Subject: [Tweeters] Columbia Gorge Birding
Date: Mar 18 22:40:01 2006
From: Wilson Cady - gorgebirds at juno.com


I led a Vancouver Audubon Society field trip with fifteen
participants up the Columbia Gorge on Saturday, March 18th. Our first
birds of interest were at the Steigerwald Lake NWR near Washougal in
Clark County where while looking over a large flock of CACKLING GEESE we
found a pair of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at the edge of the flock.
While parked there we could barely see the MUTE SWAN in the pond at the
east end of the refuge, but without any identifying details. When four
TUNDRA SWANS flew over it lifted up and after a circle over the refuge it
returned to the east pond. We drove two miles east on Highway 14 to
milepost 20 where we could look down on the bird from the shoulder giving
everyone great scope views.
At Franz Lake in Skamania County there were a pair of CANVASBACK
and several WOOD DUCKS. Further east at Rock Creek Pond in Stevenson the
resident GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE walked right up to us. Among the
gulls on the mud flats in this pond we scoped an adult WESTERN GULL from
close range.
A stop at the Catherine Creek Nature Conservancy Preserve in
Klickitat County produced a few early
species of wildflowers including the endemic Columbia Lomatium. The only
birds of interest here in this windy area were a pair of WESTERN
BLUEBIRDS. We checked Balch Road for the Acorn Woodpeckers without any
luck although at least seven TURKEY VULTURES cruised low over the oak
forest. After standing in the cold for awhile we decided to head back
down river since the wind was blowing so hard.
A check of the wind protected Drano Lake at the mouth of the
Little White Salmon River produced a couple pair of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
and numerous HORNED GREBE.
Our last stop was back in Skamania County at Wind Mountain near
Home Valley, where there was a large flock of GREATER and LESSER SCAUP in
the Columbia River that contained a group over twenty COMMON GOLDENEYE
and two WESTERN GREBE. Our total of 62 species for the day was achieved
without being exposed to any rain despite the wind which cooled things
down considerably.

Wilson Cady
Washougal, WA