Friday, June 12, Wilson Cady, Tom Mansfield, and I birded Skamania and western Klickitat Counties. We left Vancouver around 6 am and worked our way east along the Columbia River Gorge, stopping at various places to bird. Wilson showed us Ash-throated Flycatchers, the most reliable spot for Skamania Co., which is just west of the turn off to Spring Creek Hatchery. Ash-throated are tough to find anywhere else in western Washington. 3 male Purple Martins flew over us in Underwood, possibly a first for that area of Skamania County. They must have been enroute to somewhere as there is no lakes or large rivers up on top of the rimrock where we spotted them. Further along the Cook ? Underwood Road we had a Western Bluebird close to where I had seen them the previous week.

In Klickitat County we checked Bingen Marina then headed up the hill towards Conboy NWR where a Gray Flycatcher was seen on the main entrance road. An Eastern Kingbird pair was at the parking lot there. The north-side of the refuge produced Red-breasted Sapsuckers. A stop at the hummingbird feeders at the Flying L Ranch ne of Glenwood rounded off our hummers with Black-chinned and Calliope. Birding our way over to Elk Meadows we took the trail along Trout Lake Marsh and had Gray Catbirds, and a mother Common Merganser with 5 ducklings, some of which climbed on her back to save energy from fighting the water currents. To me they looked like little Orcas with their white areas on their bodies. We left Trout Lake heading west on Carson Guler Rd. where Hermit Thrushes and Hermit Warblers were seen and heard. The forest service road was wet with snow patches past Goose Lake.

Sat. Tom and I hit the high country in eastern Lewis County starting near White Pass on FR 1264. A Sooty Grouse boomed away on the high ridge just east of us. Gray Jays came by to check us out. White Pass on the Lewis County side was very productive with singing birds. Species noted were Cassin?s Finches, Pine Grosbeak, Lincoln?s Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and a distant Clark?s Nutcracker coming from the high slopes above the ski area. The Yellow Warbler female in the wetlands on White Pass was paler than most Yellow Warblers and the male?s song was much more muted than the lower elevation types of Yellow Warblers most typically encountered. Not sure what sub-species we were observing.

The water levels in the Ohanapecosh River was very high and no Dippers, but we did find a Dipper on the Laughingwater Creek which Hwy 123 crosses. North of Packwood were had 2 Common Nighthawks. We stopped by the Cowlitz River Salmon Hatchery and had a very vocal Red-eyed Vireo. We could not locate the Barred Owl at Seaquest State Park perhaps due to the many campers and people scattered all over.

Sun. Tom and I quickly checked the sw corner of the Woodland Bottoms where Bullock?s Orioles, a Brown Creeper, and a Red-eyed Vireo were singing. Heading up the Lewis River we checked out Speelyai Fish Hatchery with Black-throated Gray Warblers, and Pacific-slope Flycatchers singing. Our best birds were up FR 81 past Merrill Lake north of Cougar. Before we got to the Kalama Horse Camp we had Hermit Thrush and Red-breasted Sapsucker. At the Horse Camp a Hermit Warbler checked us out. The road is closed further up, but near the end where we had to turn around was a Cowlitz ?County First? Pine Grosbeak singing north of the road along with Cassin?s Finch, Townsend?s Solitaire, Northern Pygmy-Owl, and Red Crossbills. Red Crossbills are always heard when birding that area. A small sized Ruffed Grouse with white streaking in the body feathering was along the road just above the town of Cougar.

I?m not sure why more birders don?t check out FR 81 as it is some of the nicest mountain birding in all of Cowlitz County. I just wish the roads weren?t washed out to the parking area for Blue Lake and on the other road leading to Red Rock Pass.


Ken Knittle
Vancouver WA 98665
mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com
Washington Birder online
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