November 13 & 15 Friday and Sunday morning Tom Mansfield and I birded Columbia Co. November 14 we birded Garfield Co.

In Columbia Co. on Friday we birded Lyon?s Ferry Pond, Tucannon River mouth and wildlife management area, Little Goose Dam Road, Texas Rapids, Little Goose Dam, Riveria Rd., Ferrall Rd., Archer Rd., then worked our way up the Tucannon River Valley to Spring Lake, Blue Lake, Rainbow Lakes, Camp Wooten, up Patrick Grade and returned to Dayton by way of Eckler Mountain Road stopping at the cemetery. The last half of our day was windy turning to rain then snowing. Sunday morning we revisited the Snake River areas and hit all the hot spots in Starbuck before heading south up Kellogg Hollow to Mead Rd. and finishing our morning off birding Lewis & Clark Trail State Park.

Highlights in Columbia Co. were Cackling Goose and Gadwall at Lyon?s Ferry, Rock Wren near the Tucannon River mouth and also 1 along Ferrall Rd. in a grassy ravine. In the wildlife management area we had Lincoln?s Sparrow and 1 American Tree Sparrow mixed in a large flock of White-crowned Sparrows. Also I young Sharp-shinned Hawk dispersed the sparrow flock. Next we hit the Rosy-Finch rocks along Little Goose Dam Rd. and had 50 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches chasing a Peregrine Falcon and calling loudly on Friday and on Sunday 1 imm. Golden Eagle was soaring back and forth along the same cliffs being harassed by Ravens. Both days we had a Say?s Phoebe as we approached Little Goose Dam. A Mew Gull adult was mixed in with the other gulls below the dam and a female Red-breasted Merganser was diving above the dam on Sunday. Friday afternoon at Spring Lake we had a calling Sora which is very late and also a super tough bird to find in Columbia County at any time of year. Across from Spring Lake were Hermit and Varied Thrush. Near Dayton 1 Townsend?s Solitaire was atop the row of juniper trees along Hwy 12 east of town.

In Garfield County (Nov. 14) we visited Central Ferry, (Hastings Hill Rd.) to Willow Bar, Rice Bar, Lower Granite Dam, Peola Rd., Pataha Creek, Brown Gulch, Pomeroy and both cemeteries. The Red-necked Grebe seen on Oct. 24 on the WOS field trips was still at the same spot along Hastings Hill Rd. Also near Willow Bar were lots of sparrows which included Lincoln?s Sparrows. At Rice Bar were Barn and Long-eared Owls. 4 Eared Grebes were near Almota on the Snake River. Nearing Lower Granite dam was another Say?s Phoebe and a Belted Kingfisher making it my last county to find a Kingfisher in. 1 Adult Golden Eagle was ne of Pomeroy over the wheat fields. Near where Peola Rd. crosses Pataha Creek was a fast flying Merlin and a huddled along the roadside a Ruffed Grouse. South of Pomeroy was our best bird of the trip----Gyrfalcon, a ?County First? and very tough in southeast Washington. At the most southern cemetery in Pomeroy we had both Great Horned and Barn Owls only 20 ft. apart in the row of evergreens that flushed as we walked by. In Pomeroy 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves and a Townsend?s Solitaire were found.

Total species seen in Columbia Co. on Friday Nov. 13 was 57.
Total species seen in Garfield Co. on Sat. Nov. 14 was 56.

These two counties represent the toughest counties in Washington State to bird in and yet what super birds were waiting for us to find in cold weather with the wind blowing. These counties are waiting for other birders to explore their hidden treasures.

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