2012-05-20 10:00 for 6 hrs 50 mins (marathon)
60 sightings
Methow Valley (WAOKMETV)
Winthrop, WA (USA)
Lat,Long: 48.46394,-120.25682
Map
Elevation: 2000 feet
The Methow River drains the east side of the North Cascades from Lake Chelan to the Canadian border. Habitats include a ribbon of cottonwods along the river, pastures and residences in the valley, meadows with varying mixtures of bitterbrush, sagebrush and serviceberry on the lower hillsides with scattered groves of aspen, ponderosa pine forest and mixed coniferous forest.
Mostly overcast, low 60's, light breeze.
Several different loops on XC ski and hiking trails in the area of Patterson Lake about 3 miles WSW of the town of Winthrop. To see a map, browse to http://www.mybirdnotes.com/images/SunMountain50K2012.jpg. From the Chickadee trailhead we ran S along the lake then up Rader Creek and S to the head of the Thompson Creek drainage, then back down Rader Creek and NW past Gobbler's Knob, around and over the ridge topped by Sun Mountain Lodge, then back to Patterson Lake and up and down the NW slope of Patterson Ridge. Route was probably 50% mixed coniferous forest, 30% shrub-steppe, 15% riparian woodland and 5% water, hay fields and residential. I carried binoculars and recorded species and counts during the run though I only counted for the first half, estimating counts for the remainder of the race. In the second half bird activity diminished somewhat though I added a dozen or more species. I identified most individuals by song. Counts are probably incomplete for many species, especially the common ones, and I didn't try to identify small birds flying overhead.
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