Elk Mountain May 14

[Gord]

The trail reopened on Thursday. I went up and had a nice walk and noted quite a few birds on the way.

At the parking lot there were some Black-headed Grosbeaks and a pair of MacGillvray's Warbler. A Red-breasted Sapsucker also went by.

019_8539a by Gord G, on Flickr

019_8546 by Gord G, on Flickr

019_8542 by Gord G, on Flickr

The trail up had plenty of Pacific-slope Flycatchers and Townsend's Warbler. Sooty Grouse were evenly spaced throughout hooting softly away. The trail was in good shape with just a bit of snow on the trail in the shaded spots. Easy to go around; I didn't need to carry my microspikes in my pack

It was overcast most of the time but there were some breaks and I could see the border peaks when I made it to the ridge. A lone Red-tailed and a Sharp-shinned Hawk were seen. It is starting to get a tad late for Sharp-shins as Cooper's are most common through the breeding season. I have breeding records of them at Slesse Mountain so they do breed most likely only in higher elevations and the eastern part of the region.

019_8577 by Gord G, on Flickr

There were at least five Townsend's Solitaires and a Grey-crowned Rosy Finch on the ridge. A Dusky Flycatcher up there was a bit of a surprise despite seeing one here before in the past and also knowing Paul has as well.

019_8567 by Gord G, on Flickr

A few more photos

019_8569 by Gord G, on Flickr

019_8557 by Gord G, on Flickr


A nice hike that I haven't done for a year.

[imperialbirders]

Hi Gord
Beautiful photos. We first hiked Elk Mountain in the summer of 1973 and many times since. We camped and watched the sunset over the Gulf Island (there was not much air pollution then). In those years, there was a large snowpack north of the trail so we melted snow for drinking water. The Canada Jays were quite plentiful and earned their “Camp Robber” nickname. Over the years the Paragliders destroyed the alpine vegetation as they launched, so am so happy to have seen the Meadows when they were pristine.
Thanks for your wonderful photos.

Mike

[brockpal]

I wondered if you could explain where on Elk Mountain this trail is, as I am new to the region and would like to try going there. Thank you.

[Gord]

May 17, 2020 6:38:41 GMT -8 brockpal said:

I wondered if you could explain where on Elk Mountain this trail is, as I am new to the region and would like to try going there. Thank you.

Here's a link to more information. It's a great trail. Welcome to the area too.

chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=1754&dowhat=locationView&plID=39


Mike, it must have been quite a sight up there in the 70's. Do you have any photos from that time?

[brockpal]

Thank you Gord. Loving the area and looking forward to exploring this trail;.

[imperialbirders]

Welcome, brockpal, to this wonderful website for birders. It is a treasure for local birding enthusiasts. As an avid hiker, my favourite book is the "103 Hikes in Southwestern BC" by Jack Bryceland and Mary and David Macaree. My wish was to hike all 103 but age caught up with me.

Mike

[paulos]

Thanks for the update Gord! A Rosy-finch is a great bird for up there. I did find that on the slope between Elk and Thurston I could usually hear (and occasionally see) a Dusky Flycatcher in the summer. The whole ridge is a great place to explore.