Of course, we saw lots of other birds while camped in the Okanogan Highlands. Here are a few of them plus a chipmunk that lived in our campsite. Its main job was to drive Luna nuts.
Common Loon. One of my favorite birds. Growing up, I had no idea they could be found in Washington. I thought they lived in places like Minnesota or New England or Canada. I was well past middle age when I saw, and heard, my first loons in the Okanogan Highlands. It’s one of the reasons we keep going back there, year after year. Where else can we listen to loons as we sit around the campfire or hear them at first light or watch them socialize with each and raise their youngsters on the clear cool water? Loons are remarkable birds. You can learn more about ‘the spirit of the north’ here.
It is worthwhile to click through all of these images and see some interesting loon behaviour. They clearly are very social, flying from one lake to another to ‘visit’ with the resident loons. They struggle to raise their young with the ever-present threat from hungry eagles also raising youngsters. The family we watched each day had two young the week before we arrived but only one when we were there. And that splashing! I don’t know what that’s all about. Loons often just tip over gently into the water, hardly leaving more than a ripple. Those four loons appeared to be fishing together and did this repeatedly while we watched for an hour or more. Others reported seeing the same activity.
In the eastern part of Okanogan County and the western part of Ferry County is a region referred to as the Okanogan Highlands. It is an area dotted with lakes and covered with forests and meadows and occasional high mountains. The lakes are a big attraction for birders and anglers and photographers.
We enjoyed lots of walks in the woods last week. The forest is dominated by Western Larch trees with a good mixture of other species as well. There has been a lot of rain this month and everything is green, green, green! There were fewer flowers than I remember seeing in past years – maybe because we were a little later – but it seems like there should have been more. A pond below the campground was just a big puddle when we arrived and overnight it grew into a good-sized pond where Sky could swim. As the week went by, it shrank. Its water is overflow from the lake. We walked to see the Big Trees – two 900-year-old western larches that were spared when the area was logged back in the 1960’s.
We went camping last week. We went to our favorite little campground on a lake in the Okanogan Highlands, almost exactly one hundred miles from here but still in the same county. It was lovely. We walked in the woods, paddled on the lake, played dog games and ate good food. We saw some friends, listened to loons, Ken went fishing, and we generally relaxed. I tried some night photography but the nights are so short and I needed some sleep so I did not succeed.
I highly recommend a good campout.
My Everyday Photos 