Naturalist Trip - Okanogan Highlands

14th June at noon: Meet at the Tonasket Natural Foods Coop on 4^th Street and S Western Ave; grab a sandwich from the coop; they make good hot sandwiches to go. 21 4th St, Tonasket, WA 98855. There are picnic tables outside; if people want, we may run up the hill and eat in the wild.

We will stop at several places to bird and botanize between Tonasket and Lost Lake. The leaders plan on camping at Lost Lake for two nights. This is a Forest Service Campground and a first come, first find campground. We will secure campsites once we get there.

Then, probably, around 3 PM, we will hike the Big Tree Botanical Area trail. The trail is a 3-mile round trip through coniferous forest and out to see some giant Western Larches.

Back at camp, depending on time, we may form carpools, heading to Beth and Beaver Lakes and Chesaw to see what we can find.

The Chesaw Tavern is a good place for dinner, or we will come back to camp for dinner.

The closest town with motels is Tonasket.

 15th June:

Early morning, bird the campground area, have coffee and check out the lake. Loons may be calling or had been calling during the night. Ruby-crowned Kinglets nest in the campground, Swainson’s Thrushes nearby.

8:00 AM – gather and prepare for a day of birding, botanizing, and checking on geological formations. Pack a lunch, bring drinks, and be ready to be gone all day from camp.

We will do a loop, stopping to walk in many places. We will travel through Chesaw, up Mary Anne Creek Road, to Molson, back to Teal Lake, down Havillah Road and Hungry Hollow Road, and eventually back to the campground for dinner and listening for loons.

 16th June:

Bird the campground early in the AM. Several options might be available for this day.

1. We could hike in the AM, Strawberry Mountain, and still pack up by checkout time.
2. We could head to one of the other trails in the area for a day hike, needing to be packed up from the campground if headed home that day.
3. The leader will likely need to make the birding loop again to pick up the sound recording equipment he left.
4. The trip will officially end by mid-day so folks can head home.

Our goal will be birds, flowers, butterflies, trees, and geology. The leader will send some information on the geology ahead of the trip.

Lost Lake Campground has drop toilets, picnic tables at the campsites, and potable water sites spread through the grounds. Those camping need to bring some water, food, and appropriate supplies.

We will hike on some trails. We will also walk along the roads and back into the forest in several places.

https://thomasbancroft.org/dawn-chorus-on-mary-ann-creek/

The Wail and Tremolo of a Common Loon

https://youtu.be/tioxXt3t6kU  Morning Chorus at Teal. This is a four-hour recording starting at 3:30 AM. Enjoy and in stereo.