This past Tuesday morning, May 24th, a group of 8 birders met up with Juliet Rhodes and myself in Twisp and headed up to Frost Road for a fun filled morning of birding. As we neared our parking area, a Yellow-breasted Chat was spotted on top of a roadside snag. It miraculously stayed put and sang its cheery song long enough for everyone to get a nice look at it. What a great way to start the day! We then walked up the road to Shaw Lake where we had good showings of Ruddy Ducks, Redheads and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. The male Ruddy Ducks always look so beautiful this time of year with their bright rusty plumage and blue bill.
As we walked slowly to Deadhorse Lake, close views were seen of Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lewis’s Woodpecker, and Mountain Bluebirds. One male Mountain Bluebird appeared to be guarding a nearby nestbox as he didn’t budge from his perch as we walked by. At Deadhorse Lake, more Ruddy Ducks were seen along with Ring-necked Ducks and a handsome Barrow’s Goldeneye male.
One of the best things about this field trip was that there was never a dull moment. As soon as we finished observing one bird, another new one would appear. We all greatly appreciated Juliet’s excellent auditory birding skills which helped us learn new bird songs. More birds were recorded as we walked back to our starting point and the morning ended with a tally of 52 species. A perfect way to spend a sunny morning in May.
| Canada Goose |
| Cinnamon Teal |
| Mallard |
| Redhead |
| Ring-necked Duck |
| Barrow’s Goldeneye |
| Ruddy Duck |
| Dusky Grouse (heard) |
| Pied-billed Grebe |
| Calliope Hummingbird |
| American Coot |
| Spotted Sandpiper |
| Turkey Vulture |
| Cooper’s Hawk |
| Red-tailed Hawk |
| Lewis’s Woodpecker |
| Northern Flicker |
| Western Wood-Pewee |
| Dusky Flycatcher |
| Western Kingbird |
| Eastern Kingbird |
| Common Raven |
| Black-capped Chickadee |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow |
| Tree Swallow |
| Barn Swallow |
| House Wren |
| European Starling |
| Western Bluebird |
| Mountain Bluebird |
| American Robin |
| Pine Siskin |
| American Goldfinch |
| Chipping Sparrow |
| Lark Sparrow |
| White-crowned Sparrow |
| Vesper Sparrow (heard) |
| Savannah Sparrow |
| Song Sparrow |
| Spotted Towhee |
| Yellow-breasted Chat |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird |
| Western Meadowlark |
| Bullock’s Oriole |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| Brown-headed Cowbird |
| Yellow Warbler |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
| Wilson’s Warbler |
| Western Tanager |
| Black-headed Grosbeak |
| Lazuli Bunting |
