Friday night Marv Breece and I headed up to Redrock Pass on the Skamania-Cowlitz County line. This is directly south of Mt. St. Helens. During the night a light rain soaked the outside of our sleeping bags. Between the drier times we heard Common Nighthawks, a distant Great Horned Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owls, and Northern Saw-whet Owls. After day break we had both Pygmy and Saw-whet Owls calling. Also a Rufous Hummingbird zoomed pass us as we tried to find the makers of several warbler chips among the Winter Wren songs.

>From Redrock Pass we birded or way over to Blue Lake trailhead where we found a brownish juv. American Dipper in the creek. Other birds of note here were Red Crossbills, another distant Northern Pygmy-Owl, Band-tailed Pigeons, and Vaux's Swifts. The road is very narrow with wide spots to pass on-coming traffic and campers are tucked here and there along the sides of the road. On our way down towards Cougar we stopped at Merrill Lake and found a Cassin's Vireo, several Osprey, a Bald Eagle, a flock of Vaux's Swifts flying high, and Hooded Mergansers on the lake itself. A short distant down the road near a clearcut we had a Swainson's Thrush, a singing White-crowned Sparrow, and a Dusky Flycatcher. A quick stop along the road at Lake Merwin we saw a flying Spotted Sandpiper.

Still in Cowlitz County we headed to a dairy lagoon viewed from the gravel dike along the Lewis River. With a small amount of water in the lagoon we found 5 Baird's Sandpipers, with Western and Least. A calling Red-eyed Vireo was heard from the Clark County side of the river and a Northern Rough-winged Swallow was feeding over the river. We continued on the levy to the dike road where we found a couple of American Kestrels, a calling Western Wood-Pewee and 2 Willow Flycatchers hanging in the lower parts of Scotch Broom along the Columbia River.

By now it was warm and in the afternoon so we took off for Julia Butler Hansen NWR in Wahkiakum County. Stopping at the headquarters we found a Black Phoebe and Cinnamon Teal. This may be the third year this phoebe has shown up here. Hope it stays for another winter. Other birds found on the refuge were 2 White-tailed Kites, Vaux's Swifts and Purple Martins at their plastic gourd nest boxes. A quick trip to Altoona with high tide and rough water on Grays Bay we had 3 or 4 Common Loons, both Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants.

Right before sundown back in Cowlitz County we checked out Willow Grove Island and saw the Purple Martins at their plastic nest gourds and had 1 high flying White-tailed Kite.

We drove to Underwood which is in southeast Skamania County and slept in a logged off area on the road to Willard where we hoped for owls. None were heard, but did have calling Common Nighthawks and stars instead of rain. Sunday morning while rolling up the sleeping bags we had a calling Dusky Flycatcher, Pileated Woodpecker, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk on the move. We worked the back roads of Underwood and found tons of swallows on the electric lines which were mainly Violet-green and Barn Swallows. Other birds of note were over 100 California Quail with half grown young, a flock of Wild Turkeys, 100+ American Goldfinches, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Mourning Doves, young Mountain Bluebirds, Downy Woodpecker, 20 Turkey Vultures instantly appeared, Purple and House Finches. This place was crawling with birds. Spring Creek Fish Hatchery was pretty dead except for Osprey, a Belted Kingfisher, 4 Common Mergansers, and passing California Gulls.

On our way west down the Columbia River we stopped at Home Valley park and wildlife area. This place was also alive with migrants. Birds found here included: Willow and Dusky Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Yellow, Black-throated Gray Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Bewick's Wren, Black-headed Grosbeaks, a Pileated Woodpecker, and Great Blue Heron.

Our last stop before returning to Vancouver was at Bass Lake where last year Long-billed Dowitchers were reported. The only shorebird we found was 1 Spotted Sandpiper along with Pied-billed Grebes, a Great Blue Heron, Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers.

Ken Knittle, Vancouver, WA
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