LOCATION:
Found the chumming station in the southwest corner at Bingen Pond. The area
is reached by turning south from SR 14 just one block east of the SR 14 - SR
142 intersection in downtown Bingen. Follow the road across the signalized
railroad crossing at the SDS Lumber Company and Port Access. Proceed
straight ahead onto a gravel road passing by a log scaling area. When you
get to the far south end, where the road reaches the Columbia River, and
then turns east, stop. STOP. Now turn around. The road is wide enough here
at the corner. If you get to the fruit bin storage area, you've driven a
bit too far and made the turn to the east. At the corner, there is an
overgrown road leading back to the northeast that is closed by a cable
strung across it - that road is not the location of the sparrow "chumming"
station. Rather, just to the east side of the north-south roadway
embankment you drove in on, there is a 'shelf' or extra width of embankment
part way down the slope that is clear of berry vines and looks wide enough
for a trail. Yup, that is the location. Having a SUV may be a plus here in
being able to view the area, using the car as a blind. (Weekday logging
truck traffic on this road may be an issue, as there is a log dump at the
end of the road. There is good birding on the paved road (turns left after
crossing the railroad tracks) and beyond Bingen's Sewage Treatment Plant -
out to the marina and beyond, as others have detailed in past posting.)

AH YES, FINALLY!
Yesterday, Saturday, the 1st Winter HARRIS'S SPARROW was a shy feeder close
to the south end of the area "chummed." The individual bird made three or
four brief appearances in the short while we visited. We thought there
might have been two individuals with slightly different markings, but we
didn't have the patience to confirm that.
---The Allingers
< jonymike at pacifier.com >