May 1, Tom Mansfield and I birded Lewis County in windy rainy weather. We started at the Centralia Steam Plant ponds where Blue-winged, Cinnamon, and Green-winged Teal were mingled with several Long-billed Dowitchers and 2 Greater Yellowlegs. Past the steam plant were winnowing Wilson?s Snipe and while talking a Black-throated Gray Warbler out of hiding Matt Bartels showed up. Matt had just seen a Cassin?s Vireo and when we refound the bird, it was flying back and forth across the Thurston/Lewis County line. A quick stop at the wetlands at the north end of Pleasant Valley Road produced Red-breasted Sapsucker, Wilson?s and Black-throated Gray Warblers, and no shorebirds on the mud.

We tried for Barred Owls and Hermit Warblers at Rainbow Falls State Park. Instead we found Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Brown Creeper, Ruffed Grouse, Evening Grosbeaks, tons of singing (Pacific) Winter Wrens, and calling Varied Thrush. We checked out King Road going from Curtis to Winlock and found a Northern Pygmy-Owl near the first clearcut and a porcupine.

East end of Riffe Lake was 7 breeding plumaged Red-necked Grebes. Peters Road ponds west of Randle were alive with 100?s of swallows. A Sora called without being coaxed. These ponds are super green and remind me of Yellow Rail habitat, except that the water was too deep. FR48 west of Packwood and across Hwy 12 from Blakely Rd. we had 1 Townsend?s Solitaire, and 1 House Wren. Total species for the day was 78. Not bad for a windy, rainy day in Lewis County, and one of western Washington?s toughest counties to bird.


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