Tweeters,

Below are results of the Sunday fieldtripat the I led on the weekend WOS
conference based
in The Dalles, OR.

COLUMBIA HILLS TO SATUS PASS
17 JUNE 2001

A WOS trip originating from The Dalles went up over the Columbia Hills on
Dalles Mountain Road, down into the Klickitat Valley to Goldendale, thence
to Brooks Memorial State Park and, finally, Satus Pass. We detoured a bit on
the Dalles Mountain Road into the Columbia Hills Natural Area, a substantial
DNR site on the crest of the Columbia Hills. Brooks Memorial State Park
south of Satus Pass held the most species diversity, with a nice assortment
of riparian and forest species. We spent considerable time and effort
clambering the steep, brush-grown sidehills at Satus Pass at the site where
Green-tailed Towhee was seen 3 years ago, without conclusive results.

A variety of habitats were covered: Garry Oak groves, weedy
(south-facing)and native (north-facing) grasslands, riparian, rocky
wildflower-dappled lithosols on ridgetops, and Ponderosa Pine and
mixed-conifer forests.

DMR - Dalles Mountain Road
BMP - Brooks Memorial Park
SP - Satus Pass -

Species noted:

Turkey Vulture - BMP
Northern Harrier - DMR
Cooper's Hawk - pair soaring and flapping high over BMP, including
exaggerated wing-flapping (a territorial display?)
Red-tailed Hawk - DMR, BMP, SP
American Kestrel - DMP
Blue Grouse - several booming males on SP
Long-billed Curlew - pair with 2 pint-sized young at intersection of SR-14
and Dalles Mountain Road. Cute!
Mourning Dove - DMR
Vaux's Swift - DMR, with Cliff Swallows, also BMP and SP
Belted Kingfisher - BMP
Red-naped Sapsucker - BMP
Downy Woodpecker - BMP, nest
Northern Flicker - DMR, BMP, SP
Western Wood-Pewee - DMR, BMP, SP
Hammond's Flycatcher - BMP
Dusky Flycatcher - BMP, SP
Say's Phoebe - DMR
Ash-throated Flycatcher - SR-14
Western Kingbird - DMR
Cassin's Vireo - BMP, SP
Warbling Vireo - BMP
Steller's Jay - BMP, SP
Western Scrub-Jay - DMR
Clark's Nutcracker - SP
Black-billed Magpie - DMR
Common Raven - DMR, BMP, SP
Horned Lark - DMR
Violet-green Swallow - DMR
Cliff Swallow - DMR
Barn Swallow - DMR
Black-capped Chickadee - BMP
Mountain Chickadee - BMP, SP
Red-breasted Nuthatch - BMP, SP
White-breasted Nuthatch - SP
Brown Creeper - SP
Rock Wren - DMR, SP
Western Bluebird - DMR
Hermit Thrush - SP
American Robin - BMP, SP
Orange-crowned Warbler - BMP, singing in approriate breeding habitat
(Deerbrush, currants, Wild Rose)
Nashville Warbler - BMP, SP
Yellow Warbler - BMP
Yellow-rumped Warbler - BMP, SP
Townsend's Warbler - SP
MacGillivray's Warbler - BMP
Yellow-breasted Chat - 2 singing males on SR-14 just east of Horsethief
State Park
Western Tanager - SP
Spotted Towhee - DMR, BMP, SP
Chipping Sparrow - BMP, SP
Vesper Sparrow - north side of Columbia Hills on DMR
Savannah Sparrow - north side of DMR
Grasshopper Sparrow - adult feeding young on north side of DMR (about
half-way down )
Fox Sparrow - SP, common
Song Sparrow - BMP
Dark-eyed Junco - BMP, SP
Black-headed Grosbeak - BMP
Lazuli Bunting - DMR, SP
Red-winged Blackbird - DMR
Western Meadowlark - DMR
Brewer's Blackbird - DMR
Brown-headed Cowbird - BMP
Bullock's Oriole - DMR
Purple Finch - BMP
Cassin's Finch - SP
House Finch - DMR
Red Crossbill - BMP, SP, Ponderosa Pine types
American Goldfinch - DMR
Evening Grosbeak - BMP, SP
House Sparrow - DMR

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA
Steppie at nwinfo.net