Gray-crowned Rosy Finch

The date was 11/8/1994.  Roy Gerig and I were headed to Sugarloaf Mountain in western Polk County.  There is an old article in Oregon Birds (which I wrote) about this location as it provided some rare sightings such as Swainson’s Hawk, Nutcrackers, Brewer’s Sparrow, migrating Goshawks, Golden Eagles and a few others.  I don't remember any specific conversation between us, but I surmise that we reasoned that if Rosy Finches visited Mary's Peak almost every fall, at least some must pass through Polk County.

There is an open area on the top of Sugarloaf about the size of a basketball court, and when we got there we spied our first county Snow Bunting.  A few minutes later, while we were enjoying our find, 2 birds flew in not more than 25 feet away, which turned out to be Gray-crowned Rosy Finches.  These were a county first, and we were quite ecstatic.

Later in the day we drove over to Ankeny NWR and saw the Gyrfalcon which had shown up there a day or two before, and relayed our Sugarloaf experience to John Lundsten, (who has since passed away.)

That was 25 years ago, almost to the day.  I’ve been waiting that long to see them again here in Polk, and it finally happened today, 11/13/2019.  But it was not on Sugarloaf, but Bald Mountain, some 20 miles SE of Sugarloaf.  I’ve been going up Bald Mountain each fall for about 10 years hoping for something rare, and have struck out until today.  Sugarloaf has grown over quite a bit, and I don’t think it is as attractive to such migrants anymore, and one cannot get there anyway since the gates have been installed around 20 years ago.

And recently the gates have impeded access to Bald Mountain, making it so you now have to walk 2.5 miles to the top.  However, I figured I could shave a mile off of that by approaching it from the north side where an old logging  road for non motorized vehicles skirts the base, and from there it is a steep hike up to another logging road of about 300 yards through 10 year old reprod.  

I finally made it up to that logging road, and on up toward the top where there is some kind of radar installation.  On the largest patch of gravel I saw the minor movement of a small bird, and my initial impression was that it was probably a junco.  But when I got the bins on it - ROSY FINCH!   Thank you Jesus.  Finally all my efforts hiking up here paid off.

I snapped a few pics and thought, “This will be good enough for eBird.”  This was at a distance of about 75 feet. Naturally wanting better pics, I moved closer, hugging the cyclone fence to my right.  I halved that distance, getting better pics every few feet.  

Now on the other side of the patch of gravel was a stretch of grass, and my clothes were a better blend with that, so I figured I’d retreat and get on the other side for hopefully better pics.   As I neared the gravel I could see the bird still there, all the while crawling on my belly.  I was now about 15 feet away from him and dared not press my luck, and reached out to press down what grass lay just in front of me.  

For the next 45 minutes he kept right on eating (you can see the purple grass buds in some pics) some seeds of some kind of low grass on the gravel.  And, to my surprise and luck, little by little, he kept edging closer.  At times I would have to move slightly so as to reposition myself to get better pics, often waiting for him to move enough away from a bunch of grass in to the open.  He seemed to be more weary at those times and I was careful not to move to fast and spook him. This went on and on, until at one point he was 5 feet away!   Amazing! How lucky I was to be so close to see one of my favorite birds.  I just don't live where they are common and they may not be reliable even in places in the state where they are.  The downside was that when he was at his closest, there was grass in between us, so I had to wait for him to reposition himself before I could resume getting pics.  

All of a sudden he scurried off, running about 10 feet away from me, only to grab a small grasshopper.  I figured that was my cue to slink away, assuming I had enough pics by now.   I returned to my day pack and binocs, and headed out to the viewpoint where one can see the Cascades all the way to Rainier in one direction, and the ocean in the other, and made sure not to disturb the guest of honor in doing so.   Once there I texted Brandon Wagner and Don Berg.  We’ve had a label for a while which goes like, “The curse of Bald Mountain,”  because no rare birds have been found here.  So my first line was, “Well men, the curse has been lifted,”  with a following line about the Rosy Finch.   Then I called Chuck Philo who has been looking on Euchre Mountain for Rosy Finches in Lincoln County, without success as yet.  

After one last look at the bird, I headed back down the mountain.  It was sure easier going down than coming up.  Plus, there was a certain spring in my step causing me to go a little faster than I normally would.  

Once back home I downloaded my pics onto the PC.  I figured I had taken maybe 300 shots, possibly 350, but they kept coming and coming, and, well, I guess I got carried away because the final tally was 650!  What can I say?  Only a photographer would understand.  Since this is one of my favorite birds, and I don’t get to see them very often, and I really wanted to get something quality, and, well, you get the idea.  An added bonus is that my wife carries the same first name as this bird, so I knew she would excuse me for taking so many.  At lunch I sheepishly let it be known that I took 650 shots of just one bird, to which my mother in law simply said, “WOW.”  

For any of you county listers, this is a difficult bird to find in Polk County, obviously.  But if you want to try for this bird, in the slim chance it will stay put, I’ll give you the easiest route to get there.  Be forewarned, this is not for the faint of heart, nor for an old fart.  You have to walk 2.5 miles and most of that is uphill.

From the hamlet of Pedee, keep going west on the Kings Valley Hwy for about a mile and go Right on Pedee Creek Road to the North.  In about 2.5 miles you cross a small bridge and shortly, next to a recently logged off area on the Left, you take the next Left.  In about a half mile you go through a gate and stay on this road for about 4 miles until you come to a junction.  Stay straight, uphill and around to the Left where you will shortly come to a gate and a wide place to park.  Then you walk 1.5 miles to another gate on your right, and this is obviously the road UP to the top of the mountain, and the steepest part of the jaunt.  The Rosy Finch was at the very top, next to the enclosure for the radar installation.
   

If per chance you get lost going this way, let me know and I can give you more confusing directions from Falls City.

Once off Pedee Creek Road you are on logging roads.  You do not need a 4WD or a high clearance vehicle.  I get up there with my old beater ‘98 Honda Civic.  My undercarriage is quite polished from such jaunts, and my wife would sure be happy if the rest of the car looked as shiny.  

Well, guess I did not get any chores done today.  Maybe tomorrow. My smart phone indicates I walked 11,773 steps, or,  5.3 miles, as well as ascended 41 flights of stairs.  Not sure how accurate those figures are.  So not sure if I shaved a mile off the former figure or if the other figures is off?  But one of my birding comrades walked this way last fall and being the young tech person he is, he relayed that the directions given are 2.5 miles one way, to the top.  But the "upside" is that upon returning it is all downhill.........