May 11, 2024 Grass Mountain on Cascade Head

The Sitka Center for Art & Ecology generously offered their Grass Mountain property for an ASLC bird walk. This 80-acre preserve on the southwest side of Cascade Head is privately owned and nestled within the national Scenic Research Area, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and bordered by federal forest. Jake Simondet, Sitka's Facilities and Ecology Manager, led our group of 16 through a stunning landscape made all the more meaningful by his knowledge of the area's history, ecology, and botany. Mark Elliott complemented Jake's narrative with a search for birds that were more heard than seen, but everyone left enriched to have experienced such an inspiring hike through towering trees and rolling meadows.

Sightings of the day:

Birders on trail, photo by Tom Rice

Wilson’s Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Black-headed Grosbeak
Raven
Pacific Wren
Townsend’s Warbler
Chestnut-back Chickadee
Stellar’s Jay
Turkey Vulture
American Crow
Band-tailed Pigeon

Group listening to Jake, photo by Ruth Shelly