Hey Tweets!

Wilson Cady already reported on what turned into a big day on Saturday, and I was able to bird a little bit in Lewis and Grays Harbor counties on the way down, as well as Clark county as the sun was dropping after our big day. There wasn't a lot to note from those trips - most of the normal west-side breeders are out singing, and I just hadn't gotten to many of those counties during this time of year. Today, I made a quick run up Mount Brynion, just East of Kelso, and picked up similarly common but new county birds for Cowlitz, leaving me a lot of time to poke around in Wahkiakum County.

I began the day by heading up Elochoman Valley Road, and following it to Beaver Creek Road, which I took all the way to the Cowlitz County line. The most productive spot was a clear-cut at about 6 miles from the start of Beaver Creek. Species I picked up here (or very close by) : Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Gray Jay, House Wren, MacGillivray's Warbler, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Warbling Vireo. Between there and the end of the road, I also added Vaux's Swifts and Band-tailed Pigeon.

At Julia Butler, I parked and walked from the Visitor Center on the East end, where I had a Lazuli Bunting singing from the far side of Elochoman Slough. A friendly couple pointed out a Black Phoebe at the visitor center pond that I had totally missed before. I passed Andrew Emlen on Middle Valley Road, and he got me directed towards some birds I had missed: Purple Martin, Western Wood Pewee, and a Northern Mockingbird, which in continuing on Puget Island.

I finished the day taking Barnes Road, and was surprised by a pair of Common Nighthawks circling over a clear cut.

-Tim Brennan