[obol] Gray-crowned ROsy Finches in Umatilla County

[Wayne & Patty Bowers]

Wayne and I were headed for Pilot Rock on Saturday, 6 Jan. About 1.5 miles
north of the Gurdane turn-off (Hwy 395) we observed a flock of hundreds of
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES. It was about 12:30 PM. They appeared to be
picking up grit along the highway. The wind was howling and they flew off in
a big cloud as we zoomed by. Realizing what we were seeing, we stopped as
quickly as possible and backed up to check it out. The birds swirled around
and landed again along the edge of the road. They wouldn't let us get very
close, even using the vehicle as a blind. After a few moments the birds flew
off to the east in a huge group and that's the last we saw of them. We just
sat there for a moment and kind of looked at each other in wonder at the
gift we had just been given.

Obviously, we didn't get to check out every bird to see if there were any
black rosy finches or other species mixed in with the group. We just enjoyed
the moment!

As we came back through the same area today, there were no sign of the
birds.

Happy New Year.

Wayne and Patty Bowers