Today I hiked the Catherine Creek Trail in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. It is on Old Highway 8 between Bingen and Lyle, just a few miles west of the Acorn Woodpecker granery tree. The weather was dry and mild with some overcast but with nice views of Mt. Hood. Birds seen were Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Common Raven, Northern Flicker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Oregon Junco, Spotted Towhee, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub Jay, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-capped Chickadee, and Mountain Chickadee.

Bout 4 p.m. we stopped briefly at the pond on Balch Road where there were approximately 15 Wood Ducks (M & F). There were also Mallards, two Gadwalls, a small flock of Canada Geese, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a female Hooded Merganser. We also stopped to check for any sign of activity at the granery tree but we did not observe any Acorn Woodpeckers.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA