Post by Gord on Aug 14, 2006 17:54:09 GMT -8
Had a reason to go up Cheam Mountain, so happily went hoping to find a rock ptarmigan or something while I was up there.
I got going pretty early. The weather was nice with just a few clouds. On the way, stopped at a few places and stuck my head out the window to see what I can see and hear. On Chilliwack Lk Rd I ran into:
3 MacGillvray's Warbler
1 Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Winter Wren
Song Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Northwestern Crow
2 Golden-crowned Kinglet
The moon was still up.
On the bumpy Forest Service Rd on the way up:
Swainson's Thrush
2 Varied Thrush
Dark-eyed Junco
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Cooper's Hawk
Black-headed Grosbeak
Steller's Jay
3 Rufous Hummingbird
Vaux's Swift (once, one seemed to feed another, possibly a freshly fledged swift?)
2 Black Swift
10 Yellow-rumped Warbler
4 Orange-crowned Warbler
2 MacGillvray's Warbler
2 Warbling Vireo
2 Gray Jay
2 Red-breasted Nuthatch
3 Olive-sided Flycatcher
2 Pine Siskin
1 Blue Grouse
2 Band-tailed Pigeon
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Northern rough-winged Swallow
On to the hike. I started at about 8:30 and I had the place to myself...at the beginning.
Not far into the hike, I came across a small but loose flock of warblers. There were mostly yellow-rumped warblers and some orange-crowned and a couple MacGillvray's, but also there was a Wilson's warbler and Townsend's warbler, both females. At the 'Landing' I was listening to what sounded like a shorebird calling. Almost sounded like a solitary sandpiper but I couldnt be sure. It was coming from a swampy bit so there was habitat and they've been seen here before. As I was about to carry on, a beauty golden eagle blasted over my head, not 50 feet up. WOW!!!
Wish I had the camera handy! It soared by and started to accend higher and higher.
Soon, a sharp-shinned hawk, perhaps the one I saw earlier down the road, took exception to the eagle's presence and chased it around a little bit. The eagle didnt pay it any mind. What a size difference!
Sadly, my raptor ID trend stopped (not often can you be 100% on every small hawk you see in a birding trip, and I was happy thus far) when this bird showed up. It cruised through the trees but also then gained altitude and proceeded to soar away from me. What caught my eye was the amount of white/pale this bird had on its belly and underwings with limited markings. I went through the buteo species (red-tailed hawk et al..) I'm familiar with and none worked for any reason. I had no guide as Im too lazy to haul it up the mountain so I quickly sketched what I saw which actually can be better than consulting a guide sometimes. Sadly, the bird did not hang around very long. I tried a picture, but it was a LONG ways off by then. Ill post the rest of the details on the identification part of this forum.
In the grove of large trees before decending into Spoon Valley, I heard the "poot...poot" of a pygmy owl and was able to whistle well enough to get this little guy to make a short flight so I could spot it.
A good sized flock of American pipits were feeding along the shore of the little creek.
An American dipper was also here. By now, the crowds were really starting to come. Three groups had large dogs running at large.
I had joked to myself earlier that with the raptor activity, the ptarmigan would be in hiding, but this took the cake. 
I asked them all to leash their animals out of respect for wildlife, other park visitors and for the dog's and their own safety. Now with confirmed rock ptarmigan AND breeding, this makes it even more of a reason to limit human impacts.
As I was climbing out of Spoon Valley, I noticed a black bear on the north slope. Probably eating the blueberries that are just ripening.
Just before the flats between Cheam and Lady Peak, I heard a boreal chickadee call twice it's wheezy "Tis-jay" and I caught a brief glimpse of one. I think there was a second one with it, but it was hard to tell as they were being very typical and sneaking around in the sub-alpine firs. Memories of Prince George...never thought Id have to work so hard for a chickadee when I was used to them being so boisterous and conspicuous. A very good sighting for our area and the second Im aware of.
I stopped for lunch and to watch the bear who now had company in the form of a brown phase fully grown bear a few hundred yards downhill from him. Movement caught my eye to the right, and there was a sow with a good sized cub. Four bears and I dont have to turn my head to see them all!! Easily a first for me. Made the guy who walked by a little later with headphones on listening to music look about as smart as the shale he was walking upon.
Now, I was in ptarmigan country and I took my time scanning all the good areas. I did find this little pika.
Stumbled across a juvenile brown-headed cowbird. Not a bird Id expect up there. It was one of those tame ones and came quite close before flying off up the trail a ways to the less friendly company of a trio of yahoos who tried to hit him with a stick as he fluttered around them.
Almost to the top, and I came across ptarmigans finally. Sadly not rock ones, but a hen white-tailed with two chicks. This is a different hen then I saw last time as the chicks were still rather young.
Again I was reminded at how vulnerable this area is when the three before mentioned fools set off a small avalance of rocks that threatened hikers and wildlife alike. They got sent home.
I prowled around up top and had the company of a shy yellow-pine chipmunk.
Time for home, and nothing exciting happened as I went down, aside from the excitement of not having to work so hard going downhill and a female northern harrier flying past.
The fireweed was in full bloom but a good other flowers were already done.
The species list from the hike part of my day:
6 Evening Grosbeak
4 MacGillvray's Warbler
10 Yellow-rumped Warbler
3 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Wilson's Warbler
1 Townsend's Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
2 Rufous Hummingbird
5 Vaux's Swift
2 Red-breasted Sapsucker
3 Fox Sparrow
1 Golden Eagle
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
8 Grey-crowned Rosy-finch (where'd they all go?)
1 (2?) Boreal Chickadee
1 juv Brown-headed Cowbird
1 female Northern Harrier
12 American Robin
3 White-tailed Ptarmigan (2 chicks)
12+ American Pipits
1 American Dipper
1 Buteo sp
I got going pretty early. The weather was nice with just a few clouds. On the way, stopped at a few places and stuck my head out the window to see what I can see and hear. On Chilliwack Lk Rd I ran into:
3 MacGillvray's Warbler
1 Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Winter Wren
Song Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Northwestern Crow
2 Golden-crowned Kinglet
The moon was still up.
On the bumpy Forest Service Rd on the way up:
Swainson's Thrush
2 Varied Thrush
Dark-eyed Junco
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Cooper's Hawk
Black-headed Grosbeak
Steller's Jay
3 Rufous Hummingbird
Vaux's Swift (once, one seemed to feed another, possibly a freshly fledged swift?)
2 Black Swift
10 Yellow-rumped Warbler
4 Orange-crowned Warbler
2 MacGillvray's Warbler
2 Warbling Vireo
2 Gray Jay
2 Red-breasted Nuthatch
3 Olive-sided Flycatcher
2 Pine Siskin
1 Blue Grouse
2 Band-tailed Pigeon
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Northern rough-winged Swallow
On to the hike. I started at about 8:30 and I had the place to myself...at the beginning.
Not far into the hike, I came across a small but loose flock of warblers. There were mostly yellow-rumped warblers and some orange-crowned and a couple MacGillvray's, but also there was a Wilson's warbler and Townsend's warbler, both females. At the 'Landing' I was listening to what sounded like a shorebird calling. Almost sounded like a solitary sandpiper but I couldnt be sure. It was coming from a swampy bit so there was habitat and they've been seen here before. As I was about to carry on, a beauty golden eagle blasted over my head, not 50 feet up. WOW!!!
Wish I had the camera handy! It soared by and started to accend higher and higher. Soon, a sharp-shinned hawk, perhaps the one I saw earlier down the road, took exception to the eagle's presence and chased it around a little bit. The eagle didnt pay it any mind. What a size difference!
Sadly, my raptor ID trend stopped (not often can you be 100% on every small hawk you see in a birding trip, and I was happy thus far) when this bird showed up. It cruised through the trees but also then gained altitude and proceeded to soar away from me. What caught my eye was the amount of white/pale this bird had on its belly and underwings with limited markings. I went through the buteo species (red-tailed hawk et al..) I'm familiar with and none worked for any reason. I had no guide as Im too lazy to haul it up the mountain so I quickly sketched what I saw which actually can be better than consulting a guide sometimes. Sadly, the bird did not hang around very long. I tried a picture, but it was a LONG ways off by then. Ill post the rest of the details on the identification part of this forum.
In the grove of large trees before decending into Spoon Valley, I heard the "poot...poot" of a pygmy owl and was able to whistle well enough to get this little guy to make a short flight so I could spot it.
A good sized flock of American pipits were feeding along the shore of the little creek.
An American dipper was also here. By now, the crowds were really starting to come. Three groups had large dogs running at large.
I had joked to myself earlier that with the raptor activity, the ptarmigan would be in hiding, but this took the cake. 
I asked them all to leash their animals out of respect for wildlife, other park visitors and for the dog's and their own safety. Now with confirmed rock ptarmigan AND breeding, this makes it even more of a reason to limit human impacts.As I was climbing out of Spoon Valley, I noticed a black bear on the north slope. Probably eating the blueberries that are just ripening.
Just before the flats between Cheam and Lady Peak, I heard a boreal chickadee call twice it's wheezy "Tis-jay" and I caught a brief glimpse of one. I think there was a second one with it, but it was hard to tell as they were being very typical and sneaking around in the sub-alpine firs. Memories of Prince George...never thought Id have to work so hard for a chickadee when I was used to them being so boisterous and conspicuous. A very good sighting for our area and the second Im aware of.
I stopped for lunch and to watch the bear who now had company in the form of a brown phase fully grown bear a few hundred yards downhill from him. Movement caught my eye to the right, and there was a sow with a good sized cub. Four bears and I dont have to turn my head to see them all!!
Easily a first for me. Made the guy who walked by a little later with headphones on listening to music look about as smart as the shale he was walking upon. Now, I was in ptarmigan country and I took my time scanning all the good areas. I did find this little pika.
Stumbled across a juvenile brown-headed cowbird. Not a bird Id expect up there. It was one of those tame ones and came quite close before flying off up the trail a ways to the less friendly company of a trio of yahoos who tried to hit him with a stick as he fluttered around them.
Almost to the top, and I came across ptarmigans finally. Sadly not rock ones, but a hen white-tailed with two chicks. This is a different hen then I saw last time as the chicks were still rather young.
Again I was reminded at how vulnerable this area is when the three before mentioned fools set off a small avalance of rocks that threatened hikers and wildlife alike. They got sent home.
I prowled around up top and had the company of a shy yellow-pine chipmunk.
Time for home, and nothing exciting happened as I went down, aside from the excitement of not having to work so hard going downhill and a female northern harrier flying past.
The fireweed was in full bloom but a good other flowers were already done.
The species list from the hike part of my day:
6 Evening Grosbeak
4 MacGillvray's Warbler
10 Yellow-rumped Warbler
3 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Wilson's Warbler
1 Townsend's Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
2 Rufous Hummingbird
5 Vaux's Swift
2 Red-breasted Sapsucker
3 Fox Sparrow
1 Golden Eagle
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
8 Grey-crowned Rosy-finch (where'd they all go?)
1 (2?) Boreal Chickadee
1 juv Brown-headed Cowbird
1 female Northern Harrier
12 American Robin
3 White-tailed Ptarmigan (2 chicks)
12+ American Pipits
1 American Dipper
1 Buteo sp