10/5/2024   Spowmania  (link to here)
Overcome with optimism about the possibility that a few Spotted Owls might yet be found in the scattered fragments of old growth forest in southern Skamania County, we drove down to Stevenson Friday afternoon, checked into the Rodeway then continued on to Trout Creek Flats L+ a few miles north of Carson. Great habitat, no SPOWs.
Residual optimism impelled us to spend the next day exploring higher elevation forest about ten miles northwest of Trout Creek Flats along the west side of the Trapper Creek Wilderness. We drove NF-54 up to the Soda Peaks Trailhead M+ and stopped there to ask some hunters for directions. They had a camp set up at the trailhead with a motorhome and several pickup trucks and an American flag flying over it all along with another flag, red with a gold insignia, which I couldn't read but which I suspected might be associated with some right-wing militia. I didn't ask.
To our surprise one of the hunters recognized us. It was Eric, whom we had asked about grouse, owls and old growth back at the end of June while we were looking for Spruce Grouse near Horseshoe and Takhlakh Lakes north of Mount Adams. He had told Darchelle about an area with really big trees somewhere near the Trapper Creek Wilderness and had even drawn her a map. We had misplaced his map but had come up to the Trapper Creek area anyhow in hopes of finding Eric's patch of big trees, and now we had found Eric himself instead.
Eric explained that he had just been thinking about us because he and a friend (Brad?) were getting ready to drive to that exact area in a few minutes. He had been over there the previous evening and had heard two owls calling to each other. He couldn't describe the call but we could follow them over to the spot; it wasn't far and he would point out the big trees where he'd heard the owls. Eric led us north on NF-5407 to its junction with NF-311 (where he and Brad had startled a cow elk and heard another owl at 3AM that morning), then west about two miles on the Calamity Peak Road to a dogleg, then north over the ridge into the drainage of Calamity Creek and left on NF-319 to traverse down about a half-mile through dense second-growth to a wide spot M+ with a big view.
Eric hopped out of his truck and pointed out the landmarks - Mount Saint Helens squatting on the horizon with a crown of new snow, snow-clad Rainier lurking in the distance and a few hundred yards below us, the patch of old growth we were seeking. The trees were big but the grove was smaller than we had expected and more than half of it had been burned by the 2020 Big Hollow Fire + and the 2022 Siouxon fire +, both of which unfortunately appeared to have spread more easily in old growth than in the second-growth forest.
Deciding to return at sunset, we drove a ten mile loop L+ through the patchwork of old growth and second-growth forest below our vantage point and up onto the ridge to our east (on roads 319, 57 and 58) then took NF-5407 back to the Soda Peaks Trailhead, surprising a Sooty Grouse in the road along the way. With a couple of hours to kill, we explored NF-34 both northwest and southwest from NF-54 in search of owl-worthy old growth but the roads were sufficiently confusing that we decided we would not try to tackle them after dark. Back at the overlook we listened for an hour then drove the ten mile loop again, heard only a couple Saw-whets and called it a night.
Focused on the forest, I failed to notice the geology beneath it until later when I reviewed satellite and topo maps on my computer at home. Within a mile or so of Soda Peaks we had driven by craters and lava flows +, features which less than 10,000 years ago erupted into the much older ridges and valleys of the southern Washington Cascades. Apart from the volcanoes the landscape and even the forests probably look much as they did several million years ago, before the volcanoes began to erupt.

10/6/2024   Horseshoe Lake  (link to here)
Back at the Rodeway the bedbugs were waiting for us. Unfortunately we did not yet realize that so we slept peacefully. The sheets were not bright white but seemed clean enough and the bed was comfortable. Not until sometime the next afternoon did Darchelle begin to notice the welts on her right arm and hip. I never developed any but within a day or two, and for the next week, she suffered from about 50 very itchy bites. Apparently I do not react to them; not everyone does.
For several days after we returned home we worried that they might have hitched a ride with us. We stuffed our clothes into the freezer for three days, washed and dried our bedding on high heat and bought bedbug cups and diatomaceous earth on Amazon. By the time we realized that we should probably also have warned visitors and friends about our affliction, Darchelle had gone a week without any new bites so we have concluded that we did not bring any home after all.
On this our second visit to Horseshoe Lake north of Mount Adams we again found no Spruce Grouse but the sunshine and scenery were beautiful and the Canada Jays very friendly. We encountered more traffic between Takhlakh and Horseshoe Lakes than we expected for a Sunday afternoon - not good for grouse - but we were no more successful on the less traveled roads east and north of Horseshoe Lake. We did not hear any owls in their former haunts along FR-22 either but the extra hour we spent trying for them allowed us to miss most of the Sunday evening traffic into Seattle.

10/8/2024   Chestnut-collared Longspur  (link to here)
The Chestnut-collared Longspur found yesterday on Ediz Hook in Port Angeles was in non-breeding plumage so was not nearly as colorful as those we saw last year in North Dakota, but having never seen one in Washington we got out there as soon as we could and it was soon enough. The bird was still present. It would stick around for another day though of course we could not assume that; half of the vagrants so far whis fall have been seen on only one day.
Mason M carpooled with us so we enjoyed catching up with him during the two-hour drive to Ediz Hook L+. When we arrived we pulled over near where the bird had been discovered. Darchelle and Mason hopped out to look for it and quickly located it along the gravel path which parallels the beach, creeping through the dry grass and picking at the ground. Stuck in the car (by my own choice - I asked Darchelle to get photos before getting me out), I had a few anxious moments before I too was able catch a glimpse of it.
I had more than a glimpse once I was out. Sitting in my wheelchair in the middle of the path I watched the longspur creep to within six feet of me but neither then nor later from Darchelle's photos was I able to determine what it was eating. Mason, who was able to get even closer than I did, believed it was picking up grass seeds along with an occasional termite (?). Whether because it was very hungry or just confident in its cryptic coloration, it seemed reluctant to fly. The pattern of white in the tails of longspurs is diagnostic but difficult to see unless they fly, which this one eventually did revealing a wedge of white on either side of the tail tapering towards the corner, as expected.
We'd had the bird to ourselves when we'd arrived but by the time we taking finished photos a party had developed,including Bob B, Maxine R, Dan W and others. Ali K, also in the party, got some good tail shots +. Hoping for a few more photos ourselves we joined them but the thickening overcast had begun to rain on the party so we didn't linger, though we did pause to pick a few of the Shaggy Manes clustered along the edge of the pullout where we'd parked. I felt fortunate to have a second chance at them since we'd passed up several opportunities to gather some along FR-22 on Sunday but they weren't as good as I remembered. Delicious at first, they developed a bit of an off flavor as I chewed them. Perhaps salt air does not suit them.

10/10/2024   ALS Clinic  (link to here)
Fearing bad news we tend to be apprehensive about upcoming ALS Clinics but this one was uneventful. We did not have significant issues to present so I just reported my status - incremental decline in speech, swallowing and transfers, no falls, challenges using the eye gaze computer - to the appropriate parties. My weight was unchanged but my FRS score was down a point. Joe dropped by so I had him check out my wheelchair and tighten up any loose connections.
We celebrated with a field trip to Metropolitan Market. It was the first time I've been into a grocery store since I began using the wheelchair 3 1/2 years ago. We visited the produce section (so colorful), the cheese section (so tempting, and so expensive), the fish counter (not today) and the beer cooler. So many different labels, and so frustrating that I couldn't read them from my chair. The beers were arranged by brewer so locating the stouts was not easy but eventually I settled on a 4-pack of Founders KBS + which I subsequently enjoyed more than my first impression would have predicted, along with a 4-pack of Enchantments Hazy IPA + by Icicle Brewing which I subsequently enjoyed less than I have previous iterations of this beer. Perhaps it is just meant to be drunk during the summertime.

10/13/2024   The Corson Building  (link to here)
Darchelle has been thinking about eating at The Corson Building + in Georgetown for years but until last week I had never heard of it. When she first considered it the restaurant did not have much for vegetarians but that has changed. This evening they were offering "A Fall Vegetarian Dinner with Ashley Morford-Haines of Windward Aventures - a 4-Course meal for $100 per person before tax and gratuity" and we took them up on it. Each of the four courses had two options so there being two of us, we were able to try everything and it was some of the most diverse and flavorful vegetarian food I've ever had. I partcularly enjoyed the soups. The Corn Soup combined fresh sweet corn with toasted corn tortillas and the Vegetable Brodo featured shell beans and chanterelles in a beefy broth. I thought of my friend Pat Swinthe who used to can shell beans, pick chanterelles and raise beef cattle. Our server told us that everyone in the restaurant chipped in to shell the beans. The Eggplant Schnitzle reminded me of the Spinach Croquettes we had in Barcelona, creamy and sweet inside with a crisp savory crust. The fig leaf ice cream accompanying the fig tart had just a hint of green fig leaf flavor imparted by steeping leaves from the tree by the kitchen door in hot sweet cream. That same tree also provided the figs for the tart.

10/16/2024   Conway Merlin  (link to here)
A few days ago a Rusty Blackbird was found with a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds near Conway south of Mount Vernon. Yesterday a Tropical Kingbird was seen in Edison north of Mount Vernon. The two reports, both of birds we need for the year, were enough to induce us to detour up to the Skagit Flats this morning on our way to Neah Bay, where we had already booked a room for the night.
We found a big flock of blackbirds and starlings sitting on utility lines near a farm just west of town L+ so we parked in the gravel driveway to inspect them. It wasn't easy. The birds were skittish and we soon discovered why. A Merlin perched on the power pole across the street was dashing out in pursuit of them every couple of minutes. The blackbirds would ball up, the Merlin would sail around a bit then everyone would return their places except that the blackbirds and starlings would have rearranged themselves. Darchelle would have to inspect each one again to verify that it wasn't Rusty.
Tiring of this exercise we were about to move on when the Merlin flew down and landed on the gravel right next to Darchelle's side of the car. For a Merlin to perch so close to us was unexpected. "Get photos!" I urged, unnecessarily. Then the Merlin did something even more unexpected - it picked up a rock. Granivores like grouse swallow gravel to grind up seeds in their crops and I used to know a German Shepherd which would carry a big rock in its mouth apparently just for fun but I'd never heard of raptors collecting rocks. The Merlin dropped its rock after a few moments then picked up another and dropped it too before flying off. BTW The Merlin was a member of the "Black" subspecies which breeds locally as well as north to Alaska but which seems to me to be relatively uncommon.
Searching online I found this reference to similar behavior by an American Kestrel + along with an explanation. Falcons pick up and swallow small pebbles in order to "de-grease" their crops. Fat which has accumulated in the bird's crop sticks to the swallowed stones, which the bird then regurgitates. I had no idea!
Neither we nor anyone else was able to relocate the Tropical Kingbird in Edison L+. We gave it an hour then grabbed some goodies at the Breadfarm + bakery before heading over to Keystone to wait two hours for the Port Townsend ferry. Lacking reservations, we were standby and missed the first boat by one car.

10/17/2024   Neah Bay  (link to here)
We'd originally planned to spend the weekend out there with Marcus and Heather but Neah Bay plans tend to evolve with the weather forecast, which in this case grew wetter and windier as the date grew nearer. By Tuesday afternoon, the day before yesterday, we had decided on a one full day today, while the sun would still be shining, with an option to spend another night if Harmony Cabin #5 was available and the rain held off. I am nothing if not a fair-weather birder.
Neah Bay has so far this fall been notably unproductive of rare birds and today was no exception. We scoured town and bay + for seven hours and came up with nothing more unusual than the previously-reported White-throated Sparrow at Butler's. Nothing special in the Wa'atch River Valley either, and a new sign prominently prohibited driving on Hobuck Beach, effectively closing that area to me. The sunshine was nice though; the potholes, especially on the jetty, not as nice. Our most memorable bird was the Golden-crowned Sparrow, which we found everywhere in town. A wave of them must have arrived overnight.
We spent a second night in Harmony Cabin #5 but skipped our customary fish and chips. The rain began as we were packing up in the morning. We lingered in Neah Bay long enough to find an Orange-crowned Warbler near Warmhouse and do a quick check of Ba'aadah village for vagrants before driving south to Ocean Shores.

10/18/2024   Ocean Shores  (link to here)
Ocean Shores was wet and windy, conditions not conducive to finding either a Tropical Kingbird or a Palm Warbler in the thickets near the old marina but not unfavorable for driving the beach. We drove north from the Taurus Blvd access L+ to Ocean City but found most of the birds sheltering behind piles of wrack in the first two miles. The rain was spotty but the wind was steady out of the south at about 25 mph, sweeping streamers of loose sand over the hard-packed surface of the beach. Saltation + in action!
On our way home we stopped at Lytle Oysters +. I have been meaning to stop there for years and today we finally did. Darchelle bought me a couple bags of frozen bay scallops, the small ones that are particularly sweet but hard to find in grocery stores, and a pint of shucked medium oysters for oyster stew +. The oysters were delicious, mild and sweet, but the stew which we cooked up a few days later was not as good as I remembered. We undercooked the oysters and added too much liquid. We'll try again.

10/19/2024   Party  (link to here)
At home on Sabbath afternoon we hosted a lunch party with Monica, Marco and Marc and E, J, A and O. Monica brought most of the food. She and E both brought gifts and Sarah sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
It was fun to see J and E and their little family again; it has been a while. A seemed to particularly enjoy the company, and hamming it up for the camera.

10/27/2024   Neah Bay  (link to here)
Two days ago Liam, Elizabeth and Scott, birding in Neah Bay, found the third Tropical Kingbird to turn up in the state this fall. The other two did not stay overnight so we resisted the impulse to head out there immediately but when the bird was seen again yesterday we succumbed and caught the 12:40 ferry to Kingston. Darchelle took the photo of the fall foliage to show to Mom since I was visiting with her via facetime during the crossing.
Except in the rain shadow through Sequim we had rain all the way to Neah Bay but as we pulled into town and started our checklist, the clouds parted and a minute later we spotted the Tropical Kingbird chasing gnats from the power lines in front of the Warmhouse Restaurant. Success! We birded around town L+ for another hour or so then picked up fish and chips at Bigginz and packed ourselves into room 5 at the Harmony Cabins.
In the morning we slept in long enough to ensure that we would have no difficulty spotting birds even during the sporadic rain showers. We dedicated about five hours to surveying the town and bay L+ but only managed to find 59 species. Other parties covering the same ground over the next few days would count as many as 82 but neither we nor they would come up with any birds we had not already seen this year. Nor would they find the Tropical Kingbird; our sighting this morning was apparently the last of that bird. Although two days later Andy and Ellen found a Tropical Kingbird near the STP +, I believe theirs was a different individual based on the patterns of dark centers in the median coverts and the dark area behind the eye.
We all counted lots of gulls. Most of them were California Gulls; my best estimate of thir numbers at the time was 600 but after reviewing photos I think we probably saw twice that many. Gulls are big birds; I wonder how they all find enough to eat. I saw a few of them with clams but there did not seem to be enough of those to go around.
Ducks are arriving for the winter. There seem to be more dark dots on the bay every day and the species diversity is on the increase. The males are already in breeding plumage and beginning to compete for the attention of the females with entertaining displays. Counting them is tedious, but it is the easiest way to augment our checklist totals.