Trained ears, eyes find numerous bird species at Mount Spokane
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Tim O'Brien of Cheney devoted this morning to a hiking and driving birding forayMount Spokane. While we all enjoy seeing and hearing birds when we head to the state park, it's fascinating to see the detail and diversity trained eyes and ears pick out of the forest and meadows.
Read on for Tim's report and list of species he observed.
Today, I hiked a few trails in Mt.Spokane State Park. I started up Trail 115 from Bear Creek Lodge and then traversed over and down Trail 110. A great day to be out there and the birds didn't disappoint.
I mainly went up there to try to find Warren Walker's Barred Owl and any unusual woodpeckers. I didn't find the Barred Owl, but I did find Warren and Kiyomi! They were a great help in pointing me in the right direction. Thanks you two!
Here's a list from eBird of what I saw/heard on my hike:
Location: Mt. Spokane SP
Observation date: 6/6/11
Number of species: 29
Ruffed Grouse
Turkey Vulture
Red-naped Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Gray Jay
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak
Location: Mt. Spokane SP
Observation date: 6/6/11
Number of species: 29
Ruffed Grouse
Turkey Vulture
Red-naped Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Gray Jay
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak
I then drove around the ski resort area and parked for lunch at the parking lot by the Summit Road gate (which is closed). While there, I heard an unusual bird calling and finally figured it out when one came into visual that it was a Pine Grosbeak. There were at least two up there today. Odd time of the year for them I guess based on eBird.
Here's my list from the ski resort area:
Location: Mt. Spokane SP-Ski Resort
Observation date: 6/6/11
Number of species: 15
Vaux's Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Red-naped Sapsucker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Steller's Jay
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
Pine Grosbeak
Observation date: 6/6/11
Number of species: 15
Vaux's Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Red-naped Sapsucker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Steller's Jay
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
Pine Grosbeak
Good birding!
Tim O'Brien
Cheney, WA