Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 6, 1986

On Saturday morning, I boarded a plane in Newark for Seattle by way of Denver. I got my rental car and headed for Discovery Park near Seattle. On my way there, I stopped at the Ship Canal Marina and saw three Glaucous-winged Gulls on some pilings.

Glaucous-winged Gull at the Ship Canal Marina near Seattle, Washington.

The smell of evergreens filled the air at Discovery Park. At the North Parking Lot, the smaller and more nasal-sounding Northwestern Crows were present. They seemed very similar to our Fish Crows in size and call. From the lot, I hiked the Wolf Tree Nature Trail. There, I saw my first Black-throated Gray Warbler. Also there were Hutton's Vireo, Wilson's and Orange-crowned Warbler, Western Tanager, and the "Audubon's" form of Yellow-rumped Warbler. I left the park and headed south past the Space Needle for Mount Rainier. By now, the setting sun produced an orange glow on Rainier's snow-capped peak.

I stayed at a motel in Enumclaw, located near the base of the mountain.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 7, 1986

On Sunday, I headed for the Sunrise Visitor Center in Mount Rainier National Park. On the way up, frequent stops revealed Steller's Jay, "Oregon" Junco, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Clark's Nutcracker.

Mount Rainier from Sunrise Park Road in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

The Sunrise Visitor Center is located at the timberline, about 6400 feet in elevation. Along the treeline were Golden-crowned Kinglets. I hiked up from there into the alpine tundra. Hoary Marmots moved among the rocks.

A Hoary Marmot along the Burroughs Mountain Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

About a mile up the trail, on First Burroughs Mountain, I found Horned Lark, Water Pipit, Common Raven, and a small flock of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches.

A Water Pipit along the Burroughs Mountain Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

There were amazing views in all directions as I headed for Second Burroughs Mountain and up to the snowline below Mount Rainier.

The White River from along the Burroughs Mountain Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

The Burroughs Mountain area, dwarfed by Mount Rainier, from along the Burroughs Mountain Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

Mount Rainier from the Burroughs Mountain Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. Note the trail just below center right that I took up to where the Ptarmigans were found.

Farther up, on Second Buroughs Mountain, I sat on a rock to take a break from the high-elevation hiking and take in the scenery. I was now just below the snowline and still hadn't seen my 'target bird'. After hearing something behind a rock about twenty feet from where I was sitting, I noticed a head pop out on one side of it. It was my 'life' White-tailed Ptarmigan!

A White-tailed Ptarmigan checking me out on Second Burroughs Mountain in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

Eventually, I found three of them as they allowed me to get some nice photos. Their plumage perfectly camouflaged them against the rocky background. Who knows how many more I didn't notice there?

White-tailed Ptarmigans blending in with their surroundings on Second Burroughs Mountain in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

It was tough to leave the Ptarmigans and the superb views. It was a long, but enjoyable, walk back to the car.

The view from 'the Ptarmigan spot' looking back towards the Sunrise Visitor Center in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. The visitor center is behind the flat-topped peak. The cut for Sunrise Park Road is visible near center right.

On the way back down, I stopped at Shadow Lake, a tiny lake located just below the treeline, that produced Mountain Chickadee, Violet-green Swallow, and my first Gray Jays. Driving down from the visitor center, I stopped at Fryingpan Creek and found Vaux's Swifts overhead. I searched in vain for Three-toed Woodpecker at the Chinook Pass Summit and then turned off Route 410 onto Route 123. I spotted a single American Dipper diving into the water at the base of Silver Falls, located just above Ohanepecosh Campground. I headed east on Route 12 to the entrance to Oak Creek Canyon, just west of Naches, where I spent a restless night sleeping in the car.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 8, 1986

I headed into Oak Creek Canyon looking for some 'lifers' but came out with a nice look at a soaring immature Golden Eagle. Along Wenas Road, north of Naches, I sighted Brewer's Sparrow and my first views of Black-billed Magpie. Wenas Road turned into Umtanum Road, which had Western Bluebirds along it. I followed Umtanum Road into Ellensburg, went north on Route 97, and picked up Route 2, heading for Lake Wenatchee State Park. Route 2 follows the Wenatchee River through a huge gorge between Leavenworth and Coles Corner.

At Lake Wenatchee, I looked for Red-naped Sapsucker but only found more Gray Jays. I took Route 2 down to Sunnyslope and followed Route 97 up the Columbia River to the Brewster area.

The Columbia River near Chelan Falls, Washington.

In the sagebrush, I found Western Meadowlarks and Brewer's Blackbirds, but the timing of my trip was apparently too late in the season for Sage Thrasher. I spent the night in the only motel in Brewster.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 9, 1986

I drove up Route 153 through the Methow River Valley. Along the way, I saw Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, and "Red-shafted" Flicker. At Carlton, I watched about 20 Lewis's Woodpeckers feeding in an apple orchard. I took Route 20 east to the Loup Loup Campground where I saw "Oregon" Junco, Gray Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, "Audubon's " Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, and a male Williamson's Sapsucker. I backtracked to Route 20 and headed for North Cascades National Park. Taking this road over Washington Pass is a must sight to see.

Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway from Washington Pass, Washington.

The gorges between Washington Pass and Newhalem are incredibly steep and deep. The road meanders around Diablo Lake and along Gorge Lake before reaching the town of Newhalem.

Diablo Lake along the North Cascades Scenic Highway near Diablo, Washington.

At Newhalem, where the Goodell Creek flows into the Skagit River, I found Black Swifts along with the much smaller Vaux's. I continued down out of the high mountains to Samish Bay and Bayview State Park and saw Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, and Ring-billed and Glaucous-winged Gull. The night was spent near Burlington.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 10, 1986

The morning was spent in Washington Park near Anacortes. Along with Glaucous-winged and Bonaparte's Gulls, I spotted my first Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Mew Gull, and Pigeon Guillemots.

Pigeon Guillemot off Washington Park near Anacortes, Washington.

Following the Loop Road to nearby Green Point produced breeding-plumaged Red-necked Grebes and two more 'lifers'---Marbled Murrelets and American Black Oystercatchers. On Rosario Head at Deception Pass State Park, I found my first Rhinoceros Auklet and Pelagic Cormorants. Also in the area were Red-breasted Merganser, Surf Scoter, and Common Loon. At Larabee State Park, near Chuckanut, were Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and more Chestnut-backed Chickadees.

Deception Pass Bridge crossing into Deception Pass State Park, Washington.

I went up I-5, crossed the Canadian border and, then, the Fraser River into Vancouver, British Columbia. After some searching, I finally found five Crested Mynas at the corner of Southeast Marine Drive and Ontario Street in South Vancouver.

Crested Mynas in South Vancouver, British Columbia.

Next, I took the Vancouver-Victoria Ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. At the Tsawwassen terminal were Common Tern and Mew Gull. In Swartz Bay, I saw Red-throated Loon and my first Common Murre. I spent the night on Victoria Island.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 11, 1986

Thursday morning, I watched the U.S.S. Constellation, one of our huge aircraft carriers navigate through the islands on its way to "The Expo" in Vancouver. I spent the next 6-1/2 hours exploring cabbage fields near Island View Beach Road until I finally got good looks at three Eurasian Skylarks. Harlequin Ducks were offshore at the end of the road.

I was planning on taking the 2-hour ferry crossing from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington, but it was already filled for the next several crossings, which wouldn't get me across until the next day. Unable to wait that long, I took the Victoria-Vancouver ferry back to Tsawwassen, crossed the border back into the U.S., took I-5 south to Whidbey Island, took the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry under the moonlight, and then drove over to the town of Sequim. It was a detour of almost 7 hours! Finally on the Olympic Peninsula, I spent most of the night in the bathroom of my Sequim-based motel after doing a stupid move of all-too-quickly downing a quart of ice cream. It was a long, long day and a long night.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 12, 1986

The first stop was Ediz Hook in Port Angeles. There, I saw Heermann's Gulls, Black and Ruddy Turnstones, Hooded Mergansers, Sanderlings, and Semipalmated Plovers. I left Ediz Hook and went up Hurricane Ridge Road into Olympic National Park. Seven miles up, I saw a large bird cross the road ahead of the car. I slowed down and stopped where I saw it go up the bank and there stood a "coastal race" Blue Grouse staring back at me. At the top, the clear view of the Olympic Mountains was incredible.

The Olympic Mountains from Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park, Washington.

In the area around the visitor center were Red-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Jay, "Oregon" Junco, Swainson's Thrush, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Golden Eagle. After returning to the bottom, I drove to Tongue Point, near Crescent Beach, and spotted another first---a Pacific Loon. I followed Highway 101 to the Hoh Rain Forest. Everything was covered with mosses and ferns. The Douglas Firs and Sitka Spruces were impressively tall.

The Hoh Rain Forest southeast of Forks, Washington.

A Sitka Spruce in the Hoh Rain Forest, southeast of Forks, Washington.

Highway 101 near Ruby Beach in Washington.

I stopped at Ruby Beach and Kalaloch to check the Pacific coastal waters where I found Common Murre, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pelagic Cormorant, and California Gull.

The seacoast at Ruby Beach in Washington.

California Gull at Ruby Beach in Washington.

At Point Brown, near Grays Harbor, there were hundreds of Sooty Shearwwaters.

Sooty Shearwaters at Point Brown near Ocean Shores, Washington.

Also spotted there were Brown Pelicans, White-winged Scoter, and Semipalmated Plovers. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any Snowy Plovers. I then drove all the way around Grays Harbor and spent the night in Westport.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 13, 1986

I boarded a boat early Saturday morning for a pelagic trip out of Westport. The trip would go about 25 miles out into the Pacific Ocean. It was my first time on a pelagic trip. I hadn't even done one on the East Coast, so I didn't know how I was going to do with seasickness, especially given the fact that I have a fairly bad case of motion sickness even when riding in a car. As we headed out into the Pacific, one of the local birders said that the seas were really calm by Washington standards. Needless to say, I was happy to hear that. I was fine while we motored forward, but started having trouble when the boat stopped to check out birds on the water. After adding some chum to the waters, I slept most of the way back into port, but I really did great bird-wise as the trip netted me 15 life birds. Here's the list by order seen and their approximate numbers.

Black-legged Kittiwake (3)
Common Murre (~40)
Sooty Shearwater (~1000)
Brown Pelican (~15)
Pomarine Jaeger* (~30)
Rhinoceros Auklet (5)
Common Loon (~10)
Northern Fulmar* (~10) (both "dark" and "light" phase birds)
Buller's Shearwater* (~15)
Black-footed Albatross* (~25)
Pink-footed Shearwater* (~35)
Cassin's Auklet* (~10)
Sabine's Gull* (~10)
Northern "Red-necked" Phalarope* (~10)
Arctic Tern* (~10)
Flesh-footed Shearwater* (2)
Long-tailed Jaeger* (1)
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel* (~20)
South Polar Skua* (1)
Parasitic Jaeger* (1)
Tufted Puffin* (3)

Other interesting sightings included Steller's Sea Lions, Dall's Porpoise, and Sunfish.

Here are some identifiable photos I managed to get during the pelagic.

Sooty Shearwater on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

Sabine's Gulls on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

Northern Fulmar on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

Buller's Shearwater on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

Black-footed Albatross on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

Black-footed Albatross on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

South Polar Skua on the pelagic trip out of Westport, Washington.

After the pelagic, I had enough time to bird the South Jetty at Westport where I got my last 'lifer' of the trip---a Surfbird.

From Westport, I drove back to Seattle and stayed there overnight. It still seemed like the bed was moving back and forth like the boat.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip ~ September 14, 1986

I drove to the Seattle airport where I boarded a plane to Houston and switched planes to one headed to Newark, New Jersey. Just after takeoff from Seattle, I got excellent looks at Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens in Washington, and Mount Hood in Oregon. On the way to Houston, we passed over the Great Salt Lake and Pike's Peak. On the way to Newark, I got to see Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Delaware Bay, and the Cape May peninsula from the air. It gave me a birds-eye view of what migrants see when passing over the area.

Bomaby Hook National Wildlife Refuge from the plane over Delaware.

The Cape May peninsula (the strip of land extending out from just above left center) from the plane over Delaware.

Before landing, I got a good view of New York City and its Twin Towers.

The Twin Towers in New York City (left) and the Bayonne Bridge (right) from the plane over New Jersey.

Mammals seen on the trip included Hoary and Olympic Marmots, Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrels, Black-tailed Mule Deer, Red Fox, Western Gray Squirrel, and Chipmunk.

For the trip, I identified 133 species, which included 41 life birds.

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Washington and British Columbia Trip List

1) Common Loon
2) Pacific Loon*
3) Red-throated Loon
4) Red-necked Grebe
5) Horned Grebe
6) Pied-billed Grebe
7) Black-footed Albatross*
8) Northern Fulmar* (both "dark" and "light" phase birds)
9) Flesh-footed Shearwater*
10) Sooty Shearwater*
11) Pink-footed Shearwater*
12) Buller's Shearwater*
13) Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel*
14) Brown Pelican
15) Double-crested Cormorant
16) Pelagic Cormorant*
17) Great Blue Heron
18) Mallard
19) Gadwall
20) Redhead
21) White-winged Scoter
22) Surf Scoter
23) Harlequin Duck
24) Common Merganser
25) Red-breasted Merganser
26) Hooded Merganser
27) American Black Oystercatcher*
28) Semipalmated Plover
29) Killdeer
30) Whimbrel
31) Wandering Tattler
32) Northern "Red-necked" Phalarope*
33) Ruddy Turnstone
34) Black Turnstone
35) Surfbird*
36) Sanderling
37) Western Sandpiper
38) Least Sandpiper
39) Pectoral Sandpiper
40) South Polar Skua*
41) Pomarine Jaeger*
42) Parasitic Jaeger*
43) Long-tailed Jaeger*
44) Heermann's Gull
45) Bonaparte's Gull
46) Ring-billed Gull
47) Mew Gull*
48) Herring Gull
49) California Gull*
50) Western Gull
51) Glaucous-winged Gull*
52) Black-legged Kittiwake
53) Sabine's Gull*
54) Common Tern
55) Arctic Tern
56) Caspian Tern
57) Common Murre*
58) Pigeon Guillemot*
59) Marbled Murrelet*
60) Cassin's Auklet*
61) Rhinoceros Auklet*
62) Tufted Puffin*
63) Turkey Vulture
64) Golden Eagle
65) Northern Harrier
66) Sharp-shinned Hawk
67) Cooper's Hawk
68) Red-tailed Hawk
69) American Kestrel
70) Blue Grouse* ("coastal" race)
71) White-tailed Ptarmigan*
72) Band-tailed Pigeon
73) Rock Dove
74) Mourning Dove
75) Black Swift*
76) Vaux's Swift*
77) Belted Kingfisher
78) Northern "Red-shafted" Flicker
79) Lewis's Woodpecker*
80) Williamson's Sapsucker*
81) Downy Woodpecker
82) Western Wood-Pewee
83) Eurasian Skylark*
84) Horned Lark
85) Tree Swallow
86) Violet-green Swallow
87) Barn Swallow
88) Steller's Jay
89) Gray Jay*
90) Clark's Nutcracker
91) Black-billed Magpie*
92) American Crow
93) Northwestern Crow*
94) Common Raven
95) Black-capped Chickadee
96) Mountain Chickadee
97) Chestnut-backed Chickadee*
98) Red-breasted Nuthatch
99) Winter Wren
100) Golden-crowned Kinglet
101) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
102) Western Bluebird
103) Swainson's Thrush
104) Hermit Thrush
105) American Robin
106) Water Pipit
107) American Dipper*
108) Crested Myna*
109) European Starling
110) Hutton's Vireo
111) Orange-crowned Warbler
112) Nashville Warbler
113) Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler
114) Black-throated Gray Warbler*
115) Townsend's Warbler
116) Wilson's Warbler
117) Rufous-sided "Spotted" Towhee
118) Vesper Sparrow
119) Savannah Sparrow
120) Song Sparrow
121) Field Sparrow
122) Brewer's Sparrow
123) Dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco
124) White-crowned Sparrow
125) Western Meadowlark
126) Red-winged Blackbird
127) Brewer's Blackbird
128) Western Tanager
129) House Sparrow
130) Pine Siskin
131) American Goldfinch
132) Rosy Finch* ("Gray-crowned" race)
133) House Finch

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