Subject: [Tweeters] Skamania Co and western Klickitat Co.
Date: Mar 20 21:10:48 2010
From: washingtonbirder.Knittle - washingtonbirder at hotmail.com



Today (3-20-10) Tom Mansfield and I birded Hamilton Island, Drano Lake, Underwood, Bingen Marina, Conboy NWR, Trout Lake, and Carson. Hamilton Island was very productive with American Pipits, 1 Northern Shrike, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Savannah Sparrows, Evening Grosbeaks, and Siskins. Behind the fish hatchery we found 1 ad. Thayer?s Gull and driving out we had Horned Larks and 1 Hutton?s Vireo. The wind was cold and brisk in the morning here and Drano Lake, and by the time we got to Bingen the wind had quit.
The Tufted Duck was easy to spot on the east end of Drano Lake mixed in with scaup. Underwood was pretty dead.
At Bingen Marina we had a flock of Western Grebes in the Columbia River and a fly over Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Conboy NWR was beautiful with snow covered Mt. Adams and 1000?s of Canada Geese in the marshy lake along with Northern Pintail. Western Bluebirds were on Kreps Lane where they breed. Red Crossbills were plentiful in the Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Fir mixed forest. A flock of Wild Turkeys were on the east side of the lake. Many Sandhill Cranes were seen and heard and lots of Bald Eagles were everywhere. We stopped for lunch at the north end and had a Brown Creeper singing his spring song.
At Trout Lake we had 6+ Eurasian Collared-Doves on Sunnyside Road near a dairy farm. This is the furthest west in Klickitat County that I am aware of for these recent invaders. A flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees checked us out while we searched all afternoon for Winter Wren in great habitat, but none to be found. We finally found 1 Winter Wren along the White Salmon River on the Klickitat side a mile north of Hwy 14. 2 Dippers were south of B Z Corner.
Passing through Carson on Hot Springs Ave. we had 1 Say?s Phoebe, the second Say?s for Skamania this year.


Ken Knittle
Vancouver WA 98665
mailto:washingtonbirder at hotmail.com
Washington Birder online
http://www.wabirder.com/