[Tweeters] Okanagan Highlands / Waterville Plateau Trip Report

[Jamie Acker via Tweeters]

Good morning Tweeters!

I returned last night from a three day / two night trip to the Okanagan Highlands and the Waterville Plateau.  I don’t think I could have picked three colder days to go.  How cold was it? Coming down from the hill into Tonasket the needle on the engine temperature gauge went from a slightly below normal temperature to horizontal –“C”.  (It returned to normal when I slowed down and reached the warmer temperature of Tonasket).
I left Bainbridge Island Monday morning on the 0440 ferry and reached Bluett Pass at sunrise where it was 13 degrees.  My first birding stop was at the intersection on 97/17, the orchards.  I found a large flock of Cedar Waxwings and in the group were four Bohemian Waxwings, a great start for the trip. Cameron Lake Road was tough birding, the highlight being Gray Partridge at the first farm up Timentwa Road. Fancher Road had Golden Eagle, Chukar, and American Goldfinch.  The stream and the feeder at the intersection of Havillah Road and Fancher Road were birdy. Siwash Creek Road in the afternoon produced Clark’s Nutcracker, White Breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, and Red Crossbills. The feeder at Neely Road was empty, but just prior to arriving there I found a flock of Snow Buntings in with some stacked hay bales. The Sno Park was quiet – really quiet.  I was there at dusk and did not detect any owls. (I do not call for GGOW as that is harassment in my opinion.  That bird is probably singularly targeted by many listers and subjecting it to make a response while trying to make a living in cold conditions with over a foot of snow on the ground is unethical (my opinion)). Normally I camp out at the Sno Park to listen for owls and to view the stars but with temperatures in the single digits at dusk I opted for a hotel in Tonasket.
Tuesday morning found me back at the Sno Park at 0600 listening for owls.  It was -12 degrees. I did hear a pair of Great Horned Owls calling.  After watching the moon set over the meadow at the Sno Park I headed for Siwash Creek where I was treated to one of the highlights of the trip – 22 Sharp Tailed Grouse.  I suspect they spent the night in the creek bed seeking warmer temperatures as when I observed them they made their way out of the creek bed and headed for the uplands. I watched them forage for over 20 minutes until they went out of sight.  The Neely Road feeders had been restocked and there were Mountain Chickadees and Red-Winged Blackbirds. The Okanagan Highlands were pretty much void of any bird life except for Ravens and Magpies.  I covered a lot of roads, went north of Chesaw, and Davis Road.  In my time in the Highlands I encountered only one Rough-legged Hawk, and no shrikes. Around noon I headed south and redid Cameron Lake Road but found nothing new there. There was enough daylight left to spend some time at Washburn Island, which was well worth it. Washburn Island provided looks at 40 Western Meadowlarks that got put up by a passing male Northern Harrier, a varied assortment of ducks, a Ring-necked Pheasant, two Cackling Geese mixed in with some overhead calling Canada Geese, and two American Tree Sparrows, a species I had looked for on Cameron Lake Road and Fancher Road.  The Tree Sparrows were about as far south the cornfield in a brush pile near a very small pond/puddle.  There were hordes of White-crowned Sparrows, but the Tree Sparrows were disassociated from them. They did respond to the playback chip call. It was almost sunset when I left Washburn Island.  I usually enjoy camping out at Bridgeport State Park where I listen to the Northern Saw-whet and Great Horned Owls call, but with low temperatures forecast again I opted for a hotel in Pateros.
Wednesday morning I left Pateros for the Waterville Plateau via Central Ferry Canyon Road. No waxwings at Crane Orchards. The grain elevators in Mansfield yielded the usual suspects.  My big surprise was a Snowy Owl on H Road near 16th.  It was active, but distant. At one point it flew across the road to another rock that was distant. Heritage Road had two Rough-legged Hawks.  The millet field at the south end at the junction of Baseline and Heritage Road had a large number of Horned Larks.  I could not find a Snow Bunting in with them.  At one point a large number of birds took to the air and I could see a large number of smaller dark bird amongst the Horned Larks.   When overhead against the blue sky, the rosy flanks of Gray-crowned Rosy Finch were visible. What a treat, but not a great look. From here I headed west and just before Jameson Lake Road in the cut was a huge flock of Rosy Finch. Pulling over to observe them was a bit dicey. Jameson Lake was frozen (15 degrees) but there was a Golden Eagle.  Just west of Douglas I found the only Northern Shrike of the trip.
Roads were bare and dry for the most part.  There were icy patches in some places, mostly on the Plateau, but nothing that gave me a heart check.
It was a great trip that I thoroughly needed.
-Jamie
owler637 at gmail.com
Bainbridge Island, WA
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