnest. We again walked from the pass to the trailhead without finding any more birds. On the way down from the pass, we had a brief roadside look at a small dark grouse but the view as too brief to conclude if it was a Spruce, which would have been a state bird for us. On Thursday we went on to Mt. Spokane and were immediately successful at finding both crossbill species that have been consistently reported in the XC ski area parking lot. That afternoon, we looked hard in and near Manito Park in Spokane for the Blue Jays that that have been there for several weeks. Great habitats and gardens in the park and very pleasant neighborhoods nearby, but...no Blue Jays. Checked this all out, along with Canon Hill Park, again Friday morning before heading west on I-90 in time to beat the record (for the date) snows which hit the area Friday afternoon and evening. Great trip! But a little edgy on the weather. Happy Birding!! - Jon Houghton, Edmonds

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20201027/05124a23/attachment.html>