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Tag Archives: Okanogan Highlands

Summertime Camping

Ken and I packed the dogs and the trailer and headed up to Lost Lake this week. It was a great escape from the heat and computers and cell phones and a chance to listen to the loons and play in the water and sit around the campfire. Ken fished. I paddled my boat. The dogs swam. We slept in. It was nice.

 

Nice brook trout

 

Common Loons nest on Lost Lake (watch for more loon photos in an upcoming post)

 

Lots of dragonflies

 

Still a few wildflowers blooming

 

an aster

 

Morning light

 

camp coffee

 

This old dock has seen better days

 

Many, many squirrels to drive Luna crazy

 

We always eat well while camping

 

Brook trout cooked en papillote

 

Typical scene in the Okanogan Highlands near Molsen

 

Ken found this leech in Sidley Lake. I’ve never seen one before. He thinks they are native.

 

The leech with a friendly dragonfly

 

Sam in Sidley Lake. This old dog does better in the water than on land.

 

Luna’s ‘wet’ look

 

We visited the old ghost town at Molsen. This is an old printing press.

 

Water lillies and cattails at Lost Lake

 

Lost Lake is one of my favorite places.

Just a Few Bird Photos

Last week we identified 114 bird species. It seems like a lot but we missed an awful lot of so-called ‘common’ birds – all the owls, all the grouse, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and the list goes on. And we saw no real rarities. It was pretty fun birding with lots of birds singing and we worked on learning and re-learning the bird songs and calls. It’s a challenge from year to year to keep them in my head. Some stick with me; for instance Rock Wren and Willow Flycatcher. Others – well let’s just say, it’s going to take many years for me to learn the few warblers we have in our region and remember them.

I managed to get a few photographs of birds. I didn’t really try too much bird photography. It is time consuming and we were really focusing on seeing and hearing a good variety of birds.

 

Hooded Merganser female at Lost Lake

 

 

 American Coot adult and chick

 

 

 

 

 

Spotted Sandpiper chick along Maryanne Creek Road

 

 

Spotted Sandpiper adult

 

 

 

June Camping Trip

Life’s been busy recently and I’ve had little time for personal work. Couple that with an aching back and I’ve just not had anything recent to post.

Last week I got away with a friend for a few days of (car) camping in the Okanogan Highlands and the Sinlahekin valley. We planned  some serious birding adventures and were not disappointed. By the end of four days we had seen 114 species and along the way, we saw a few other things as well.

 

The Okanogan Highlands clouds are always spectacular

 

And then there’s litter

 

Lost Lake, where we stayed for two nights. One of my all time favorite camping spots.

 

Dog at the Chesaw Store

 

Phone booth at the Chesaw Store.

This area is so close to Canada that if you have your cell phone on, it will connect to Canadian cell towers and your bill will show extra and possibly unexpected charges.

 

Molson is an old ghost town between Oroville and Chesaw

 

 

Camp coffee

 

Camp site in the Sinlahekin valley

I have a few photos of birds to share and will get them posted soon.

 

 

Loons and and a few other birds of Lost Lake

Common Loons nest at Lost Lake. There are only a few places around Washington where they nest so it’s a special place for folks who love the charismatic birds. This season, the nesting pair has lost both of its chicks to marauding Bald Eagles. It is quite a dilemma for bird lovers. We did see a chick on Thursday evening when we arrived but the eagle was watching at the same time. We never saw the baby again so it must have been taken by the eagle shortly after we saw it.

 

 

 

 

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to search for Great Gray Owls near a known nesting site. Our small group walked along a county road and first spotted the young fledglings near the end of dusk and then the adults hunting from fence posts after dark!

 

Red-winged Blackbirds rule the marsh with their raucous calls.

 

Juvenile swallows waiting for a meal or a lesson in catching their own.

 

Young Spotted Sandpipers

 

The adult Spotted Sandpiper watching its babies.

 

 

 

 

Lost Lake in the Okanogan Highlands

Ken and I had a nice getaway to Lost Lake in the Okanogan Highlands last weekend. While the weather was not perfect, it was never too cold or wet and we had a great time. A nice lady stayed with our dogs so we were able to kayak, fish, ride bikes and just have a relaxing time at this gem of a place. For me, it is sort of like ‘On Golden Pond’ with nesting loons, a quiet lake surrounded by forest, some camps, and a few cabins nestled along the edge.