A Frosty Fifty Birds - January 16th

Saturday January 16th

Three day weekend!  This was the weekend given to the MLK Jr celebration, and I was fresh out of an assembly put together by the students at my school.  I teach high school science, and being able to do it in one of the most diverse school districts in the country makes this day even more special.

My birding plans were just for the Saturday and Sunday, however, and I would be doing what I had done all last year in Mason County:  birding from before sunup to sundown.  I made it over the snowy pass the night before (Stevens this time.  I'm sure I'll take three different passes into the county during the year.) and stayed on the cheap at the Motel 6 in Wenatchee.

Owling

I love searching for owls, and on this morning, I was doing so while the snow fell in ginormous flakes.  My car had a few inches on it as I left the motel for... Well that's where it used to be confusing to me but I have it down better now.  There's four major parks along the Columbia in Wenatchee:  from north to south:  Confluence State Park, Horan Natural Area, Walla Walla Point Park, and Riverfront Park.  CHeWeR will probably help me keep that clear.

I entered at a sign that said "Wenatchee Confluence State Park", but it was at this bend in the road where Miller St turns into Hawley St, or the other way around.  This is the point on the Google Maps image included where Horan Natural Area ends with a little pinch, then becomes Walla Walla Point Park.  (Riverview is off the screen bottom right, incidentally).  

The Washington Ornithological Society's "Birder's Guide to Washington State" encouraged a search of these parks for Western Screech-Owl, so I set off walking and whistling and listening.  As I walked, (into Walla Walla Point, incidentally) I heard some of my first year birds for Chelan, Mallard (1), American Wigeon (2), and Canada Goose (3).  About ten minutes into my walk, I passed an opening in. The trees that lined the water, and saw scads of geese sitting on the snow on the shore right below me.   

I was about to caption this, but there's a sign, so...

I hadn't brought my binoculars.  Who brings their binoculars for owling? (I know I know:  nearly anyone reading this blog. Shhh).  I knew there could be unusual geese in there, so I turned back towards the car.  I knew that I'd be back to the park later, so I stopped.  I looked down at how close the geese were, standing out against the snow, and knew there really wasn't much of a choice, because those geese might leave...I had to go back.  Then I stopped, because it was pretty early and this was time for owling, not picking through geese.  

I hope anyone has done something like this with equipment that should have come along.  I did retrieve them.  It was fruitless in the end.  I did give up from there on owling at the park so that I could get out to other spots for the morning.

Pioneer Avenue in Cashmere may become a fairly regular stop.  Some unusual finch species had been seen here during the month, but I was here for a Great Horned Owl report.  I didn't find one, but there is something about standing on a small town road with snow falling, just as the town is starting to wake up, hooting and listening.  I'm hopeful that it will take many mornings to find my owls!

My final stop for owling was the Chumstick Highway.  I was vaguely expecting bigger owls here but had similar luck.  I stopped in at the Old Mill Cafe in Plain, happy to see the mugs, one of which sits on my counter at home.

"Careful out there!" The gal behind the counter told me as she poured my coffee.  The coffee was a bit weak for me, but I like it sludgy.  I'll make sure to stop for food some time, as the smells made it hard to head back out.  It was good advice to be careful... Snow was falling hard, and a text from Ken Hemberry (who I would meet later) hinted that the snow would fall hardest near Lake Wenatchee.  

As west side drivers go, I'm really not bad in the snow.  I know when to take it easy, when to keep my speed, and maybe most importantly, what situations to avoid.  I got to Lake Wenatchee and as I started to move farther North along the lake, I knew I was unlikely to pull down the side roads and make it out with ease.  I chose valorous discretion and returned to a better plowed entrance.  

Yes, I took this before falling in... pretty smart

The snow plow driver got me directed to the 15 minute parking, which would suit me just fine.  Was the sun up??  No clue.  Snow was falling as I tromped to the lake.  Something should have registered.  "Wow, look at those picnic tables down there!" I thought as I walked across the "field" of snow.  Splooooosh... My boot sunk in the snow just as reality sunk in.  It was deep here.  Deep enough that my feet were stepping on snow that crested picnic tables. I looked for the actual shoveled path and beelined it, thankful that I had at least invested in practical boots!

Worth the trip...?  Bald Eagle (4), Pied-billed Grebe (5), Common Raven (6), Mountain Chickadee (7), Northern Flicker (8), and Dark-eyed Junco (9) were the birds.  Nothing too out of the ordinary, but it was nice to get a start.  The Mountain Chickadee was one of the first birds to remind me that I was on the other side of the Cascades this year.

Yep.  That dot is a Pied-billed Grebe.  Get ready for a year of amazing bird photos, everyone!

Cashmere to Wenatchee

I had no trouble making it out of the parking lot, and was on my way to Ken's place between Dryden and Peshastin.  A few birds snuck in during the time between Lake Wenatchee and the Shell Station where I thought it wise to leave my car, including Golden-crowned Kinglet (10), Rock Pigeon (11) and Steller's Jay (12).

Ken drove up to meet me.  I love being part of this weird community where getting into cars with strangers and walking around people's yards with binoculars are totally normal.  We had gotten into contact via another birder in the area, and had decided to hit Cashmere to Wenatchee. 

American Kestrel near Cashmere

The snow slowed as we made our way down to Cashmere.  Ken and I slowed as we went over the Wenatchee and we found some Common Mergansers (13).  Apparently, finding American Dippers on the Wenatchee is kind of trivial although I didn't see any during that peek (or subsequent peeks).

Debbie Sutherland's yard in Cashmere has been pulling in Lesser Goldfinches and Common Redpolls, in addition to the regular Pine Siskins, House Finches, White-crowned Sparrows and American Goldfinches.  Ken and I found all of the above but the redpolls that morning (14-18).  

I can already tell that Ken and I will bird well together.  I listened to a Gambeli White-crowned Sparrow singing and knew immediately what it was; he picked out a female Lesser Goldfinch and similarly walked me through the ID.  The coloring was definitely different from the washed out Americans in the same bushes, but I simply would never have picked them out by these field marks.  A male showed up as well, the full cap being an easier sign of his genetics.  

For those of you who haven't followed along in my blogging before, get used to this!  My birding ear is pretty good.  I can pick up the whole range of sounds, can recognize songs and subtle differences in calls pretty well.  On the other hand I don't know what a tertial feather is.  Okay... That's not entirely true, as I had a chance last year to study a pic of two do witches species side by side last year and had to learn.  I just immediately passed out from the effort.  

Juncos at the feeders - Epledalen

We decided that it would be a good arrangement if I could listen for the bird and he looked for them.  Pulling up Common Redpoll, I realized it had been a while with this bird, but that it basically makes sounds that are one part Pine Siskin, one part American Goldfinch.  Any bird making crazy rising calls (Siskin sounds)while also asking for potato chips (goldfinch calls) would be scrutinized.  As we walked from Debbie's we continued to add birds:  Eurasian Collared Dove (19), American Kestrel (20), American Crow (21), Spotted Towhee (22), Red-winged Blackbirds (23), Song Sparrow (24), California Quail (25) Black-capped Chickadee (26) and House Sparrow (27).

Our stroll finally took us to Epledalen a nursing home where other good birds had been seen.  As we walked the driveway, several Varied Thrushes (28) and American Robins (29) scattered.  Varied Thrushes, I ought to point out, are awesome. I don't think I had mentioned that in this particular blog yet. Hearing them sing their eerie song from the safety of some evergreens while tromping through the snow was a slice of heaven.

We met up with Chuck Dronen, who manages the center, and he took us on a little tour, from the back of the center, where there was a platform overlooking a rich wetland below, to the dining room, where I was encouraged to come grab a cup of coffee and watch the feeders from a warm chair.  Chuck gave me a card just in case people thought I seemed sketchy in the future.

We also met Chuck's mom, who keeps her own feeders on site, and had seen Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings in recent days, visiting the Mountain Ash, which still has plenty of orange-red berries.  "These are birdwatching friends, mom!"  He told her with some good volume, and we got talking about the birds a bit while juncos hopped around on the porch.  In the end, I was invited to stop for tea on future visits, as long as I made my intentions clear to the other residents, "I get too many stories going around about me and gentleman visitors, you know," she told me with a wink.   Totally coming back.

Ken and I said our goodbyes and made our way back to the car.  Continuing up Pioneer, the route wound up and around farmland where we picked up some more raptors, including Sharp-shinned Hawk (30), Red-tailed Hawk (31) and Merlin (32), while missing on Northern Shrike and Rough-legged Hawk.  This is where I have to apologize for having completely lost the route information, but I know we were heading generally westward from town on the south side of highway 2, until we rejoined it and made our way down to Wenatchee.

Wenatchee waterfront 

View from Walla Walla Point Park up the Columbia

On this stop, we began on the southern end of the three continuous parks, Walla Walla Point.  The snow was coming down again as we drove through huge flocks of American Wigeons, scanning unsuccessfully for a Eurasian Wigeon that had been seen that week. We parked and found a spot to scan the large sheltered pond alongside the river, and picked up quite a few waterfowl.  New birds for the day included Ring-necked Duck (33), Hooded Merganser (34), Bufflehead (35), Lesser Scaup (36),  and Common Goldeneye (37).  There may have been Greater Scaup mixed in, but none of the birds that Chuck and I looked at gave us the right head shape together with the cleaner sides, so we continued north along the path.

Cross Country ski tracks up the path

Geese came next, and we succeeded in finding a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese (38) mixed in with the Canadas.  A goosestrosity sat alongside them: a giant graylag goose ear the more delicate White-fronted cousins.  No Cackling could be ID'd although we both suffered with birds that were tempting... Some shorter necked ones... Some whose bills seemed smallish... Some who themselves looked small... I've had discussions about this with people, and I think a lot of Canada Geese are able to create confusion.  We didn't find everything we wanted in any of the birds, which would have included a more chestnut colored breast as well, so we met that one go as well.  Some Canvasback (39) and numerous scaup and goldeneyes were mixed in as well.

As we walked, we picked up another Red-tailed Hawk, Belted Kingfisher (40), and an Evening Grosbeak (41) flying overhead.  We also found some Green-winged Teals (42) tucked into a slough during the walk.  We had remote hopes of finding a Barn Owl which had been seen hunting in fields on the west side of the trail in Horan (see map at top!), but we found none.  I've seen since that others have found this bird on more than one occasion, probably at a better hour.  I'll be back!

It was snowing, by the way

Bewick's Wren was our last target.  They're rare in Chelan historically, but a handful have made their home in Horan just before the bridge that crosses the Wenatchee River.  These guys and nearly every other bird remained hunkered down on this snowy day, but again, it will be nice just to know where to come back for a search in better weather.  We made our way back to the parking lot, circled around to the campground at Wenatchee Confluence (where we found many of the same ducks, along with some Double-Crested Cormorants across the river on the Douglas side), then called it a day.

Leavenworth

It had become nearly 1:00 as Ken and I made our way back to my car.  He told me about a feeder that had been sparrowy on the Christmas Bird Count, up near Leavenworth, so I decided it would be feeder, then feed me, then make my way towards Chelan for the night.  

The feeder did provide the first Golden-crowned Sparrows (43), Red-breasted Nuthatch (44), and Cooper's Hawk (45) for the day.  I ran into the owners as they filled it up, and they noted that it felt like they were setting up a feeder for hawks!  No Fox Sparrows, but hordes of Juncos and White-crowned Sparrows, so I navigated off of the side of the snowy lane and returned to Leavenworth.

I stopped in at Sulla Vita in Leavenworth, feeling just barely patient enough for good food as long as it came with a good pint.  A young man who was nearly glowing with "I just started" mixed with "I really will find someone to help you," got the attention of a bartender as I watched New England and Kansas City playing on the television.  This place reminded me of a more bustling, touristy version of one of my favorite restaurants in Renton, the Red House.  They had a lot of tapas style food, meant to be spread around to a few different plates and shared.  I got the house salad and a parsnip-cauliflower gratin.  Parsnips... The veggie my kids associate with bad veggies....Cauliflower... One of the last veggies to make it onto my good veggies list (I only had it raw or steamed growing up... Blech). Together it was just great, and I had an Oktoberfest beer with it, cause Leavenworth.  

Leavenworth, from Friday night.

For anyone unfamiliar, Leavenworth is a town just over Stevens Pass which has turned into a Little Bavaria.  Even the Starbucks has its signs done up in Das Quaintenfont.  There might have been an umlauts over the u, even... I'd have to go back and look.  On a weekend in January, it was still done up with Christmas decor and people were crowding the streets with sleds in tow, or walking around in noisy packs on their way from the winery to the distillery.  I came to Chelan this year in part to help the local economy after the county had lost so much business to the fires last year, but it would seem that Leavenworth is still doing just fine!   I paid up, hopped in the car and made my way down to the Columbia.

The Columbia

I have to mention, I had seen no starlings during the day, and not from lack of looking!  I hadn't searched per se, but my ears had been open for them for some time!  I pulled the car to the side of the road as I got to Rocky Reach Dam, scattering what I suspected were Chukars from the parking lot (I saw a lot more the next day).  Down below I found some Double-crested Cormorants (46) and a good number of Ruddy Ducks (47) floating with the ubiquitous scaup and goldeneyes.      Please don't ask what a "good number" is... It's been over a week and a half now!

Help me with the megafauna... mule deer? white-tailed deer?? Elk???

Swakane Canyon heads West from Highway 97, and I really wanted some chances at Golden Eagle (nope, but I found lots of Bald) and Northern Shrike (nope, but I did add Black-billed Magpie (48), which seems to love these barren hillsides.  I got to a point where it became wise to turn around, but I am excited to explore this canyon.  Even with the snow I got farther into it than I had been before.  The map lover in me needs to see the whole thing.

Will Risk park near Entiat was my last stop with light.  American Coots (49) and Common Loon (50) were the new birds here.  

Chelan

Chelan streetfront

What kind of an idiot doesn't make hotel reservations until they get to a town?  This kind right here.  I got into Chelan and my eyes widened as I realized I had walked right into their Winterfest celebration.  There were a ton of events that actually look like they would have been fun, (I'm still steaming about missing Soupfest), but I didn't have the energy, having been up early for owls.  Cheap lodging was gone, but I was able to get a heavily discounted but still pricier than I would normally do room at the Lakeside Lodge.  It came with soup and salad in their dining room in the evening, and breakfast there in the morning, so I snagged it.

I settled in to bed, running through lists and thinking about where I'd start my Sunday.