[Tweeters] Northcentral WA Trip - Day 3

[Jon Houghton]

Hi Tweets - Yesterday, we headed up Cameron Lk Rd first thing, hoping colder weather and some snow might have made conditions a little more 'normal' than we'd seen in the Highlands. In the first few miles of mostly burned area, we saw only Magpies. We then turned up the Cameron Lake Loop to some intact pines along the first two lakes where we've always found nuthatches of various spp. and occasional Xbills.  Nada there - it was raining with patches of fog. Back to the main road (we didn't drive the whole CL Loop because the hills were pretty squirrelly in slushy snow over frozen ruts), on the last slope uphill past Cook Lake, before you come out onto the plateau, we stopped, heard some wood pecking and coaxed a Hairy WP into view.  Up on the plateau, there was about an inch of fresh snow on the road with a couple of sets of tracks. Snow disappeared by the time we got to the burned-up Am. Tree Sparrow place (ca. 0.7 mi. north of Timentwa Rd.). Playing the sparrow song alongside the cattails upstream of the road produced a quick and excited trio of the lovely little creatures.  Timentwa Rd. was closed to thru traffic, but we drove up about 3 miles without incident with only Horned Larks (HOLA) and some flying ducks, Magpies, Ravens to show for it. Beyond Timentwa, Cameron Lk. road alternated between OK bare and dry, to treacherous muddy ruts - in one place threatening to stop us in the mire, but, we made it through. We did find at least 3 Lapland Longspur with the HOLA in the last high wheat stubble (poking through a little snow) before the descent begins. We looked hard (again) but found no Bohemian Waxwings at the Rts 17/97 junction orchards where Charlotte Byers had seen many Monday afternoon. We then went up Central Ferry Cyn Rd (a lifer road!) from Brewster and found a Sharp-shinned Hawk in a dead snag surrounded by dead ugly brown vines. Nearing the top the road was snowy and slick with few tracks but we made it up. From there we wandered in mostly untracked snow over to No. Division Rd and down to Rt. 173. Hoping to see some Snow Buntings seen in the area recently by Shep T. we saw only many HOLA and Ravens but nothing else. On the way down Rt. 173, we found nothing in Withrow. Down along the Columbia we stopped at Lincoln Rock SP and easily found the Eared Grebe seen there recently, to round out the birding.  Overall, it was a pretty mediocre trip from a birding perspective, but it's always scenic and interesting in that part of the world! Here's hoping the conditions we found aren't a portent of future Okanogan Co. winters in this warming world. Happy Birding! - Jon Houghton, Edmonds
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