The idea was that raptors should be soaring in the afternoon in the passes at Sunrise today so Bruce and I headed that way. It was a slightly overcast day so thoughts of Black swift were in mind also. It was warm not hot, and a nice breeze, so a great day for a hike, but FOY Pierce birds just were not happening today. Hopes were for GOEA, GOHA, ROWR, PRFA, and maybe GCRF in the day, and LEOW and BOOW after dark.
On the way up we met Roy Morris and four women coming down the trail and they had seen 5 Long-eared owls in the meadows near Sunrise campground and Shadow Lake the at dusk yesterday. They were confident we’d also see them tonight. Our hopes were high.
Anyway we hiked to Fremont Lookout, trying for Rock wren and with eyes skyward a lot. Also worked the meadows near Frozen Lake for Horned Lark. No luck at all on the way up, but on the way down we flushed on HOLA while >100 Mountain bluebirds flew by, worked the meadow, and perched on the fence by the lake.
After dark it was really quiet. Clouds covered the sky so no moonlight, and no owls anywhere despite trying all around the campground for LEOW and on the road back to Sunrise in the usual places for BOOW.
Home by about 11:30.
Category: Mount Rainier
Great Hike and Lousy Birding at Sunrise Today
Today I planned to get up at 4:30 AM to head for Sunrise and beat the crowds and catch the early birds. I forgot to set my alarm, and didn’t wake up until 5;30 so it was a bit before 8 AM when I got to the Sunrise parking lot. Still I was optimistic as I headed out. After oversleeping my second mistake, I think, was listening to the volunteer in the lot who after I asked him about ice on the Burrow’s Mountain trail (none) suggested I do my usual hike backwards, going first past Shadow Lake to the campground, then taking the trail to First Burrows. It was a beautiful hike, the mountain was visible to near the top where a lenticular cloud surrounded at times the top, and at other times a layer just below the top.
That said the day was incredibly devoid of finding birds. I had zero raptors, not even an AMKE, zero sparrows, only YRWA and TOWA for warblers, no HOLA, no CAFI, and no grouse. No rosy-finch, and no ptarmigan. Overall a great walk if you were not a birder. 11 species total, maybe the most unexpected was a calling Eurasian Collared Dove. Checklist here
Sunrise: First Mt. Rainier Hike of 2017
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.
Bushwhacking Around Government Meadow
Today Ken, Bruce and I went to try for the woodpeckers seen recently at Government Meadows. Bruce drove and we got to the horse camp 19 miles on FR 70 on the left off Hwy 410. The first 10 miles are paved, then it’s dirt but a pretty good road. Note-to-self to stay straight at the fork where it looks like the better dirt road turns left. At the horse camp there is a pretty nice toilet and a good picnic table.
Our plan was to first bird the 3/4 mile trail from the horse camp to the PCT. Given this we made our biggest mistake of the day, leaving our water and lunch in the car, planning on picking it up prior to going on toward Government Meadow. On Saturday Marcus and Wayne had two pair of Black-backed woodpeckers, one at the start of the trail, and another near the junction with the PCT. We found one Red-breasted sapsucker near the start of the trail in the snags on the left, and near the piled up decomposing logs a bit farther in we had another sapsucker we hope is a Red-naped sapsucker, but may be a hybrid RNSA x RBSA. I’ve sent this out to several of the top birders around and await their opinion.
No BBWO though, and so we decided to bushwhack our way to the small meadow where Bruce and Peter W. had seen nesting BBWO last week. From there we managed to get to a different meadow, not find the BBWO, go on to find an off trail route to a large meadow we think may have been a part of Government Meadow with a backtrack to chase a drumming RBSA to the meadow Bruce had us aiming for initially. From there after finding the large meadow we could not locate the PCT, initially looking for a trail off the meadow, then taking a steep dirt road (Naches Trail) downhill, back to the meadow, behind the meadow, then back again. We finally decided to bushwhack back to the initially targeted meadow, which we managed to find pretty easily, and then bushwhack up to the PCT. By now it was about 2 PM and we were thirsty, hungry and tired by the time we got to the car. I never really felt lost, but certainly we were a bit confused as to the best way to get back onto the Pacific Crest Trail again though.
We did manage good birds on this exploration of the area. In one of the meadows we found Lincoln’s sparrow, had a fly by of a calling Evening grosbeak, Gray jays were around with one flying in for a close look while we watched the possible RNSA, and Hermit thrush, Varied thrush, and DEJU were seen several times each.
After a late lunch and rehydration on the drive back down FR 70 Bruce spotted a Ruffed grouse on the side of the road. We managed to stop, all get nice looks, and get photos as it puffed up and strutted before walking into the grass.
For me 4 FOY Pierce county birds, Evening grosbeak, Gray jay, Pine grosbeak and Ruffed Grouse, with a possible fifth if the sapsucker is deemed to be a Red-naped.
Lake Eleanor Hike to Grand Park with Jean
Today Jean and I went to the Lake Eleanor trailhead to hike into Grand Park. It was a beautiful day, we got to the trailhead about 9:50 AM, and we got as far as the lowest meadow of the Grand Park complex, about a 7.5 mile round trip hike. Birding was slow, but the wildflowers were fabulous, the mosquitos thick, and the company superb. We heard two woodpeckers, one probably ATTW and one probably Hairy but could not see either. I did manage to add Mountain chickadee to my Pierce year list, and we got home about 3:30 PM to rest up and Jean made us a great fresh roll meal to enjoy with Brett.
Sunrise Mt. Rainier Today
Bruce Labar and I birded Sunrise today, going from the parking lot, up the upper trail to Frozen Lake, then the trail to Fremont Lookout, and then back via the trail through the Sunrise campground. Overall a sunny, very warm day with little breeze. Views terrific, birding overall pretty slow.
The best birding of the day was on the lower areas. From Frozen Lake to Fremont Lookout and back we saw almost nothing. Best bird in that segment was an adult and this Juvenile American Pipit by a snow patch near the lookout.
On the way up we did see three Mountain Bluebirds, Pierce County FOY for me, along with one Nashville Warbler (a first time Pierce County bird for me) On the way back through the campsite we got into several mixed flocks that responded well to pishing and owl whistles, and had really nice looks at several more Nashville warblers, along with Townsend’s, Orange-crowned, Audubon’s YRWA and many Mountain chickadees, Dark-eyed juncos and Cassin’s finchs.
Here are some photos of the NAWA and other cool sights of the day.
Great Day, Great Birds, Bad Photos at Lake Eleanor Trail
Kay, Ken and I headed to the Grand Park Trail shortcut from FS 73 (exactly 10 miles from Hwy 410 to the trailhead) and had a terrific day. On the walk up the trail was moderately wet in places, but an overall easy hike. Nothing too special until after Lake Eleanor. We did get to hear many singing Hermit thrush, several Brown creepers, lots of Mountain chickadees, and at the lake has Vaux’s swifts. Not too far up from the lake while scanning through a flock of chickadees and nuthatches Ken spotted a perched larger bird that we managed to get good enough looks at for a positive ID of Pine Grosbeak. This was a first ever Pierce County bird for Kay and me, second for Ken (last one maybe 30 years ago though). Photos were terrible as the bird was perched fairly high up in a bright sky window in the trees, making it very backlit and dark overall. We did see the size, shape, all gray underparts, little white spot on the face, and greenish head and nape coloration through scope and binos looks. Here are the best of lots of terrible photos.
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We had ta pair, male and female later on up the trail as well as another single bird. Each time we hoped for a Black-backed woodpecker, but it wasn’t the day for that species for us. We turned back just before the climb to Grand Park primarily because of starting thunder claps and dark clouds rolling in. We came across a family of Gray Jays just before we headed back.
We kept trying for Black-backed as well as N Pygmy Owl on the way down, without success, and got back to the car just as the thunder storm struck with heavy hail and one close loud thunder clap. A great day.
On the way home I took Ken out to get the Red-eyed Vireos I heard the day prior on a bike ride on the Orting Trail, FOY birds for Ken and a nice way to end the day.
Sunrise Mt. Rainier Today
Today I finally got my first Mt. Rainier hike in, getting to Sunrise about 8 AM and hiking up the top trail to Frozen Lake, going a bit toward Burrows Mountain until snow stopped me, then going about half way to Fremont Lookout until entering a cloud and turning back.
Highlights were great looks at Hermit Thrush in the picnic area first thing:
Overall not much in the meadows down low, but a singing Cassin’s Finch male was on one of the first trees as I started up the trail to Frozen Lake:
Soon I had close up looks at a Mountain Chickadee who came right in to a Pygmy Owl imitation whistle:
When I got to Frozen Lake a Horned Lark popped right up close in:
Then just a little ways up the trail to Burrow’s Mountain a bird was singing loudly in flight. I managed to get on it and saw an incredible flight song of American Pipit. It went on for over a minute, the bird circled up and up, then “parachuted” down a bit then landed. It came right up close and I managed photos:
I heard several Clark’s Nutcrackers calling from over the hill on the left heading up toward Fremont Lookout. On the way down overall less birds and lots more people.
On the drive down I got nice looks at Townsend’s Warbler, a singing male at one pullout, and at the next stop has at least 6 MOCH, 2 YRWA, DEJU, and HETH all come in to a Pygmy Owl whistle, and the mobbing action was fun. A safe ride home, and 5 FOY Pierce county birds made it a good day. Still have MOBL, GRJA and woodpeckers to try for next.