[obol] Blue Hooter continues on Hayward Road, Washington Co

[Norgren Family]

     The SOOTY GROUSE my son heard a few
days ago continues to hoot on the nameless
highland nw of Banks. I heard it at 9:30am
Sunday (3/30). Turn west off Hwy 26/47 onto
Hayward Rd.. About 2 1/2 miles from Hwy 26
after a very steep grade there are steel
gates on both sides of the road. It is possible
for several cars to park here without
blocking the gates.
    Go south past the blue gate(the new one
on the north side of the road is black).
Turn left at the first fork and proceed
up a steep grade. There is a T-jct here at
the top. Go past the left branch (a dead
end to a high-lead) and proceed easterly
on a gentle decline. At the end of this
very young reprod is a fresh clearcut and
a narrow fork in the road. The grouse should
now be audible. Extensive tall trees remain
on the far side of the basin to the east of
here and that is surely where he is hooting.
They like quite tall trees, and tend to remain
in the exact same tree for long periods.
     A pair of Mountain Quail flushed from the
lower two of these forks in the road, about
15m from the jct.. They were at this same fork
in the road regularly last spring. I walked
back up at 5 and put out seed. A very pale
male HARRIER was at my eye level when I reached
the  T-jct. They are uncommon but regular over
these forested ridges in Feb and March, greatly
out-numbering Goshawk sightings I have made
in the same time and space.
Lars Norgren Manning Oregon
It is a mile from the blue gate to the T-jct.
You will gain 200ft elevation after losing about
50 on the way down to the first fork.