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July 13, 2009
Naches Pass with Gene Hunn
After weeks of fine weather, two nasty frontal systems blew in for our field trip to the Cascade Crest near Naches Pass, King County. We woke at 4:30 AM Monday to rain and low clouds, but the eight of us set off anyway hoping the predicted clearing would soon materialize. No such luck. The Crest was socked in down to 4000 feet and it felt like winter at the top.
We altered our plans in response to the nasty weather on the crest. Birded briefly at the Mud Mountain Dam junction on 410 and at Federation Forest State Park (very quiet, then to kill time birded the clear-cut at the junction of SR 410 and FSR 70( in Pierce County). That's where we found the family of Dusky Flycatchers. We stopped briefly at the #15 tree, glimpsed a Hairy Woodpecker, then decided to just go on over the top on FSR 7080 and down the east side on Wenatchee NF road 1914, then continuing east on FSR 90 to some open meadows along the Little Naches River where the sun was shining. We headed back west hoping that the ceiling might have lifted off the ridge, climbing up FSR 9013 to Green Pass and FSR 7038, our familiar "Silver Snag Ridge," as we propose to call it in the future (rather than "north of Windy Gap"). No luck. Thick cold windy fog, a flat tire and hot brakes on down the other side.
Lots of EVENING GROSBEAKS throughout the route. Nice views of a CHIPPING SPARROW and a male LAZULI BUNTING in a meadow high up the Little Naches River. Best "birds" were the several ELK, including a cow with a half-grown calf, and a SNOWSHOE HARE, and lots of wild flowers.
We nevertheless identified maybe 50 bird species, but not many in King County.
Trip Species List
Also noted:
Elk 3 cows, 1 calf Black-tailed Deer 1 buck Snowshoe Hare 1 FSR 70 ca. mile 14 Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel 2 FSR 70 Pika heard
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Washington Ornithological Society. 12345 Lake City Way NE, #215. Seattle, WA 98125. Information@WOS.org
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