American Flamingo, Cape Romain NWR Bulls Island, SC, October 24, 2023

The tropical system that would become Hurricane Idalia formed just east of the Yucatan peninsula on August 27th.  The system then meandered in the waters off western Cuba for a couple days before moving north into the Gulf of Mexico on August 29th.  Idalia rapidly intensified into a major hurricane with sustained winds near 125 mph when it made landfall in the FL Big Bend area.  Idalia continued northeast through the southeast US, passing through FL, GA and SC, and eventually moved off the coast of SC just south of the NC line on the 31st as a tropical storm.

Windblown birds will often get displaced by tropical systems, especially storms that form in the tropics.  And just as anticipated, Idalia was responsible for a number of displaced storm birds.  But few would have anticipated the single key displaced species for which Idalia would become known.    

On September 2nd this most surprising post came across the NC Rare Bird Alert chat –

“Ten flamingos at Pea Island in South Pond!!”

Flamingos!  A whole flock of them!  On the Outer Banks of NC!  Although escaped birds are always possible, surely a flock of birds must be wild.  And immediately I started to wonder if they could have been displaced by Idalia.  Soon thereafter came a report of 2 Flamingos on the SC coast at Bulls Island in the Cape Romain NWR, which were discovered on September 1.  I’ve only seen wild Flamingos once before – a flock of 16 at least a mile away off the Everglades at Snake Bight Trail on December 8, 2008.  So I would have loved to go chase after both the SC and NC Flamingos.  But the SC birds were at least a 5 hour drive and boat ride away, and the NC birds were even farther requiring a 7-hour drive.  So I would just have to pass on these ultra-rarities.

Often birds displaced by tropical weather systems only stay a short time before trying to head back “home”.  But both the SC and the NC birds continued at their new locations throughout September and into October.  And during that time more Flamingos were spotted at out-of-the way locations throughout the east including in PA, MD, VA, KY, OH, IN, TN, WI, KS, AL, and throughout FL.  A few of these had been banded in the Yucatan Peninsula, confirming the wild nature of these birds, just in case there was any lingering doubt as to their origin.

As Idalia was forming in the tropics, my wife and I made reservations for a vacation at the end of October at Kiawah Island on the SC coast.  As the Flamingo reports started to come in, I briefly wondered if the SC Flamingos might stick around until our vacation.  But surely the Flamingos would be long gone nearly 2 months after Idalia passed through.  Sure enough on September 3rd one of the Bulls Island birds disappeared, leaving just one bird behind.  But reports of that bird continued on a nearly daily basis well into October.  Finally, as our vacation neared it was time to add a trip to Bulls Island to the trip itinerary.  With a bit of research, I found information on the ferry service that takes you to the island, Coastal Expeditions, and made a reservation for October 24th.  Now I had to just hope that the Flamingo would continue to stick around.

I combed through all the recent reports and it seemed that the Flamingo was always being seen in Upper Summerhouse Pond.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that Upper Summerhouse Pond is actually a pretty large lake, with several peninsulas and coves.  As a result, only a portion of the lake is visible from any one vantage point.  Sometimes the bird was close to shore, most recently along the dike on Turkey Walk Trail.  But other times the bird was spotted at the far end of the lake a quarter mile or farther away.  I figured I just needed to be thorough in my search and I would hopefully be successful.

The 24th finally arrived and I was out the door of our rental house bright and early.  After an hour ride I pulled into the parking lot for the Bulls Island Ferry.  As I waited for the ferry’s departure I checked eBird one last time - the last report from Bulls Island was from the 19th and the Flamingo was indeed spotted that day.  I started chatting with the boat captain and he said it was spotted by one of his passengers on the 23rd.  I was cautiously optimistic.

As we winded our way through the channels in route to Bulls Island I reflected on my last trip to the island.  It was back in May 1977, 46 years ago, when I got species like Sandwich Tern and Purple Gallinule as lifebirds.  This time I wasn’t looking for a lifer, just a much rarer addition to my SC state list. 

After disembarking from the ferry I headed right to the Upper Summerhouse Pond.  Along the way I passed through some very nice woodlands that were quite birdy.  But I didn’t stop, not only because I was on a Flamingo hunt, but also because the mosquitos were thick and hungry!  As I arrived at northwest corner of the pond I did a quick binocular scan but did not see my target bird.  Then a more detailed scan with my scope came up empty.  But I wasn’t too concerned – I was only able to see a smaller portion of the pond from this location and there were still several more vantage points to check. 

I took a short walk down the dike on the Turkey Walk Trail until I got to a break in the vegetation affording me a view of the main pool.  Once again I did a binocular scan and then a more detailed scan with my scope.  But to no avail.  Far in the distance at the southern end of the pond I recognized a row of power poles that were in the most recent photos of the bird, but there was no Flamingo there today.  Which was good news I guess because if so, the bird would have been more than a quarter mile away.

So it was on to the next vantage point near the northeast corner of the main part of the pond.  Distant scans of the perimeter of the pool still came up empty.  Now I was really starting to worry.  Would I be the first person to miss the long-staying Bulls Island Flamingo?  There were still a couple other vantage points I could check, but they would require longer walks and subject me to a lot more mosquitos. 

As I stood there trying to decide my next course of action, I noticed a bit of movement just beyond the thick vegetation at the edge of pond quite close to me.  I took a couple steps to get a slightly clearer view of the area and there was my target bird – an American Flamingo!  The bird was no more than 50 feet away!  I slowly took a couple more steps up the dike until I reached an opening in the vegetation and got tremendous views of the bird.  Here are a couple phonescoped shots.

I watched the Flamingo for the next half hour actively feeding by immersing its entire head under the water.  That was quite different from what I’ve seen in zoos when they would only barely put their bills under the water surface to feed. 

I’m glad I didn’t have to wait any longer to get to Bulls Island.  As it turns out my report of the Flamingo was the last one on eBird.  So instead of being the first birder to miss the Bulls Island Flamingo, I was the last one to see it. 

American Flamingo was #301 for my SC list, and my 541st photographed species in the ABA region.

And now for a postscript for seeing birds displaced by tropical systems –

I’ve had a pretty good track record of seeing rarities displaced by tropical storms and hurricanes.  These include –

Hurricane Katrina – August 2005 – TN – Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, numerous Laughing Gulls – Pickwick Dam

Hurricane Earl - September 2010 – MA - Sabine’s Gull and South Polar Skua, First Encounter Beach

Hurricane Irene – August-September 2011

MA – White-tailed Tropicbird, Sooty Tern, and 2 Jaeger sp. - Quabbin Reservoir in Central MA

VT – Sanderling – Connecticut River in Vernon

RI -– Brown Pelican, Parasitic Jaeger, Sooty Tern - Moonstone Beach

ME - Black Skimmer – Pine Point

Hurricane Arthur – July 2014

MA - Sandwich Tern - Plum Island

ME – Royal Tern - Hills Beach  (both on the same day)

And now I can add the American Flamingo in SC after Hurricane Idalia.

Limpkin, Mountain Creek Park, Catawba County, NC, August 26, 2023

There had been quite a number of sightings of Limpkins throughout the southeast in the summer of 2023.  This species is not generally prone to vagrancy.  But this year, it was apparent that some type of post-breeding dispersal was occurring similar to what happens with other waders.  Unfortunately, all the reports were quite distant from home, including several in central NC and a couple in central TN. 

But then I noticed a Limpkin report from Catawba County on August 25.  The bird was seen at Mountain Creek Park a bit northwest of Charlotte about a 2-hour drive from home – within my self-imposed driving limit.  I could chase after it the next day, but some of the local Limpkin reports were one-day-wonders.  So it sure would be nice to know that the bird would stick around before I made the trek. 

As it turns out my birding friend Bill Hooker was also interested in pursuing this bird to add it to his Catawba County list.  He was able to relocate it on the 25th, and went back on the morning of the 26th and found it again quite easily.  Bill passed along his suggestions to find the Limpkin – set up your scope on the fishing pier and scan the islands and small mudflats a short distance away.  Although the bird was sometimes seen in the open on the flats, it seemed to prefer perching somewhat obscured in low branches in front of the right most island as you look out from the pier.  With that great advice I was all set and headed off for Mountain Creek Park.

I arrived just after 1 PM in the heat of the day – my car thermometer said the outside temperature was 100 degrees – yikes! 

I quickly made my way to the fishing pier, which thankfully was partially shaded.  I did a quick scan of the island to the right but came up empty.  Then with my scope set up in the shade I searched that right-most island more closely but could not find the Limpkin.  Slow scans of the flats and remaining portions of the islands were unsuccessful as well, with the best find being a Pectoral Sandpiper. 

This was going to be a challenge.  If I was going to be successful, I would need to just settle in and keep doing frequent scans of those islands.  About a half hour after I arrived I heard the unmistakable calls of a Limpkin coming from the shoreline a short distance away.  But the calls were a little too good – it was another birder playing tape. 

Then a half hour later I finally got the break I needed – I noticed a large brown bird flying from the back of the right island towards the flats.  With a quick scope view I had my Limpkin!  I was able to get a couple quick phonescoped shots as it briefly walked out in the open.

A few seconds later it walked into vegetation toward the left and disappeared.  It was in view for maybe just 60 seconds.  I remained there for another hour hoping to get better views but it never re-emerged.  I guess a 1-minute distant view over 2 hours would have to be good enough.

Limpkin was #323 for my NC statelist.  And now NC is my third state, after FL and SC, for this expanding species.

 

As a postscript – just a couple weeks after the Mountain Creek Park sighting a Limpkin appeared at Jackson Park only 15 minutes from home.  I saw this bird on September 9, which certainly was much more cooperative than the one in Catawba County.  I could have saved myself a 2-hour drive if the Jackson Park bird had shown up a couple weeks earlier.

Flock of Swallow-tailed Kites, Bluff City, Sullivan County, Tennessee, August 23, 2023

It was August 22nd and we were well into what I call “The Summer Doldrums of Birding” – a period where the breeding season is over, and migration isn’t yet underway.  Unfortunately, that lasts nearly 2 months here in the mountains of western NC.  Luckily, it’s good birding the remaining 10+ months of the year.  I hadn’t had a new statebird, let alone even tried for one, since coming back from my Oregon, Idaho, and Washington trip in June.

Even though it was a slow time of the year I decided to check my eBird Needs Alert for Tennessee on the off chance that there might be something to chase after in the eastern part of the state.  As is usually the case, most every listed species was being seen in the central or western part of the state.  But then I noticed some reports of Swallow-tailed Kite from Sullivan County.  First of all, I didn’t even know I needed STKI for TN – thank goodness for eBird Needs Alerts!  Then I thought I remembered that Sullivan County was near the northeast corner of TN.  And sure enough a quick search on GoogleMaps showed the site to be 1 hour 55 minutes from home - just within my self-imposed 2-hour driving limit for chases.

Now I had to determine if my target was reasonably reliable to justify the chase.  There were nearly daily reports recently of up to 5 birds along Chinquapin Grove Road, with reports going back to August 6th with up to 8 birds spotted.  That was all good news.  But, there were no reports from the 22nd.  Since the spot was not a hotspot I couldn’t tell if anyone looked for them unsuccessfully that day.  I tried to overlook the lack of reports writing it off simply as most of the local birders who wanted to see the Kites had already done so by then.  The out-of-range Kite flock was old news of sorts.  At least that’s what I told myself.  Based on the Kites’ history at the site I assumed they were reliable enough to make a run to TN to give them a try.  I was free the next morning - the chase was on!

Kites aren’t typically up and about until mid to late morning, so I figured there was no need to leave the house too early.  I was out the door at about 6:45 which had me rolling into the area where the Kites had been seen at 8:40.  The site turned out to be an active cattle ranch, with grazing pastures in all directions.  A few reports mentioned seeing them across the road from a red barn, which was pretty obvious when I pulled up.  So I decided to park along the road right at the barn and set up my scope to look roughly northeast over the fields opposite the barn.

I didn’t see any Kites when I first arrived, but I wasn’t too worried since it was likely still too early for them.  Though I kept scanning the skies just in case.  At about 9:30 I saw the first Vultures soaring nearby.  There were several reports of the Kites soaring in Vulture kettles so I scanned the Vultures closely, but to no avail. 

Then at 9:40 I spotted a raptor flying nearby quite low – without even a binocular view I knew it was my target Swallow-tailed Kite.  Then 3 more followed it.  All 4 birds landed at the top of a tall sycamore tree about 300 ft away just across the road from the barn and proceeded to preen for the next 15 minutes.  I was able to get these phonescoped shots of some of the perched birds.

Very striking birds!  And certainly worth the chase to get this rarity for TN.  Swallow-tailed Kite was number 256 for my TN list.  

My statebird map for this species is inserted below.  The blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Swallow-tails in their regular range.  Blue cross-hatched AL is the last state in its regular range where I’ve yet to see this species. And now I’ve seen Swallow-tailed Kite in 2 states where it is a rarity (TN and NC shaded in brown).

 \

 

Washington Portion of the Northwest Sagebrush Country Trip, May-June 2023

In January 2016 an armed group of protesters seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon.  By the time the occupation was over in February 2016, there was a considerable amount of destruction of the refuge facilities, resulting in closure of the headquarters facilities for months.  Unfortunately, I had planned a summer 2016 birding trip to the sagebrush country of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and southern Idaho to include a lengthy stop at Malheur NWR.  But given the issues at Malheur I shelved those plans and headed to Alberta and British Columbia that summer instead. 

But my interests in birding eastern OR, eastern WA, and southern ID continued as this was the last large section of the Lower 48 that I had not yet birded.  And a new part of the country for me would equate to considerable statebirding potential.  So after further delays first due to moving, and then due to Covid, I finally got around to scheduling the OR/WA/ID sagebrush country trip for the summer of 2023.  Plus I added a short side-trip to the South Hills of ID for Cassia Crossbill.  I reached out to birding friend David Donsker who often joins me on these trips, and he agreed to come along. 

After considerable research on-line especially on eBird, and with invaluable advice from a number of local birders, I set up an 11-day itinerary from May 24th to June 3rd, starting in southern ID, then into eastern OR, next into southeastern WA, then back to ID for flights back home.  Plus I reached out to long-time WA birding buddy Blair Bernson for his advice.  He also helped me connect with local expert birders Mike and MerryLynn Denny and Phil Bartley who provided excellent advice to bird southeastern WA.  Given the potential statebirds in the area I hoped to add perhaps 12 new birds in WA.

But simply adding a lot of statebirds wasn’t my only objective for the trip.  Years ago, the ABA allowed you to report your totals for a given state only if your total exceeded half of the total number of species ever recorded in that state.  Early in my birding career I had set a goal to be able to report my totals to the ABA in each of the continental 49 states.  Eventually I exceeded those thresholds in each state except one – OR, for which I exceeded the threshold on this trip.  Although those ABA reporting thresholds no longer exist, they still represent a logical set of standards to strive for in each state. 

But the state totals inch up over the years as new birds are added to the official state list.  As a result, I set a somewhat arbitrary goal of being 15 over those old ABA thresholds (I call it “ABA plus 15”).  I started the 2023 trip with 267 species in WA, 19 over the old ABA reportable threshold of 248, and 4 over my ABA plus 15 threshold of 263.  But WA has added so many birds to its state list in recent years that as of October 2022 the official state list has risen to 522.  Half that total is 261 – simply being 15 over the old ABA threshold may not be enough to stay over half the state total for much longer.

So adding enough WA birds to stay comfortably above half their state list was a secondary objective for this trip. 

This blog post presents a summary of the WA portion of the trip.  My previous posts briefly summarized the entire trip and detailed the ID and OR portions.

Day 7 – May 30 - Drive to Walla Walla

My initial plan was to have Walla Walla as our home base for most of our WA birding.  While there we would stay at the home of a good friend of David’s, Alan Peterson.  But since my first birding spots were to the west in the Tri-Cities area, we decided that I would make those stops on my own after dropping David off at Alan’s house.  On Day 7 of our trip, after a morning of birding in northeastern OR, we arrived in the Walla Walla area mid-afternoon.  I then dropped off David and was off to WE Johnson Park in Benton County to meet up with Blair.  This spot was suggested by Blair because of the potential to see Black-chinned Hummingbird at private feeders adjacent to the park, and Yellow-breasted Chats in the park nearby. 

But even before I left Walla Walla I spotted my first WA statebird – a Swainson’s Hawk flying along the roadway.  My statebird map for this species is inserted below.  Blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this western species; the cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I’ve yet to see it.

When I arrived at the park Blair was waiting for me at the edge of the private yard with lovely gardens and most importantly a pair of hummingbird feeders.  Just minutes before I arrived he had both a Black-chinned at the feeder and a Chat perched prominently in the park next door.  Now we just had to wait for them both to return.  We waited a while for the Hummer but with no luck, so we decided to take a short walk into the park.  And after a few minutes we started to hear a Chat though it was being bashful and never popped out into the open (WA statebird #2).  WA was my last western state for this species – I just need it in a couple Midwest states near the northern edge of its range.  And I’ve seen it in 4 New England states shaded in brown as a rarity.

With that one out of the way we headed back to the yard and continued our vigil for the Black-chinned.  After a while with no activity we thought about calling it quits.  And then we noticed the homeowner had come out to her front yard and we struck up a conversation with her.  She invited us into her back yard where we could have a better view of the feeders while standing in the shade on that hot day.  And within just a few minutes we had a female come to the feeder and nearby flowers (WA statebird #3).  And a couple minutes later a male arrived and proceeded to go through its elaborate “U” shaped courtship display.  Quite amazing to watch and glad we waited.  Here’s a picture of part of the gardens with the Black-chinned perched at the top of the bare snag with the park in the background.

Afterwards we made a feeble attempt to try for Grasshopper Sparrow and Chukar seen nearby last year, but realized the locations given in eBird weren’t sufficiently detailed.  So we decided to call it quits for the day and we’d meet up again the next morning.

Day 8 – May 31 – Benton County and Tri-Cities

I was on my own on my first stop of the day in excellent sagebrush habitat south of Rattlesnake Mountain in Benton County.  Phil had given me great advice for finding my targets at this location, and I mapped out a route through the sagebrush to get to all the suggested spots.  I started there pre-dawn along Rotha Road on the off-chance that I could run into a Poorwill reported there in previous years, even though Phil said they were no longer possible there.  I should have listened to Phil as I struck on the Poorwills though I had 24 individual Horned Larks sitting on the road in front of me – couldn’t turn any of them into a resting Poorwill.  I also heard numerous Common Nighthawks overhead.  Plus, in the light of my headlights 3 different Lark Sparrows flushed from the roadway (WA statebird #4) – a nice bird for a nocturnal list.  WA was the last western state where I still needed this species, though I’ve seen it in 8 eastern states as a rarity.

It was now closing in on sunrise so I drove to the Rothrock Rd. parking lot hotspot where Sagebrush Sparrow is quite regular.  While I waited for the sky to brighten I got this nice picture of the sun about to rise over the sagebrush.

I then positioned myself at the eastern edge of the parking lot and listened for my target Sparrow.  I just had to wait a few seconds before I started to hear a Sagebrush Sparrow singing (WA statebird #5).  And within a couple minutes I could hear 3 different birds singing from throughout the sea of sagebrush.  Although I was able to add this species to my lists in all 3 states I covered on this trip, I still need it in 4 other western states.

Next I tried walking along the grassy shoulder just north of the parking lot for Gray Partridge but this species continued to elude me. 

I went back to the car to warm up a bit (temps were in the low 40s – 50 degrees colder than yesterday’s high) thinking I had now seen all my potential statebirds that I could in this habitat.  But then I started to wonder why I needed Sagebrush Sparrow in WA but not Sage Thrasher.  Since this was my first time birding in this habitat in WA I bet I needed Sage Thrasher as well.  Luckily I had just enough cell reception to allow me to pull up my WA statelist on eBird and sure enough I was missing Sage Thrasher.  Good thing I realized this before leaving.  I quickly pulled up Phil’s e-mail and noticed he suggested the swails around the intersection of Crooks and Franks Roads as a possible spot for the Thrasher.  I drove over to Phil’s suggested spot and had no sooner gotten out of the car when I could hear a Sage Thrasher in song (WA statebird #6).  Once again luck was on my side to add this species to my WA list.  Here’s the lush vegetation from which the Thrasher was singing.

It was now time to connect with Blair and the Denny’s who agreed to show me around for the morning in the Tri-Cities area.  So I started my drive south out of the sagebrush and had only gone a couple miles when I noticed a sparrow perched on a bush near the road.  I pulled to a stop and found it to be a White-crowned Sparrow, the only one of the trip.  And then I heard another singing Sagebrush Sparrow.  While I was trying to track down the Sparrow I heard some “chuck” calls behind me.  I turned just in time to see a Chukar crossing the road behind me (WA statebird #7).  That was a most unlikely spot for a Chukar with no exposed rocks in the area.  Another lucky find, and the 5th state where I’ve seen this species.

Now I was truly leaving and set off to Hood Park in Walla Walla County to meet Blair and the Denny’s.  We weren’t planning to bird there, but while waiting in the parking lot I spotted an Eastern Kingbird in the distance, the first of many (WA statebird #8).  I’ve now seen this species in each state in its range except for NV.

Our first stop with the Denny’s was the Peninsula Unit of McNary NWR.  Our key birding spot there was a small peninsula that afforded good views of the Columbia River.  My key targets here were Terns, with Forster’s being the most likely and with outside chances for Common and Black.  We were able to quickly find a small group of 7 Forster’s Terns perched together in the distance (WA statebird #9).  WA was the last state in which I needed Forster’s Tern in its regular range across the US.

We were also able to pick up several Caspian Terns, but no other small terns.  We stayed at this spot for about an hour, picking up 37 species including a rare male Common Goldeneye, before heading off to our next stop.

And that next spot was an eBird hotspot known as the Tyson Blood Ponds.  These “ponds” are at the edge of a very large cattle feed lot, which apparently accept wastewaters generated from slaughtering the cows.  Although the pond appeared to be solid, the gray material is actually fats floating on the surface.  Not surprisingly the area was rather aromatic. 

We didn’t stay here long, but were able to quickly pick up 2 Black-necked Stilts likely breeding here (WA statebird #10), along with an Avocet.  Just one more state to go in the Stilt’s regular range, though I’ve seen it in 5 states in the northeast as a rarity. 

Our next stop was the Port of Walulla with more views of the Columbia River.  Here we picked out both Clark’s and Western Grebes, and more Caspian Terns, but found no new target birds.

Then we took a short drive south along the river to a steep cliff face to look for White-throated Swifts.  Mike Denny mentioned to look for them flying in one of the gaps between two parts of the cliff and sure enough there they were, flying among the Violet-green Swallows.  Although that wasn’t a target bird for me in WA, I needed it for my OR list.  Just a few days earlier I had an unsuccessful search for White-throated Swifts on a very similar cliff south of Malheur NWR in OR.  Ironically the Swifts we were looking at were only about a mile from the OR stateline.  Statebirding is like that sometimes…

Next we were on to another hotspot in McNary NWR called Millet and Woodland Ponds.  The Denny’s had a Wilson’s Phalarope there 2 days earlier, so I was hopeful we would be successful with that target.  We parked in the small parking lot for the site and began to walk through some cottonwood and riparian vegetation toward the ponds.  One of our first birds was a Common Nighthawk perched on a horizontal branch – always a nice find.  Then a short distance ahead a small bird flew in to feed on some grasses just a short distance away – it was a Lesser Goldfinch (WA statebird #11).  WA was my last state in which to see this species in its regular range.

When we arrived at the wetlands we all scoped from numerous angles but could not come up with a Phalarope.  Perhaps it was feeding back in the brush out of view.  Though we did find 6 species of dabblers and a couple more Stilts.

It was now lunchtime and we had pretty much covered all the possible locations for my target statebirds in the Tri-Cities area.  And it was time for the Denny’s to move on, so I thanked them for all their help for our morning searches.

What to do next?  I had thought that the locations we birded that morning would take all day to cover, so I had quite a bit of free time on my hands.  Blair mentioned that a Wilson’s Phalarope and a rare White-faced Ibis had been recently seen at an eBird hotspot named Para Ponds.  Plus Tricolored Blackbirds are possible there.  With a bit of eBird research I found Para Ponds and reports of as many as 4 Phalaropes as recently as 2 days earlier, and both the Ibis and Tricolored Blackbirds were last seen 3 days earlier.  It was only about an hour’s drive to get there, and I had spare time and statebird potential, so I was off to Para Ponds.

Para Ponds are located in a broad area of wetlands just north of the little town of Othello in Adams County.  Just after coming through the town the road descended down a pretty considerable hill into the valley and the wetlands beyond.  I parked on the shoulder at the edge of the Ponds and started my search.  On my first scan I hoped for a large dark wader but just found a Great Blue and a couple Great Egrets.  Then a quick scan of the mudflats just netted a Spotted Sandpiper and a few Killdeer.  This was going to be difficult…

Over the next hour I viewed the ponds from as many different angles as possible, but couldn’t come up with any of my targets.  There were a few dabbling ducks in the ponds, but considerably less waterfowl than in the previous checklists, so I wondered if water levels had dropped enough that the Phalarope and Ibis were no longer interested in this spot.  I was getting ready to leave when a Blackbird flew by just a few feet away.  Even without binoculars I could see that it had a bright white band on the shoulder and there was no red visible – it was a male Tricolored Blackbird (WA statebird #12).  Later I found another make feeding along the water’s edge, and then came upon a flock of 5 males on another bank, along with a flyby female.  Here is a distant photo of several on the shore. 

I’ve now seen Tricolored Blackbird in each state in its regular range, including in isolated colonies in OR, NV, and now WA.  That’s quite a nice range expansion for a species that was once thought to breed only in CA.

After looking at the Blackbirds I spent more time searching for my other targets but still came up empty.  Little did I know that another birder would see a Phalarope there that evening.  Ugh…

My last realistic statebird target of the day was Wild Turkey.  There were numerous eBird reports of Turkeys throughout the Walla Walla area so I was cautiously optimistic.  But Turkeys can be difficult to find since there aren’t often specific locations where they are very reliable.  But the Denny’s mentioned that they are often seen at the Whitman Mission National Historic Site near Walla Walla.  That was right on my way back to Alan’s place and reconnecting with David so it would make for an easy stop.  I arrived at 4:30 and went into the visitors’ center to see if anyone had suggestions for finding Turkeys at the park.  One of the park employees said that the Turkeys are most often seen there at sunrise and sunset, and that she had seen them most anywhere in the park.  I took a quick stroll around without seeing any Turkeys, so I headed out to get dinner and come back later that evening.  Unfortunately, I still came up empty.  Maybe I’ll be luckier at dawn the next day.

Day 9 – June 1 – Biscuit Ridge Road

David and I had one key stop this day, and that was to bird our way up Biscuit Ridge Road.  We left Alan’s place around sunrise and as we walked toward the car we could hear a Wild Turkey gobbling (WA statebird #13).  That was easy – I shouldn’t have spent so much time looking for them the previous day.  I just need this species in 5 more states across the country.

Fresh from finding one new gallinaceous bird for my statelist, we reminded ourselves that Alan sometimes sees Gray Partridges on his property.  As we headed down the hill through Alan’s property we paused briefly at the hedgerow where he often sees them, then continued very slowly down the hill watching the grasses nearby.  And just then we spotted the head of a Gray Partridge sticking up above the grass (WA statebird #14).  We continued to watch it walk slowly along feeding on seeds at the top of the blades of grasses.  And just a couple minutes later it walked back into the grass and was once again out of view.  Here’s the grassy field the Partridge was walking through.

WA is only the 6th state where I’ve seen this elusive species.

And then as we left Alan’s property we heard a California Quail calling and saw a Pheasant on the road side – that gave us 4 gallinaceous species in less than 5 minutes!  Then just a mile away we passed by this flock of Turkeys in a farm field.  I really shouldn’t have stressed so much over this species!

After a short drive we reached the base of Biscuit Ridge Road where our two key targets were Veery and Green-tailed Towhee.  We started our climb up through scattered houses often tucked into nice riparian habitat.  We kept our ears open for Veerys but couldn’t make frequent stops among all the houses.  Then a couple miles uphill there was a break in the houses with some nice riparian habitat nearby so we made this one of our first key stops.  And sure enough we soon heard a couple singing Veerys (WA statebird #15).  Nice to fill in the northwest portion of my statebird map for this thrush one might think of as an eastern species.

 As we continued uphill we heard quite a number of singing flycatchers, most notably 3 different “Western” Flycatchers.  Although the songs sounded the same to me, Merlin repeatedly ID’d 2 of them as Cordillerans, and 1 as a Pacific-slope.  Many birders in the region don’t agree with the 1989 split of these species given the similarities between their songs and plumage, particularly in southeastern WA.  Plus there is a proposal for the AOU to re-lump these 2 species later in 2023.  As a result, I decided to enter all 3 as Pacific-Slope/Cordilleran Flycatchers in my eBird checklist. 

We were some 9 or 10 miles up the road when we ran into a couple of other birders heading upslope as well.  They too were looking for Green-tailed Towhee, in their case for their year lists, since this was just about the only spot to find them in all of WA.  They had seen the Towhee here before, and knew their preferred habitat as isolated patches of thick brush on grassy slopes high up on Biscuit Ridge.  Luckily they let us join them on their search, and we followed them for several miles while the road entered into nice Ponderosa pine habitat.  But our target was the Towhee, so we passed by the pines and pulled over in a spot where the slope below us to the southwest was grass-covered but had patches of thick brush.  At our first stop we had no Towhees, but did find this mother bear and two cubs in the distance.

We drove a bit farther up the road and stopped at areas of similar habitat.  And this time we had success, hearing at least 1 and maybe 2 singing Green-tailed Towhees singing below us (WA statebird #16).  One was singing from the brush in the middle of this picture.  And the scenery was nice as well!

We also had a MacGillivray’s Warbler that perched up nicely in the distance long enough to get this phonescoped photo.

On our way back down the ridge we birded the Ponderosa pine habitat and had species like Red Crossbill, Cassin’s Finch, and Red-breasted Nuthatch.  Plus we were treated to more nice scenery of the valley below us to the west.

We left Biscuit Ridge Road about 11 AM and once again had spare time on our hands.  So we decided to take a drive north to Harder Spring in Franklin County where a colony of Tricolored Blackbirds were breeding.  This spot turned out to be an isolated oasis consisting of a wetlands covered in cattails and surrounded by riparian vegetation.  As soon as we arrived we spotted numerous blackbirds flying between the wetlands and the desert.  Upon closer look nearly all of these turned out to be Tricolored Blackbirds foraging out in the sagebrush desert to look for food to feed their young.  I wondered how sustainable a colony of this size could be, not only since the parents had to fly so far to find food, but also to have to look for that food in the desert vegetation.  Must be a tough existence.  In any case, we got good views of both the females that were darker than female Red-wings, and the males with their white-trimmed shoulder patch that only occasionally showed any red plumage.  We also ran into an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched in a tree at the oasis.  A nice way to end our day and to end the WA portion of the trip.

Conclusion

The WA portion of our trip featured 112 species, most importantly including 16 new statebirds, much better than the 12 I hoped for.  That brings my statelist to 283, now 35 over the old ABA reportable threshold of 248.  With the official WA statelist at 522 as of October 2022, the new threshold for half of the total would be 261.  Looks like I’ll stay over the threshold of half the statelist total for some time to come. 

Here is a link to my eBird Trip Report for the WA portion of our trip –

WA Portion of 2023 Trip - eBird Trip Report

Many thanks to Blair Bernson, Phil Bartley, and Mike and MerryLynn Denny for all their help on so many of our searches.  And thanks to Alan Peterson for allowing us to stay at his home, not to mention creating habitat on his property for the elusive Gray Partridge.

Oregon Portion of the Northwest Sagebrush Country Trip, Part 2 of 2, May-June 2023

This post summarizes the second half of the Oregon portion of my sagebrush country trip starting on Day 5 of the trip.  The previous blog post summarized the first half of the OR part of the trip on Days 2-4.  See my next post for the Washington part of the trip.

Day 5 – May 28 - Idlewild Campground and La Grande

Our plan for Day 5 was to start our day a short distance north at the Idlewild Campground in the Malheur National Forest, starting pre-dawn and then birding there through much of the morning.  The campground and surrounding area were at an elevation of about 5,000 feet in forest dominated by Ponderosa pines.  Needless to say our targets here were quite different from those at the refuge, most notably including 3 woodpecker species – Black-backed and White-headed Woodpeckers and Red-naped Sapsucker.  

But perhaps even more exciting were the nocturnal species often heard near the campground.  This spot was seemingly reliable for Flammulated Owl and Poorwill.  Plus apparently Long-eared Owl was a possibility.  Although sightings of this sensitive species are not detailed in eBird, I noticed a couple nocturnal checklists from the site in previous years mentioning in the details that they heard Flammulateds near where the Long-eareds were heard.  Plus there were occasional Pygmy Owl reports here too.  Certainly a target-rich environment.

We arrived near the entrance to the Idlewild Campground at 4:10 AM, more than an hour before sunrise.  We got out of the car and listened for a while, hearing a Poorwill calling in the distance.  Then we started playing tape for Flammulated Owl, and shortly thereafter had one call in response (OR statebird #26).  That’s only the 4th time I’ve heard this species, following single observations in CA, NV, and UT.  Then we played recordings of the hoots of the Long-eared Owl, and got an almost immediate response of a series of higher-pitched nasal calls that neither of us recognized.  I checked other Long-eared calls on the Sibley app and realized that what we were hearing was a match to the “Harsh hoots (female)” call (OR statebird #27).  I didn’t even know that Long-ears made that call.  My statebird map for this species is a bit unusual.  Although I’ve seen or heard this species in all 5 of the western-most Lower 48 states, and a couple states on the East Coast, I’ve yet to observe it across the vast majority of its range throughout much of the country.

While we were listening to the Owls several Dusky Flycatchers started calling nearby (OR statebird #28).  That was an expected species at this spot, but not necessarily expected to be calling still 45 minutes before sunrise.

We then drove a short distance down NF 2820 on the north side of the campground and came upon a large parking lot for snowmobilers.  We thought this large “clearing” in the forest might be a good location from which to listen for other calling nocturnal birds, so we pulled in to check it out.  We had been out of the car just a short time when I heard what at first I thought was a Snipe winnowing.  But we it was odd to hear a Snipe before dawn, and especially one in the middle of a pine forest.  And then I said “unless it’s a Boreal Owl”.  The bird continued to call every 45 seconds or so, giving a series of short hoots that started soft and got louder, and lacked the metallic quality of a Snipe.  We were shocked to have found a Boreal Owl! (OR statebird #29).  Per “Handbook of Oregon Birds” by Herlyn and Contreras (2009), this species nests near the northeast corner of OR, but is not known to breed this far south in the state.  That’s only my 3rd Boreal Owl, the first 2 being in MA and AK.  What an amazing start to the morning – 4 new statebirds before sunrise!

It was now daylight and time to switch gears to start looking for diurnal birds.  We drove into the campground and started making a slow walk around the campground loop.  The Ponderosa pine habitat is one of my favorites.

We had only walked a short distance when we heard woodpecker tapping sounds up ahead.  As we approached closer a woodpecker flew by – it was a White-headed Woodpecker (OR statebird #30).  It joined a second bird, and we watched these gorgeous birds for quite a while as they foraged nearby.  Here’s a heavily cropped photo of one of the birds.

We continued our walk around the campground and started to hear a harsh call in the distance that I didn’t recognize.  I played some tape and realized it was a Clark’s Nutcracker (OR statebird #31).  And Merlin confirmed it as well.  I just need this species in 2 more states in its regular range.

We were now walking along the western access road of the campground in just about the only patch of deciduous trees in the area.  I mentioned that this could be a good spot for our Sapsucker target since they prefer aspens.  And just then I noticed some movement in some low trees nearby and spotted a Red-naped Sapsucker (OR statebird #32).  It’s nice when your targets cooperate.

Our next target was Black-backed Woodpecker which had been reported in previous years in a recent burn along NF 2820.  There was a recent burn on the north side of the road near the campground, so we assumed that was the one in question.  We started slowly walking through the burn area – most all the underbrush had burned in the fire, and all the tree trunks were charred though few of the trees were killed.  The area was actually quite birdy, with a number of both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, a pair of Western Bluebirds (I need that one in ID later in the trip!), Cassin’s Finches, and “Oregon” Juncos.  Plus we spent some time watching Townsend’s Solitaires as they sang in flight high above the trees.  We didn’t know that that’s their typical approach for singing on territory.

But we had no woodpeckers of any species.  Though most of the charred trees had bark chipped off with piles of bark chips near the base, so we remained hopeful.

We had spent nearly an hour wandering through the forest and were thinking of giving up when we heard a drumming call in the distance.  It was similar to the call on the Sibley app, and Merlin thought it was a Black-backed too, but we needed to be sure.  A recording of the Black-backed call is uploaded to my eBird checklist - ebird.org/checklist/S139676839

We walked closer to the call and eventually a large woodpecker flew in and landed nearby – it was indeed a male Black-backed Woodpecker (OR statebird #33).  We watched it forage on trees nearby and then it just disappeared.  We walked around the last tree it was on and David spotted a nest hole.  Not only had we found a Black-backed Woodpecker, we had found a nest!  A bit later another Black-back called in the distance and this second bird flew in – it was the female. 

A couple minutes later we watched a nest exchange as the male flew out and the female flew in to take his place.  So cool!  Later we had another Black-back on the Summit Trail on the other side of the campground giving us 3 in one morning.

It was now about time to head out, and as we started our drive from Idlewild Campground a Green-tailed Towhee flew by.  A nice way to end our morning.  We had only 31 species in nearly 7 hours of birding at the campground, but we sure had some great birds.

Our hotel that night was in La Grande, 3+ hours to the north.  But along the way we had one target to pursue – Grasshopper Sparrow at the Thief Valley Reservoir.  There were several reports of that species there in previous years, and just a couple so far this year, but locations weren’t very detailed.  So I reached out to one of the birders who had reported the sparrow there this year, Nolan Clements, for some advice.  Nolan provided us excellent input on the best location to find the Grasshopper Sparrows, and offered to help on our other targets as well.  His help would prove to be invaluable on several of these other chases too. 

But first back to the Grasshopper Sparrow – Nolan gave us specific coordinates of the best location, which took us to the edge of a grassy field being grazed by cows.  We walked a short distance along the fence line and played some tape but got no responses. 

We then drove to another part of the field but the grass there was more heavily grazed and didn’t look like it would be as appealing to our target.  In fact, the best habitat seemed to be back where we first stopped, where there was a strip of taller grasses close to the fence.  So we went back there and played more tape.  This time we heard a weak response and then spotted a Grasshopper Sparrow that perched on the fence long enough to allow me to get this digi-binned photo (OR statebird #34).  We should have just stayed at the initial location suggested by Nolan. 

Our last stop of the day was Deal Canyon in La Grande where Nolan suggested we might find Calliope Hummingbird.  We parked at the bottom of Deal Canyon Rd. and started walking up the paved road that took us into the canyon.  The road was quite steep so luckily there were a quite number of birds to look at while we rested along the way to catch our breath.  At one point I spotted an Orange-crowned Warbler in the brush (our only one of the trip), and then spotted a Nashville Warbler in the same patch of brush (OR statebird #35).  We would later have 3 more singing Nashville’s on the way up.  Unfortunately we couldn’t come up with any hummingbirds.  At least the view was nice.

Nolan mentioned that if we missed Calliope at Deal Canyon he could contact his parents who live in La Grande to see if we could look for them at their feeders.  So on our way down I called Nolan and left him a message to see if we could visit their feeders the next day.  But more on that tomorrow.

Yet another day of double-digit new statebirds!

Day 6 -May 29 - La Grande Area

We only had 2 planned stops for the day on the west side of the Wallowa Mountains, which at most would fill about half the day.  So with extra time on our hands I did some more eBird research the night before to see if anything else might be around to chase after.  There was a recent report of Great-tailed Grackle a short distance from town that was confirmed by the eBird reviewer, so that one would be worthwhile to try for.  And just in case we were unable to reach Nolan’s parents I put together a list of other Calliope Hummingbird sightings in the area, though all were at private residences.  That one might take some effort…

Our first stop was the riparian area along Philberg Rd.  That road would dead-end at a parking area and the beginning of a foot trail that would take us into the next hotspot, Rhinehart Canyon, with more riparian habitat.  We had 3 remaining targets possible at both sites – Calliope Hummingbird, Veery, and Catbird.  Though Nolan mentioned that Veery can be difficult in the Canyon but are vocal along Philberg Rd so be sure to drive along slowly with our windows down.

We arrived at the north end of Philberg Rd. at 5 AM just a couple minutes before sunrise and began our slow drive south.  We had come no more than a quarter mile with windows down as Nolan suggested when I heard what I thought was a singing Wood Thrush from the hillside above the road.  We quickly got out of the car and amazingly it was indeed a singing Wood Thrush! (OR statebird #36)  We listened to it singing its “e-o-lay” and similar songs for the next 15 minutes.  A recording of the Wood Thrush is uploaded to my eBird checklist - ebird.org/checklist/S139728975.  Although there are many other birds singing at the time drowning out the Wood Thrush, it is best heard 2 seconds into the recording.

We knew it was a rarity for OR but didn’t know just how rare it was until later – there are only 5 prior accepted records in the state!  This species normally only gets as far west as the eastern portion of the Great Plains.  Interestingly that was my second Wood Thrush as a western vagrant – I photographed a bird in NM years ago.

It was quite anti-climactic, but while we were listening to the Wood Thrush we also had a singing Veery (OR statebird #37).  And minutes later we had the first of many Catbirds, which were one of the most common birds there (OR statebird #38). 

After birding along Philberg Rd. for about an hour we reached the end of the road and the parking lot for the Rhinehart Canyon trail.  We then went on foot and headed south into the canyon.  Catbirds continued to be common, but as Nolan predicted, we had no more Veerys.  Canyon Wrens were common singers from the rocks above us, and the riparian area was quite birdy featuring many Bullock’s Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Yellow Warblers, Nashville Warblers, and the like. 

Then we reached the bridge that formerly was sturdy enough for vehicles but was now only a footbridge.  Three boulders had been placed at the end of the bridge to prevent anyone from driving onto it, and the foot trail continued along hugging the left edge of the left boulder.  Just as I stepped near the boulder about to get onto the bridge I heard an odd sound that startled me and I quickly stepped back.  From a distance we peered under the boulder and there was a very large head of a rattlesnake.  We thought it might be 5 feet long!  Here’s a picture of the snake tucked in under the boulder.

Since that was the only way onto the bridge and the rest of the trail beyond we decided not to tempt fate and turned around and headed back to the car.  Though it was tough to leave this nice habitat behind.

On our way back to the main road we stopped at the Wood Thrush spot on Philberg Rd. but could no longer hear the Thrush.  Hopefully it was still there for others to hear it later on.

We got back to La Grande and tried calling Nolan again but it once again went to voicemail.  [It turns out that Nolan was birding out of cellphone range at the time.]  We didn’t want to leave town without the Calliope, so we decided to try a couple of the private feeders to see if we might be able to gain access.  One of those feeders where Calliope had been reported was on Morgan Lake Road but it turned out that the feeders were not visible from the road.  I was tempted to knock on the door but the fenced front yard kept me from getting to the door.  Then I noticed a hummingbird feeder across the road, and watched it from a distance for a short while when a male Rufous Hummingbird came in for a visit.  Worried about continuing to stare into people’s backyards with binoculars, I knocked on the front door but no one was home. 

We decided that was enough trying to access private feeders unannounced.  Then David went onto one of his favorite people search websites and potentially found the phone number for Nolan’s parents.  I gave the number a call but could only leave a message, hoping that we had the correct number but apologizing in the message if we had it all wrong.  (If only there was such a thing as a phone book again.)

Then we went off to chase after the recently reported Great-tailed Grackle.  The report came from a wetland a short distance southeast of La Grande along Airport Rd.  The wetlands was very birdy, featuring 9 species of waterfowl and 3 Black-necked Stilts.  And we had the regular Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, but no Grackles.  Just then my phone rang and it was Nolan’s father, Steve Clements – we had the correct number after all.  He was fine with us coming by to watch his feeders.  But first he gave us another suggested spot for the Grackle – just around the corner on Wilkinson Lane.  We went over to Wilkinson Lane and ran into a small group of birders at another marsh.  There were once again quite a number of birds there but no Grackle.  They mentioned that the Grackle actually hadn’t been seen there for a few days, and suggested trying another nearby spot, the Grande Hot Springs RV Resort, where one bird (or perhaps the bird) had been reported.  So we took a quick drive over to the RV park but came up empty again. 

We decided it was time to give up on the Great-tailed Grackle, and head to the Clements’ back yard to try for their Calliope.  After a short drive we arrived at Steve’s house and he and his wife greeted us at their backyard gate.  They offered us chairs on the back porch and we started our vigil for our target hummingbird. 

While we waited we mentioned that we had a singing Wood Thrush earlier in the day, to which Steve said something like – “oh you’re the ones that had the Thrush.”  The news had apparently traveled fast, and other birders had already tried unsuccessfully for it after we posted the eBird checklist.  Steve then made a quick call to Trent Bray who is the eBird reviewer for the area, mentioning that we were at his house looking for hummingbirds.  Trent came by a few minutes later and we had an opportunity to describe our sighting to him in person – certainly better than just having the eBird reviewer evaluate our description written down in a checklist.  Trent and Steve were both thinking about trying to re-find the Thrush, and I suggested trying again this evening rather than the next morning in case the bird decided to migrate out of the area overnight. 

But now back to the hummingbirds...

After a short wait a female hummer visited the feeder close to us on the porch.  It most often fed from the far side of the feeder out of view but came around occasionally showing buffy flanks and faint streaking on the throat.  A bit later another female hummingbird arrived, this one lacked the buffy flanks of our first bird and was pumping its tail.  But we couldn’t see a noticeable size difference.  After some discussion we decided the first bird was a Calliope and the second was a Black-chinned, and the size difference was difficult to tell at such a close distance.  Later a hummingbird visited the feeder out in the yard and this one was obviously a smaller Calliope (OR statebird #39).  OR was the last state where I needed this species in its regular range.  I’ve also seen Calliopes in 7 eastern and central states as rarities.

With our target bird out of the way, and some time now on our hands, we had a nice chat with Trent and Steve, especially focused on our trip.  Steve mentioned that he had heard that just after we left the birding group on Wilkinson Lane the Great-tailed Grackle appeared.  We thought about heading out right away to chase after it.  But then Steve said that there was a small colony of Great-tailed Grackles in Ontario, OR.  We would be driving right through Ontario in a couple days on our way from WA back to Boise so we decided to give them a try in a few days instead.  We also talked a bit about our planned walk the next morning at the McCully Creek Trail and Trent and Steve gave us great advice for birding that spot as well.  But now it was time to get back on the road, so we thanked them for all their help as we headed out and wished them good luck on re-finding the Wood Thrush.

It turns out that Trent was able to re-find the Wood Thrush that evening, getting a much better recording of the singing bird than mine.

Our hotel that night was in Enterprise, OR, just over an hour away.  It was still pretty early when we checked in, so we decided to do some scouting for the next day’s walk at McCully Creek Trail.  The trail was on the north side of the Wallowa Mountains just south of the town of Joseph.  The scenery was nothing short of spectacular - this panoramic view just doesn’t do it justice.

There were a couple options for places to park and locations to pick up the trailhead so we were glad to have checked it all out in advance.  And after a bit of exploring we thought we had it figured out and were ready for the next day’s hike.

Day 7 – May 30 - McCully Creek Trail and Drive to Walla Walla

Our plan was to bird McCully Creek Trail on foot for much of the morning before starting to make our way toward Walla Walla for the WA portion of the trip.  The key attractions for this trail are Grouse – all three species of them.  In fact, this spot is among the best in the state for Spruce Grouse.  Plus there is the chance for a number of other boreal species like Pine Grosbeak, Goshawk, 3-toed Woodpecker, etc. 

Given our interest in the Grouse we wanted to be the first ones on the trail, so we arrived at 5 AM, a few minutes before sunrise, and started our hike.  We walked along slowly looking for Grouse both on the ground and perched in the trees.  Soon after we started we heard a drumming Ruffed Grouse – definitely a nice start.  We were picking up a few birds here and there like Mountain Chickadee, both Kinglets, and Hermit and Swainson’s Thrushes.  Then we started to hear low-pitched calls right next to us coming from the spruce underbrush that almost sounded like hoots.  We peered into the brush but it was too thick to see anything.  Whatever was making these sounds was moving because the hoots continued but slowly got farther away.  They sounded somewhat like the hoots of a Long-eared Owl, but that wouldn’t be likely at all this time of day, not to mention unlikely so close to the ground.  We were thinking it could be a Grouse walking on the ground, but the calls didn’t sound anything like any of the calls for any of the three Grouse species provided on the Sibley app.  Eventually the calls stopped and we were left scratching our heads.  We would have to do some research that evening to see if any of the Grouse make calls like these.

But for now, it was back to birding.  We continued up the trail and started picking up singing Fox Sparrows, “Oregon” Juncos, and Pacific Wrens from the underbrush.  And from overhead there were numerous Yellow-rumped and Townsend’s Warblers, Hammond’s Flycatchers, and Warbling Vireos.  Wetter brushy areas featured MacGillivray’s and Wilson’s Warblers.  One of our highlights was finding a couple groups of Chestnut-backed Chickadees – striking birds.  And a singing Olive-sided Flycatcher was a nice addition.  But we found no other boreal species, nor any more Grouse, even though we spent 5 hours on the trail, covering the first 1.5 miles, sometimes hiking through some remaining snow patches.

Although we were a bit disappointed when left the trail, our moods picked up that evening when I went onto xeno-canto.org and played several recordings of the Spruce Grouse.  It turns out one recording of “alarm calls” from northwest Montana was a nearly perfect match to what we heard near the beginning of the trail.  So that evening we decided that our mystery call was indeed from a Spruce Grouse (OR statebird #40).  Although there are a number of states where I’ve yet to see Spruce Grouse in its regular range, I’m very happy to have found this hard-to-see species in 8 states across the country.

On our way to Walla Walla we had one last stop in OR in the Umatilla National Forest near the OR/WA state line.  There was a spot right along the highway where 3-toed Woodpeckers were seen each of the last 2 years.  Although there were no reports in 2023, the eBird locations from 2021 and 2022 were pretty specific so at least we knew where to look.  We started from where the birds had been seen and walked along the road about a quarter mile in each direction but the only woodpecker we found was a Flicker.  Though 4 flyover Red Crossbills were nice consolations.  Soon thereafter we bid farewell to OR and were off to WA!

Days 7-9- Washington 

See my next blog post for the WA portion of our trip on Days 7 through 9.

Day 10 – June 2 - Ontario, OR

We left Walla Walla around sunrise and were on our way to Boise and searches for several targets in ID.  But along the way, we had one last stop to make in OR – in Ontario for the Great-tailed Grackle.  A quick search of eBird showed that there were 2 seemingly reliable spots for them in town – Beck-Kiwanis Park, and the Walmart parking lot.  The park sounded like a much better habitat to bird, so we started our search there.  We pulled into the parking lot for the park and it looked like a typical county park with lawns and scattered trees and some ballfields.  But off to the north we could see a pond and wetlands, likely better habitat for the Grackles.  Before the car had even stopped I spotted a blackbird perched on a footbridge at the wetlands.  I put the bird in my binocs and it was indeed a Great-tailed Grackle (OR statebird #41).  I got this marginal digi-binned photo of the bird in the distance.  

OR was my 17th state for this species which continues to expand its range.

Conclusion

We ended the trip with a whopping 166 species in OR, a testament to that fact that we birded so many different habitats in and around sagebrush country.  And most importantly that included 41 new statebirds, much better than the 28 I hoped for.  That brings my statelist to 290, greatly exceeding both the old ABA reportable threshold (259) as well as my “ABA reportable plus 15” goal (274).  Note that as of May 2023 the official OR statelist stands at 548 – meaning that the new threshold for half of the total would be 274.  Looks like just being 15 over the old threshold isn’t enough to stay above half the statelist total. 

I have now exceeded the old ABA thresholds in all the Lower 48 states and the District of Columbia.  Interesting that both of the OR species that allowed me to reach the ABA threshold (Virginia’s Warbler) and my “ABA reportable plus 15” goal (Rose-breasted Grosbeak) were rarities.  It’s nice when it happens that way.

Here is a link to my eBird Trip Report for the OR portion of our trip –

OR Portion of 2023 Sagebrush Country Trip - eBird Trip Report

Many thanks to Ezra Cohen for his help at Malheur NWR, and northeastern OR birders Nolan and Steve Clements and Trent Bray for all their help on so many of our searches.  And thanks to Steve for allowing us to visit his hummingbird feeders.