[birding] Mary's Peak 6/27

[howard bruner]

At the top of Mary’s Peak we witnessed an extraordinary
flight of pacific fritillaries. 100’s of 1000’s flitted and floated, found mates and nectar
and made the meadow a place where brilliant flowers disconnect and float up and
away. Every square meter was moving with orange snippets that occasionally coalesced
into agitated groups of 2 to 8 that chaotically
climbed then dissipated and separated and floated on to the next encounter.  Each violet, larkspur, daisy, and penstemon seemed
to have its own personal fritillary attendant.  It was a perfect time to be a butterfly –  no predators taking a share of the largess,
flowers abundant, and the air calm and cool.

 

Pine siskins chattered from the conifer tops and dropped to
a bare spot to collect something from the soil.  White-crowned sparrows laughed manically from
locations throughout the expanse. 
Juncoes trilled on the forest edge and a chipping sparrow was kind
enough to add its song for comparison (a confusing pair that I really appreciate
hearing side-by-side).  The c sparrow was
on a territory and should be obvious in the trees where the road and trail
intersect – but it took some time to differentiate it from the fir cones.

 

Just beyond, on the way to the rock garden, golden-crowned
kinglets sang in the copse on the east. Where the forest falls away again and opens
to a vista of Cascade volcanoes and valley, a wc sparrow pair (one carrying
food) complained about the traffic moving by their roadside nest in a short
shrub.  The butterfly demographics
shifted to Parnassian and blues with just an occasional fritillary or American
painted lady.  The flowers are still
fabulous.

 

Evening grosbeak called a handful of times while we were on
the top, and t vultures patrolled the open areas.  The meadow edge trail is at its finest with
the last bleeding heart giving way to the emerging butterweed and hedge nettle.
The resident pileated wock-a-wocked within the forest tract that the trail
circles. Several sooty grouse were drumming from different locations and a
warbler I didn’t recognize was singing from a couple locations near the
campground.  It has been 16 years since I
heard mountain quail vocalizing on the peak (early July 1993) – hopefully I will
encounter them next year.

 

H


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