[Tweeters] Mt Rainier Birding Today (June 8th)

[Christopher Clark]

Good evening everyone,

After wanting to go for several weeks now, I was finally able to get up to
Mt Rainier. For the first time in nearly 10 years, I headed up to Paradise.
I usually go to Sunrise when it opens up in July, but there were a few
birds I was hoping to see on the south side of the mountain.

First off, I stopped at Longmire. A possible HERMIT WARBLER was heard, as
was TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS were frequently heard as
well. I started walking up the Rampart Ridge trail, and as the trail rose
in elevation, HERMIT WARBLERS were heard in good numbers. I didn't hear any
Townsend's Warblers here, and even though I didn't get any visuals, it
seems this may be a good area for pure Hermits, so I felt comfortable
counting them. This is not only a new county bird for me, but an overdue
life bird as well. I only hiked far enough to hear the warblers, then after
attempting to get a visual, I headed back down. On the way back, two
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS flew into a tree right next to me, including one
that landed on the ground just a few feet away! VAUX'S SWIFT, as well as
BARN and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, were seen overhead. EBird checklist here:
https://ebird.org/pnw/checklist/S140939113

Next I drove up to Paradise itself. For anyone wondering, there is still
extensive snow up here, making trail access difficult without proper
equipment. I wasn't personally able to get up high enough to see
White-tailed Ptarmigan or Rosy-finches. Hopefully conditions will be better
in a few weeks! The parking lot was clear however, so I mostly stuck around
here. A female WESTERN BLUEBIRD was heard and seen perched on a tree near
the Paradise Inn - Another long overdue county bird for me! I wasn't
expecting to see one up here, but I believe they've been seen here in years
past. FOY CASSIN'S FINCH, CHIPPING SPARROW, and CANADA JAY were seen as
well. a GAMBEL'S WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was heard next to the inn, it's song
noticeably different from the Puget's White-crowneds that were singing in
the same area. EBird checklist here:
https://ebird.org/pnw/checklist/S140940577

Overall it was a gorgeous day, a great day for a drive! I did miss several
bird species but that just gives me a reason to go back soon.

Christopher Clark
Puyallup, WA
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