Today I found a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos near the bleachers on the Skamania County Fairgrounds at Rock Creek in Stevenson. The small islands in the Columbia River at the mouth of Rock Creek had two BONAPARTE'S GULLS among the RING-BILLED and HERRING GULLS. A quick stop at the boat launch at the Wind River produced a juvenile WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, my first for the county this year. Heading back west Susan and I checked the area above Bonneville Dam from the overlook where we saw one RED-NECKED GREBE in with a flock of twelve WESTERN GREBES but no Surf Scoters as reported last week. As we passed back through the security check-point there was a single WESTERN MEADOWLARK on the lawn there. We found a large number of waterfowl on the lake at Skamania Landing attracted by the vegetation exposed by the annual opening of the dam that forms the lake to allow Chum Salmon to access their spawning areas on the creek. The surprise here was a GREATER YELLOWLEGS


Wilson Cady
Skamania County, WA