Sam Walker and I took a brief overnight trip to the Eastern Gorge. We left Saturday evening and camped at Beacon Rock State Park. Sunday morning we spent several hours looking at wildflowers at Catherine Creek off Old Hwy 8. Here the highlights in terms of birds:

-Pileated Woodpecker: 2 at campground at Beacon Rock State Park late last night and early this morning
-Lesser Goldfinch: 1 at Catherine Creek (take the left trail about 200yds up just beyond the first rise) and several singing at the Lyle-Balch cemetery
-Acorn Woodpecker (2 birds 0.3mi west of Old Hwy 8 & Balch Rd, south side of the road; crippling looks of one)

Chipping Sparrows were singing at most locations. The only migrant passerines we had were Yellow-rumped Warblers. Oodles of them, in all plumages.

Stefan Schlick
Hillsboro, OR



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