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North Fork Wenas Creek, Wenas Wildlife Area
June 2021
Synopsis
After 5 years away, we returned to the Wenas Campground on North Fork Wenas Creek. The campground has a big makeover several years ago - campsites right next to the creek were blocked to protect the creek and wildlife and vault toilets were installed at the campground. Despite going on a beautiful summer weekend, the campground and wildlife area were relatively empty with the exception of large clusters of campers that seemed to bring everything from ATVs to the kitchen sink. Our modest tent camping was a rarity in the wildlife area.
However, we still had fun camping among the dry creek beds, wildflower filled meadows, and ponderosa pine. We hiked up North Fork Wenas Road listening to the many Nashville Warblers, Western Wood-pewees, Dusky Flycatchers, and Cassin's Finch. Fritillary butterflies flitted among the fields of larkspur and field mint. In the evening at the campground, we were delighted by the sights and sounds of Common Nighthawks gliding overhead. Among the dense riparian of Wenas Creek, Veerys, Western Tanagers and Black-headed Grosbeaks sang. A surprising number of Red-naped Sapsuckers flew through the ponderosa. Bring a tollerance for loud off road vehicles and Wenas is a delight for the naturalist and birder.
Top
| Sooty Grouse |
heard
|
| Mourning Dove |
3
|
| Common Nighthawk |
6
|
| Common Poorwill |
2, heard
|
| Vaux's Swift |
4
|
| Rufous Hummingbird |
1
|
| Calliope Hummingbird |
pair
|
| Turkey Vulture |
5
|
| Golden Eagle |
1
|
| Red-tailed Hawk |
1
|
| Red-naped Sapsucker |
many
|
| Downy Woodpecker |
2
|
| Hairy Woodpecker |
1
|
| Northern Flicker |
1
|
| Western Wood-Pewee |
many
|
| Gray Flycatcher |
4
|
| Dusky Flycatcher |
8
|
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher |
4
|
| Warbling Vireo |
many singing
|
| Steller's Jay |
1
|
| Common Raven |
2
|
| Mountain Chickadee |
4
|
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow |
4
|
| Violet-green Swallow |
2
|
| Red-breasted Nuthatch |
3
|
| White-breasted Nuthatch |
1
|
| Townsend's Solitaire |
3
|
| Veery |
4
|
| American Robin |
10
|
| Cedar Waxwing |
6
|
| Purple Finch |
2
|
| Cassin's Finch |
5
|
| Red Crossbill |
8
|
| Pine Siskin |
4
|
| American Goldfinch |
3
|
| Chipping Sparrow |
10
|
| Lark Sparrow |
2
|
| Dark-eyed Junco |
1
|
| Song Sparrow |
4
|
| Spotted Towhee |
6
|
| Bullock's Oriole |
1
|
| Brown-headed Cowbird |
4
|
| Nashville Warbler |
6
|
| Yellow Warbler |
4
|
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
6
|
| Western Tanager |
10
|
| Black-headed Grosbeak |
10
|
| Lazuli Bunting |
1
|
|
|
|
| Critters: |
|
| Coyote |
heard
|
| Golden-manteled squirrel |
|
| Douglas squirrel |
|
| Least chipmunk |
|
| Western fence lizard |
2
|
| Red-legged frog |
1
|
| Snowberry clearwing (bumble bee mimic) |
1
|
|
|
|
| Butterflies: |
|
| Pale tiger swallowtail |
3
|
| Fritillary sp. |
many
|
| Persius duskywing |
1
|
| Lorquin's admiral |
1
|
|
|
|
| Flowers: |
|
| Large-flowered collomia |
|
| Great northern aster |
|
| Harsh paintbrush |
|
| Scarlet gila |
|
| Fan-leaf cinquifoil |
|
| Lupine sp. |
|
| Yellow desert fleabane |
|
| Shaggy fleabane |
|
| Yarrow |
|
| Columbian onion |
|
| Twin arnica |
|
| Hairy Indian paintbrush |
|
| Thompson's paintbrush |
|
| Douglas dustymaiden |
|
| Twospike larkspur |
|
| Parsnip-flower wild buckwheat |
|
| Oregon sunshine |
|
| Purple monkey-flower |
|
| Common monkey-flower |
|
| Sticky purple geranium |
|
| Mountain tarweed |
|
| Wild mint |
|
| Sharpleaf penstemon |
|
| Chelan penstemon |
|
| Douglas' catchfly |
|
| Meadow death camas |
|
| Small-head clover |
|
| American speedwell |
|
| American vetch |
|
| Northern mule-ear |
|
| Snowberry |
|
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