Hello Birders,
Today from 9 to Noon I birded Mary's Peak. I actually started stopping and listening a few curves above Botkin Rd. It was fascinating to note the changes in birds from the lower elevations to the higher. Also, those birds that occurred in all elevations.
This was an excellent opportunity to work on birding by ear, and many of the species I noted were not seen. Carrying the ipod and referring to it whenever there was something questionable was key.
At the junction of Hwy 34 and Mary's Peak Rd., and a few stops before, and a few after:
Band-tailed Pigeon
Rufous Hummingbird
Pacific Slope Flycatcher
Steller's Jay
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
American Robin
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Warbling Vireo
Orange-crowned Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Evening Grosbeak
Midway up the road, where it dips down after climbing, and there is some old growth next to the road:
BT Pigeons
Rufous Hummingbird
Pacific Slope Flycatcher
Hammonds Flycatcher
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Golden-crowned Kinglets
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Hermit Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Junco
Pine Siskins
Red Crossbills
At the campground just below the parking lot at the top, in addition to most of the last list:
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Sooty Grouse (3 calling)
White-crowned Sparrows
Near the top seemed to be where more of the Hammond's and less of the P. Slope occurred.
Mostly Townsend's and fewer of the Hermit, and no BT Gray detected at the summit.
Robins and Winter Wren from top to bottom.
No Warbling Vireo up high. Brown Creeper a conspicuous miss.
The wildflowers (Iris, Daisy, Indian Paintbrush, Penstemon, etc.) are spectacular right now, and the meadow at the top
looks like a moving carpet of orange from the thousands of Frittilary Butterflies. A nice trip to take ASAP.
---Will
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