Jenny and I went in search of wintering birds in eastern Okanogan County yesterday. It was a long day of driving over bumpy, sometimes muddy and puddle-filled roads, avoiding cows – lots of cows – and enjoying long vistas. The weather was very non-typical of early December. Normally we’d be battling cold winds, crusty snow on the ground, fog, rain or snow falling. Or maybe, all of the above. Instead, we had mostly blue skies, bare ground, and green fields of verdant winter wheat dotted with glacial erratics from the last ice age. In other words, it was a great day to see birds! The birds did not get the memo. They were few and far between and while we saw interesting species like Snow Buntings and Common Redpolls, Northern Shrikes and Rough-legged Hawks, we missed out on the iconic Snowy Owls and Gyrfalcons. Still, it was a good day with good company to explore a fascinating landscape.
A glacial erratic splitting in two
We walked all around this stand of aspens and found one Great-horned Owl and some chickadees
An interesting mark left by someone before us
Old scratches in aspen bark
A bird’s nest at eye level
Jenny found this. She identified it as a praying mantis egg case. Pretty cool!
Lots of cows means lots of cow pies to avoid. Some had mushrooms growing out of them.
A suvey marker.
A sharp curve in the road
Moses Mountain in the distance. A special place on the Colville Reservation
art?
history.
My Everyday Photos 