Mount Rainier National Park Birding Special!

Birding Tip #2: Explore New Habitats!  By venturing into new areas you will notice a change in the bird species you see.  You may also see subspecies of familiar birds that have large ranges and adapt to various niches, such as the dark-eyed junco.


Bird Count:

• Sooty grouse (Audio ID)

• American robin (Visual ID)

• Red-breasted nuthatch (Audio ID)

• Chestnut-backed chickadee (Visual ID) (black-capped were most likely present as well, but were not visibly seen) (Audio ID of chickadees).
• Olive-sided flycatcher (Audio ID)
• Common raven (Audio ID)
• Hairy woodpecker (Audio and Visual ID)
• Steller's jay (Audio and Visual ID)
• Gray jay (Visual ID)
• Clark's nutcracker (Audio and Visual ID)  
• Northern flicker (Audio ID)
• Dark-eyed junco (Audio and Visual ID) (note: it is possible that I was seeing female dark-eyed juncos but most of the juncos I saw did not have a bold black head as seen in the Oregon variety.  These juncos resembled more of the slate-colored variety, however, this variety is mostly seen in eastern Washington.  Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to identify the birds properly, besides to say they were dark-eyed juncos).
•  Varied thrush (Feather ID on trail, see below) (Photo of bird in Post #2 - "A Swift Sighting")

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Feather Atlas, http://www.lab.fws.gov/fa/index.php

(author's note:  Most bird species are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) which "makes it illegal for anyone to take, possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter...or offer for sale, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such a bird except under the terms of a valid permit issued pursuant to Federal regulations" (U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Program, 2012)). 

There are essentially three "zones" in Mount Rainier National Park...all three I visited during my stay over the weekend.  The weather was spectacular, as can be seen in the first photograph taken on Sunday.  The temperatures were climbing into the high 80s, even at 5000+ feet.  It is important to note that the high temperatures may have contributed to the lack of birds I saw on my three day excursion through the park.  It may also be important to mention that I didn't go to Mount Rainier specifically for birding, otherwise I would have been up and about at prime birding times.  The best times for birding are the first few hours after sunrise when it's cool and in the evening.  My hiking had me outside during the daytime when most birds were laying low in the shade and out of the hot sun.

Silver Falls, Silver Falls Trail, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

The first zone of Mount Rainier National Park is the lowest area of the park, below 3,500 feet.  These areas are more heavily forested, with the dominate tree species being Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock (National Park Service, 2012).  I visited this area of the park when I hiked the Silver Falls Trail along the Ohanapecosh River and headed up towards the Grove of the Patriarchs.  I didn't complete the entire Silver Falls Trail loop, which is nearly 3 miles, but the northern portion heading north toward the Grove had spectacular views of the waterfall and river.  The hike in this area is easily traversed and leads through beautiful forests with a vast diversity of plants.  It's well worth the hike.  This area is home to bird species more typically seen at lower elevations, such as those seen around the Puget Sound lowlands and the Cascade foothills.  This is where I identified the varied thrush feathers.  

Bench and Snow Lakes Trail, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

The second zone of the park is the transitional area between 3,500 feet and 5,000 feet, below the subalpine zone.  The dominate tree species are western hemlock, western white pine and Pacific silver fir (National Park Service, 2012).  The forest is less dense with more open meadows.  It also seemed as if plant growth was stunted because the trees didn't grow as tall, perhaps because of the elevation.  I visited this zone when I hiked the Bench and Snow Lakes Trail, east of Paradise.  The birding was best along this trail.  Despite the heat, which I'm sure is what kept most of the birds quiet along the hike, I heard the olive-sided flycatcher here and saw a variety of dark-eyed juncos.  Dark-eyed juncos are easily seen by their white tail bars while in flight.  I only saw the juncos for a few seconds and I didn't have my binoculars handy but I did notice that they all had very faint black heads and the bodies were more gray.  It is possible that some of the juncos I saw were females, which have a dull, black head.  Regardless, it is important to be aware when birding of the different subspecies and realize that females can look significantly different than males and very similar to other species of birds.  Overall, the hike is moderately strenuous, with a lot of steep up and down climbing on stairs, but the beautiful wildflowers, lakes and views make the 2.5 mile round trip hike well worth it.  

Valley of Avalanche Lilies along the Nisqually Vista Trail, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Sooty grouse, photo by Tom Lawler

The third zone is the area accessible at Paradise and Sunrise and is between 5,000 feet and 6,500 feet in elevation.  This zone is considered the subalpine zone.  The tree species have once again changed and the forest tends to grow in clumps with dominating subalpine meadow habitat.  The tree species found here are subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, Alaska yellow cedar, and whitebark pine (National Park Service, 2012).  I hiked this area at Paradise when I went around the Nisqually Vista Loop.  This hike is very easy and is a fully paved hike with great views of Mount Rainier.  It takes you through a variety of habitats characteristic of this altitude.  You can get a perfect vantage point of the Nisqually glacier, as well.  This is also where I heard two sooty grouse males vocalizing to each other in the forest.  It is a very low pitched, best described as a whooping sound.  Unfortunately, I didn't see them, leaving the trails is prohibited and being an avid environmentalist, I was happy to follow the rules.  

The fourth zone, which comprises a majority of the park is over 6,500 feet in elevation and the landscape is mostly bare rock, snow and ice (National Park Service, 2012).

One place I haven't mentioned so far is my campsite, an unexpected place for birding.  I camped at Cougar Rock, which is at roughly 3,000 feet in elevation.  Despite the amount of people present, I still saw and heard a wide variety of species.  I heard chickadees, common raven, red-breasted nuthatch and northern flicker.  I saw a hairy woodpecker and, of course, a good number of steller's jays, which are common campsite visitors.  The hairy woodpecker, a larger version of the downy woodpecker (downy woodpecker are far more common in more disturbed forests and visits my backyard feeder on a regular basis), not only made an appearance but vocalized a song and call.  I was very excited to hear the hairy woodpecker song and call in person because seeing the bird and then hearing its vocalizations is the best way to learn when birding by ear...but that is another post!  Hairy woodpecker are rather uncommon and tend to stay in more mature, undisturbed forests.  I have seen one hairy woodpecker near my house, although I live near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains so it was probably a lost juvenile.

Clark's nutcracker, photo by Scott A. Haber

Another place I visited at Mount Rainier National Park was a quick pit stop on the way home...Tipsoo Lake.  It is located on the eastern border of the park along Highway 410.  I only stopped for a quick bite and to enjoy one last moment on the mountain but Tipsoo Lake is a tourist hotspot, so it was very busy.  While I sat and enjoyed a sandwich in the shade I noticed a few bird species hanging out around the picnic tables.  One was a clark's nutcracker.  I have seen these birds before in the pine forests of Grand Teton National Park.  These birds are netorious for raiding picnic areas, like the steller's jay, and in areas heavily used by humans they are becoming more and more of a menace.  More importantly, people are humanizing a bird species that naturally eat mostly pine seeds.  Clark's nutcracker are found at high elevations and inhabit forests dominated by pine trees, because of their dietary needs (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2011).

Gray jay, photo by Gerrit Vyn

A second species of bird that I saw in the same area while munching on my lunch was a gray jay.  This was the first time I had ever seen a gray jay and without my bird book in hand, I wasn't sure what bird I was looking at.  After doing some research I wasn't surprised they were hanging out with the clark's nutcracker and sneaking yummy, human snacks when the opportunity arose.  Gray jays inhabit a similar niche as the clark's nutcracker; high altitude, alpine forests.  There are three subspecies of gray jay; Pacific, Taiga and Rocky Mountain varieties.  The Pacific and Taiga look incredibly similar and the gray jays I saw at Tipsoo had a prominent black head, so it could have been either of the two.  The Rocky Mountain subspecies has a mostly white head.  I watched gray jays and clark's nutcrackers move in groups together as they perused the buffets left by people, some people were even (to my utter dismay) feeding the birds right out of their hands!  Gray jay have been dubbed the "camp robber" (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2011).  The name seemed to fit but I wonder if humans are partially to blame. 


Please DO NOT feed wildlife!  It is detrimental to their health and yours...for more information please read the National Park Services information page on this issue at http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/keep-wildlife-wild.htm.

Image from the National Park Service

Thank you for following me on my birding journey through Mount Rainier National Park and Happy Birding!

References:


National Park Service, 2012, http://www.nps.gov/mora/naturescience/birds.htm 

Sibley, Allen D.  2003.  The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf.  471 pp.  

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2011, http://www.allaboutbirds.org

U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Program, 2012, http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/mbpermits.html