BIRDS
The snowy peaks, the mountain meadows, the forests, the lakes and streams, and the salt-water shores of the Olympic Peninsula constitute a variety of habitats for birds. The kinds of birds you can expect to see depend on where you are.
In summer, there are approximately 140 species on the Olympic Peninsula. The following list includes birds most easily identified and most likely to be seen, and those of special interest. Many common birds are not included.
Birds of the Mountain Peaks
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH—a rose-colored, sparrowlike bird, tame and easily observed. It feeds characteristically on or near open, rocky slopes and snowbanks.
Birds of the Mountain Meadows and Timberline
HORNED LARK—a brownish ground bird, whitish beneath, a little larger than a sparrow. Usually in pairs on bare field and open ground; they utter a plaintive tee when startled into flight. At close range, the forehead and throat show a pale yellow, bordered and striped with black. The male has two black, hornlike feather tufts on the head.
SPARROW HAWK—a small, slender hawk with pointed wings and a rusty-red tail and back. It commonly hovers in the air above fields and meadows and is numerous on the ridges during grasshopper season.
BLUE GROUSE—a dark, hen-shaped bird commonly seen feeding on the ground in meadows and woodland.
GRAY JAY—a usually silent, gray bird with a whitish area on top of the head and a black patch behind the white. It is a little larger than a robin. This jay appears at your camp or picnic expecting food and sometimes helping himself to it.