Subject: [Tweeters] Skamania & Klickitat birding this weekend
Date: Mar 1 07:05:47 2010
From: Matt Bartels - mattxyz at earthlink.net


Hi Tweets -
I spent Saturday & Sunday in Skamania & Klickitat Counties, enjoying beautiful weather and low winds.
A few highlights:

SKAMANIA:

SAYS PHOEBE - first reported last week by Wilson Cady, presumably the same Says Phoebe had moved from the Interpretive Center in Stevenson over to the Community Park -- it was flycatching from some of the fencing around the fairgrounds on Saturday.

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH - had a couple just inside Skamania Co., along Marble Rd.

N.PYGMY-OWL - Beacon Rock SP, the road north from the rock, less than a mile up.

CACKLING GEESE - a good sized flock of geese was hanging out at Skamania Landing on Saturday - 50-100. There were at least 3 subspecies of white-cheeked geese in there , Moffets & Minima were easy to id, but there were also several of those intermediate Taverner/Parvipes - some notably darker breasted than the others, leading me to consider whether both might have been present.

N.SHRIKE -one at the top of the hill on Strawberry Island/Hamilton Island, N. Bonneville
WESTERN MEADOWLARK - A couple at dusk at Strawberry Island/Hamilton Island, N. Bonneville
also had either pipits or Horned Larks flying overhead at the same spot.

A return trip Sunday to fields added TREE SWALLOW to the mix.

KLICKITAT CO:
Old Hwy 8 / Balch Rd. produced its specialties, right on cue:
ACORN WOODPECKER - at least 3 at the granary tree.
LEWIS'S WOODPECKER - several flying around while watching the Acorn Woodpeckers
LESSER GOLDFINCH - a small flock at the cemetery on Balch Rd.
WESTERN BLUEBIRDS - also at the cemetery

Up near Trout Lake, along Carr Rd, I had no luck bringing in a Pygmy-Owl, but I did stir up Evening Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbills & Pine Siskins - nice finch mixture.

Overall, a good couple of days--

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA