Eighteen Vancouver Audubon members accompanied me on a Spring tour of part of the Columbia River Gorge, birding from Washougal, Clark County, to Lyle in Klickitat County. We enjoyed fine Spring weather with little wind and great company and a total of 63 bird species and early wildflowers. At the Washougal Sewage Lagoons, Randy Hill spotted a loafing EURASIAN WIGEON on one of the berms between the ponds. A stop in Skamania County at Beacon Rock State Park produced a quick glimpse of one of the nesting PEREGRINE FALCONS. We scoped Drano Lake from the boat launch on Highway 14 spotting BARROW'S GOLDENEYEs close to shore and a small group of TUNDRA SWANS, the first swans that I have ever seen on this impoundment at the mouth of the Little White Salmon River. In the Columbia River between the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery and the mouth of the White Salmon River a group of WESTERN GREBES were doing their "dancing" run across the water while CLARK'S GREBE floated nearby. My first of the year Skamania County TURKEY VULTURE glided over us while we enjoyed the aquatic ballet. WILD TURKEYS were easily found at their usual spot on Packard Avenue above the river in Underwood. In Klickitat County we walked among the wildflowers at Catherine Creek spotting 2 GOLDEN EAGLES, PEREGRINE FALCON and a couple of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. Our last "good" bird before heading back west was a ACORN WOODPECKER at the Balch Road granary tree. Wilson Cady
Skamania County, WA