Molly and Larry's big Year The Great Northwest June 21 to July 2 2024

Just back from Alaska Molly at the end of June the weather in Northern California was fine, and chicks were popping out of their nests. It was time to fire up the Bird Van and bird the great Pacific Northwest.  Our route would take us to: 1. Northern California 2. Oregon 3. Washington 4. Montana 5. Idaho  and 6. Nevada in that order.

 

State #1.  Northern California:  Lassen National Park.  On June 21st we drove into Lassen National Park. It was the first day of our longer sweep of the lower 48 Pacific Northwest for unidentified ABA birds. (As opposed to our just completed Northwest Alaskan adventure)  Our Lassen target was the Black-backed woodpecker in the recovering Dixie fire Zone within the park. We struck out but enjoyed the views of the June fledglings all around us, including the Black-capped Chickadee (right) and the lovely baby American Coot (above). And we did pick up  a Cassin's Finch and a Hermit Warbler (right/above) for the Big Year. 

Northern California: The Black Swifts of Burney Falls Black Swifts can eat, sleep, and procreate on the fly.  (Probably not at the same time). There are four species of Swifts commonly found in the ABA: Chimney, Vaux, White-throated and Black.  Black Swifts are the largest, least known and the rarest.  They often nest behind waterfalls like Burney Falls in Northern California, our next stop. 

Much of the Big Year is rush, rush, rush.  Never more so than when you are trying to see birds on their breeding grounds.  Would the swifts still be there? The ranger we talked to said she thought they were gone. NO!! But rushing is mellowed out with patience and beauty.  We sat at the overlook staring at the 129 foot cascading waterfall when six Black Swift raced back and forth across the face.  

Molly at Burney.                                                      

                                                    

More California: Yellow Rail(ing)!

Yellow Rail Range Wikipedia

The little orange dot on the Oregon/ California border is where we heard and  the only place west of the Mississippi to find the Yellow Rail.  The secretive Yellow Rail is just a little bigger than a Golden-Crowned Sparrow.

Yellow Rails are almost impossible to spot in their marshy digs, at least without a threshing machine or a long line of hip-booted birders. Luckily, hearing counts the same as seeing when counting species.  The plan was to wait till twilight and walk the edge of the marsh listening for the call of the rail. We heard plenty of Red-winged blackbirds then click, click, click, the unmistakable and simple call of the rail.  The screenshot of my Merlin recording and  sonograph to the right shows thin vertical lines ascending half-way up the page which is the call of the rail. (the dark horizontal lines are the blackbird.)

We also enjoyed more young birds at our Yellow Rail Campsite at Goose Lake Recreation Area, including this begging  hungry American Robin with an excellent mamma. 

State #2.  Oregon, Sagebrush Birds

Oregon, like California has many habitats. We were focused on two: the great sagebrush land and the mountains of Central Oregon. We started with Sagebrush Country. Here is an excerpt about it from the 
United States Fish and Wildlife page:

The western United States’ sagebrush country encompasses over 175 million acres of public and private lands. America’s sagebrush ecosystem is the largest contiguous ecotype in the continental United States, comprising one-third of the land mass of the continental lower 48. It is the lifeblood of rural communities in the West, and serves as crucial habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including the iconic greater sage-grouse and over 350 other species.

Sagebrush country (Lake county Oregon) and Tuft Rings.  One of the most unique geographical features in  Oregon is a tuft ring called Fort Rock near Sisters, Oregon.  A tuft ring is formed by a volcanic explosion near the surface that leaves material that forms a ring of low hills around a crater at ground level.  The hills are not very tall but tall enough for local prairie falcons to nest and survey the local sagebrush for prey.  Below is a Prairie Falcon at Fort Rock. Pictured to the falcon's right is a Sagebrush Sparrow in the nearby bushes.  The Sage Thrasher we photographed above was not too far away.  

              The Woodpeckers of the Cascade Mountains: Central Oregon

Black-backed in 2022

  A few years ago I obtained a Masters Birding Certificate from a wonderful year-long program at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.  As part of the program we had to present a slide show on a topic of our choosing.  My topic was on burned zones and Woodpeckers.  The Black-backed Woodpeckers rush after the weevils that feed on snags after a fire. 

During my study I visited a burn zone of the 2017 Milli Fire in the Sisters' area of the Cascades.  On September 4, 2022 we counted 15 Black-backed woodpeckers working the recovering fire zone. 

This year June 24, 2024 the number of Black-backeds in the area were way down but we saw two in a smaller burn zone near the Millicent Crater area. However, the real star of the day was the White-headed woodpecker below that put on quite a show coming in and out of its nest.

White-headed the Big Year

 
Washington,  State #3 One More National Park 'Holy Ptarmigan, Molly'

In 2024 Molly and I have successfully visited the Dry Tortugas National Park for Masked Boobies and Bridled Terns  and Big Bend National Park for the Colima Warbler and the Common Black Hawk.  Now we had come to Mt. Rainier National Park to look for the White-tailed Ptarmigan. While national parks are the bomb we go where the birds go and sometimes that is a Popeyes Restaurant for a garbage diving Caracara and sometimes it is a national park hike for a White-tailed Ptarmigan.    The White-tailed Ptarmigan is the Alpine member of the genus Laopus which includes the rock and Willow we had just seen in Alaska.  It is not an easy bird to find being the smallest Ptarmigan, well-camouflaged and very quiet.   (Not only is his (P) silent the whole bird is silent: see Alaska part 1 for the rest of that joke). 

We did not start our hike till 3:00 pm.  The trail was snowy and straight up.  Part way up we got a pleasant surprise, up a tree sat the last grouse we needed for the year, a sooty 'cutie.' Then we saw a Hoary Marmot. But no Ptarmigan.  Molly and I debated how far up the mountain is our turn around point.  Just as we neared the point she whispered to look right.  There high-stepping on the rocks was our bird.  (See opening photo).

State #4.  Montana:  Georgetown Lake Sapsuckers, Yellow-headeds and Red-Necks.

On June 28th we left our friend's house in Spokane, Washington and drove to Shortgrass area of  Montana.  At roughly the half-way mark we spent the night and birded at Georgetown Lake. We partly chose Georgetown because of a tip we received in St. Paul's Alaska.  Georgetown was an excellent place for the Great Gray Owl, definitely one of our top nemesis birds*.  At the lake we saw no owls but did see a lovely flock of Yellow-headed blackbirds.

 Then  our first Williamson Sapsucker of the year. 

 The Williamson's are found in the conifers of Western Mountains. There is no more dimorphic(sexes look different) ABA songbird than the Williamson's.  The bird we found was a female. (streaky gray and black, the male is solid black with lovely facial markings.) The male and female look so different that the female was  originally called the Black breasted Woodpecker and the male called Williamson's till ornithologist Henry Henshaw documented them together on a nest.

The other nice sighting at Georgetown Lake were Red-necked Grebes.  One of the joys of Big Year traveling is seeing birds in breeding plumage. The red-necked grebes at Georgetown were decked out in their finest brightest plumage.  In the Winter around our house the necks are a dull grey.  Check out those bright rusty napes.  Hubba, hubba

Montana Sweet Shortgrass Country

Harlowton Montana, population just under 1,000,  is where we stay when birding for the grass birds of Montana.  Our lodging is the Bird Van nestled into Chief Joseph Campground next to the rodeo.  Molly and I eat heated up frozen pizza and drink delicious house brewed bear at Gally's in 'downtown' Harlowton.  The place does kind of hop especially when a local politician buys beer.  Last year we were engaged in a conversation about a California Animal welfare Pig proposition by the a local Pig Farmer and his silent and dusky buddy the blacksmith.  I assured the farmer that Montana bacon is loved by this Californian.

On June 29th we birded the Judith Gap area just north of Harlowton. We started early and hit the range land. We were lucky to run into Dan from Big Sky an awesome birder who was parked at the side of the road listing Baird's singing. Besides the Bairds our two days in the area netted another three new birds for the year: Chestnut Collared Longspur, Sprague's Pipit, Thick-billed longspur and I also added a Gray Partridge. We also got great views of Curlews, Upland Sandpiper, Horned Larks and others. 

Many thanks to the ranchers that have adapted grazing techniques from the past that aide the declining US population of grassland birds.

Sweet Grass Birds (From far left clockwise: Chestnut Collared-Longspur, Baird's Sparrow, and, one of my favorite birds,  the Upland Sandpiper after sticking the landing.      Molly and I picked up the noisy Clark's Nutcracker as we left Montana and headed for Idaho.  

5.  State #5 Idaho June 30, 2024 Rocked our Big Year Sweetly

Idaho has always been a friendly state for me to visit. When I toured on bike through the state every time I stoped in a restaurant someone asked me how I was doing.  We entered Idaho on the last day of June and in true Big Year style we hit four awesome spots with a target bird for each spot. 

5.  Idaho June 30 Part 1
Sharp-tailed grouse

Our day started with a really tough bird to find this late in the year. All the grouses and prairie chickens (which are grouse) were in 'Our Big Year Book', except for the Sharp-tailed. I had only previously seen the Sharp-tailed in the pothole regions of Upper Michigan. An early June report of a couple had been made along the Lemon Lake Road near Rexburg, Idaho. If we didn't 't find it there we had little chance to locate it this as we moved out of their range to the south.

We drove up into the hills onto Lemon Lake Road looking for likely cover for the grouse. We did not have a GPS. So we parked the car and walk to edge of some thick brush. We did this for an hour or so when bam, blast, flying away were two Sharp-tailed grouse. I took the above blurry photo of the grouse's sharp end and we moved on.5. Idaho June 30 Part 2 Juniper TitmouseThere is something about the Juniper Titmouse that makes it my favorite titmouse. (Must be the rarity of this little bird.) I don't often bird in the Juniper lands of the United States and had only seen it once before in 2023. June 2024 was ending and we had seen the other five species of Titmouse. One to go! We stopped at Massacred Rocks State Park.  Massacre Rocks State Park received its name from a grouping of boulders that created a narrow break through which the Oregon and California Trails passed. Emigrants, fearing that American Indians might be waiting in ambush, named the boulders "Massacre Rocks." Skirmishes between emigrants and Shoshone Indians did occur in August 1862, but these took place east of the park. The couple hours of birding at Massacre Rocks were excellent. We quickly found our Titmice both juvenile and adult. We also found an occupied Bullock's oriole nest.  A western kingbird showed us the way.

5.  Idaho June 30 Part 3.  Calliope Hummingbird

Where are the most unique hummingbird feeders in the United States? My vote would go to Brockman's Feeding Station an hour south of Twin Falls, Idaho. Sure the feeders in Arizona have more variety of birds but the desolate location and tradition of Brockman's sets it apart.  Brockman's Hummingbird Feeding Station has been around for over thirty years. You drive out a dirt road for miles and suddenly, like an oasis to a thirsty birder, forty or so feeders in two circles hang near a gorgeous creek. How did they get here? All the other feeders we run into have a building nearby. There are not building out here.Turns out a fellow named Brockman first put out the feeders and two buddies have continued the tradition. The feeders attract local ATV'ers and others, many of whom have never heard of Patton's hummingbird Center or Santa Margarita Ranch. Grandparents, I have seen this, take their grandchildren to the feeders and tell them about taking their daddy or mommy there many years ago. 

Brockman's attracts Black-chinned, Ruby-throated and Rufous hummingbirds but one species stands out. Brockman's is the best place to see the gorgeous Calliope Hummingbird, the smallest hummer in the United States.**

June 30 Idaho Part 4 Flammulated Owl    Our big Idaho day almost derailed as we got lost driving from the feeders to Petit Campground.   Luckily, out of nowhere a, well, we called him Mountain Man appeared with his dogs and gave us directions.  We  arrived at Petit Campground, our go to Magic Mountain campground, around 9:30. Just in time to go for the Flammulated owl, which we had heard at this site exactly a year ago. We walked up and down the road in a light rain storm. No owls. We walked a section of the Eagle trail and no owls. Would we strike out after getting the grouse, Calliope, Juniper titmouse, earlier in the day? This was not our first try this year for the little owl. Earlier on the Sister's section of the trip, an expert owler in Oregon had given us directions, but we did not hear or see the owl. This was our last chance and I really, really gave a hoot. Finally the clouds cleared and we could make out the moon. Then hooot, hooot hooot. Four for four let's go to bed. 

Eagle Lake Trail and Cassia Crossbills:  Last year at this time Petit Campground was filled with a booming generator and ATV'ers onsite for the July 4th weekend. But with July 4th two days later in the week the site was peacefully quiet, perfect conditions for birding the 2.5 mile long Eagle trail loop. The Eagle Loop Trail leads out of the campground, along a creek where a busy Red-naped Sapsucker worked on cleaning its nest for its precocious fledgling on the log(left). Then the trail runs uphill and wildflowers dot the hillside. This is the place to find the quintessential Idaho warbler, the Macgillvarey's, and a Western Tanager. (below)   Then some new birds zoomed in.  Overhead crossbills chattered. These were our first crossbills since a flock of White-wings serenaded us during an outdoor dinner in Alaska. Where they Reds or our target Cassias?

 Our Merlin ap screamed Cassia and the sound overhead was the chunkier call of this controversial Idaho species named after the County we were in. (The feeling is they are so acclimated to the n Hills habitat (where they don not compete with Red Squirrels) that they are the one species of crossbills that is not nomadic. Luckily, a pair dropped down onto the pond we were watching. Look at that awesome curved bill.  Are they a separate species for now the ABA says yes? Making matters more complicated is that in 2023 a group of Cassia's hung out in California for a while and for the last couple of years there have been sightings in Colorado.   Maybe there is no such things as non-nomadic Crossbill?

       State #6  Nevada July 2 Ruby Mountains: The Himalayan Snowcock 

The hike, 3.5 miles round trip to Island lake is not too bad. Certainly, hikes for the California Condor and the Colima Warbler were much more challenging. However, the10,000 foot altitude will shorten your breath. When you reach the lake you are surrounded by steep cliffs. You stare and stare at the cliffs hoping to see a chicken size bird. You take photo after photo and look for birds in your viewfinder. Finally, this year I saw two birds quickly fly over the rock edge. Molly stayed back but I climbed all the way up but did not see the birds again. (not recommended safety-wise). Then boom for the first time I saw two Snowcocks fly over the edge. Molly did not see them. I really wanted a photo and a better look. Molly stayed down on the edge just above the lake and I went to the top of the face. (a little sketchy) No birds.

Mountain Bluebird

Green tailed Towhe

We returned home with 680 ABA birds for our 2024 Big year.  We mentioned this to our birding mentored David Whimpfheimer and he suggested 800 was within reach.  This heady number naggingly became our goal for the year.

Here is a list of the new year birds found on our Pacific Northwest trip: 

Hermit Warbler, Cassin's Finch, Black Swift, Cassin's Vireo, Yellow Rail, Sagebrush Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, White-headed Woodpecker, Black-headed Woodpecker, Sooty Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Gray Flycatcher, Williamson's Sapsucker, Baird's Sparrow, Gray Partridge, Sprague's Pipit, Chestnut-Collared Longspur, Thick-billed Longspur, Clark's Nutcracker, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Juniper Titmouse, Calliope Hummingbird, Flammulated Owl, Cassia Crossbill, MacGilivarey's Warbler and Himalayan Snowcock.

Notes:  *Nemesis bird:  A bird that we have looked for many times but have never seen or heard.  For example:  Now we know why our 'nemesis' the Great Grey Owl is called a ghost bird.

** Brockman's feeders really are special.  Check-out this video for a short local news story about them. brockmans hummingbird feeding station 

Next up:  More California, Pelagic season, a trip to Newfoundland, and so much more in 2024. Great gray?