An altogether excellent day! We spotted a Gyrfalcon! And when that happens, it is an excellent day!

The beginning point of the Mansfield survey route is 75 miles from home and the total survey drive equals 93.7 miles.  I picked up Amanda, and we headed north to Orondo, and up Pine Canyon on Highway 2 to Farmer.  From Farmer we drove north on  Highway 172. On this road we spotted seven Rough-legged Hawks and one Red-tailed Hawk, but, we can’t count these birds as we are not yet to our designated route. Just before Mansfield we turned north on the Bridgeport Hill Rd (Rd.B NE) to N. Oil Rd. You can see the starting point on the map below.

It was a beautiful day, with a very high layer of stratus clouds, no wind, and a brisk 29°. We headed down N. Oil Rd. and turned to Penny Lake, where we spotted a Bald Eagle. In the spring Penny Lake, though not very large, contains a large amount of water fowl. But in the winter, it is frozen over. In the past, we have seen Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers, but today there is one, lone, Bald Eagle.

Our route takes us south towards Mansfield and then east to Road H, where we turn left and head north all the way to Highway 17. As we are driving slowly along, we scan the multiple rock piles which are scattered over the fields. Fortunately, there is little traffic on these dirt roads, and no one tries to hurry us along. 

As we approach Road 19 NE., I look at a rock pile and say to Amanda, “What is that?“ We stop and I pull up my binoculars. Amanda pulls up her camera. I get a good look at the bird sitting on top of the rock. It has a distinctive malar stripe and is quite large, much larger than a prairie falcon.  As it lifts off, we get a view of the wings and we both say, “Gyrfalcon!”  Amanda is snapping away with her camera. She didn’t get any pictures with good enough quality to post, but they were definitely good enough to confirm our identification. We are thrilled with our find!

From there we head north to Highway 17, east to Leahy Junction and south to Sims Corner. From Sims Corner we head west on Highway 172, taking a couple of side roads up through the fields and back. From there, we head to Mansfield and south to the north end of Jameson Lake. We were told that Golden Eagles nest in the basalt cliffs, and we have seen them there in the past, but not today. From Jameson, we had back to Mansfield and west to Rd. C NE, where we drive through wheat and grass fields to the end of our route. We have not seen the usual variety of raptors today as we have on this route in the past. Even though we don’t record them, we usually see a coyote or two up in this area. They were not out today. However, we did see 112 mule deer, which is always fun.

Here’s a list of what we saw today:

Red-tailed Hawk 3
American Kestrel 1
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 1
Rough-legged Hawk 12
Gyrfalcon 1

This is the first part of a continuing narrative describing our participation in the Winter Raptor Survey project which is going on in Washington state. This project was developed and is coordinated by Jeff Fleischer of East Cascades Audubon Society out of Bend, Oregon. We are a mother/daughter team (Marilyn and Amanda Sherling) belonging to North Central Audubon Society.  We drive three survey routes each month, beginning in November and going through March. Usually on these routes, I drive and Amanda photographs and we both count. We travel pre-approved survey routes and count the various species of birds of prey. These “Raptor Ramblings” will be a brief accounting of some of these trips.

The survey we are embarking on today is a brand new route. It was added by Jeff Fleischer, the developer, as he seeks to expand the survey area in Washington state, and Amanda and I have taken it on. It is named “Coulee City,” as that is a center spot in the area covered. 

As with any area in North Central Washington, we usually encounter snow in the winter. One challenge in outlining a route is determining what roads get plowed after it snows. If it isn’t plowed, we can’t drive it. When we started this project, I downloaded maps from the Douglas and Grant County websites which show the roads that are plowed in the winter. That way, I can compare it with the route Jeff gives me to see if all the roads are drivable, and make necessary adjustments. Of course, once it snows, we get the real test as to whether the map is accurate. But it’s a place to start.

The Coulee City route starts at the north end of the town of Soap Lake and finishes in Hartline. The total mileage for this route is 80 miles, and the starting point is 62 miles from my home in the Monitor area.  I pick up Amanda in East Wenatchee and we head to Soap Lake.

There are thick clouds, high overhead and it is 46°F, with a little wind. We head north along Highway 17 along the lakes in the coulee, Soap Lake, Lake Lenore, Alkali Lake, Blue Lake, and Park Lake. We scan the skies, hoping to see a Golden Eagle, or perhaps a Gyrfalcon hunting waterfowl. Fortunately, along this stretch of road there are many spots to pull over. I’m driving relatively slowly as we watch for raptors, and I frequently pull over to let the traffic pass me.  We stop at the Dry Falls overlook before heading into Coulee City and going south on Pinto Ridge Road. 

Our route takes us east from Pinto Ridge Road to the area south of Hartline. The map will show how the route winds around and ends up in Hartline at the end of the drive. Considering this is the beginning of winter season, we are happy with what we have seen today.  This includes:

Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) 10
American Kestrel (AMKE) 8
Northern Harrier (NOHA) 1
Bald Eagle-Adult (BAEA-A) 2
Rough-legged Hawk (RLHA) 7
Great-horned Owl (GHOW) 1