Today I finally broke free for a trip to the mountain. I’ve done well on the lowland birds in Pierce this year, but had yet to break free for a hike. I left home at 5 AM today, and got to Sunrise about 6:45 after several unsuccessful stops on the ride up hoping to hear a booming Sooty Grouse. It was a perfect day for a hike, clear, cool in the early morning, and birds were active and vocal. I had my FOY Mountain bluebird before I parked the car, and heard a FOY Clark’s nutcracker soon after.
The walk through the meadows yielded a mix of lots of immature DEJU, CHSP and just a few adults of both species but nothing I could recognize as unusual. I was not able to locate a Cassin’s finch then or anytime on the hike for an unexpected miss.

I got to Frozen Lake by about 7:50 and the trail to Burrow’s Mountain looked pretty clear of snow so I headed that direction. AMPI were calling everywhere, but no raptors, no Horned Larks, and around the first bend was a steep, icy patch of trail that turned me back maybe 1/2 mile up.

I retreated and decided on the Fremont Lookout trail instead. Clark’s nutcrackers were seen nicely, again more AMPI but no Rosy finches and no Ptarmigan. I made it to the lookout had my first sandwich about 9:50, hung out for a while hoping for a Prairie falcon, ptarmigan, Rosy finch, or something new, but it was quiet there.
The walk down was much busier with hikers, and nothing new presented.

To the picnic area by 11:15, and after birding the parking lot and seeing lots of bluebirds and Chipping sparrows, headed for home.