Subject: [Tweeters] Skamania County Birding
Date: Aug 27 14:11:13 2015
From: Wilson Cady - gorgebirds at juno.com



This morning Ken Knittle and Floyd Murdoch, joined Susan and I for about three hours of birding from our deck at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge. We had a fair movement of birds today with at least 24 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 2 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS and our first of the fall YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. WARBLING VIREOS were our second most numerous bird with about a dozen seen along with a very cooperative HUTTON'S VIREO. The only flycatchers today were 2 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES and a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER. The surprise of the morning was when a NORTHERN HARRIER passed over our clearing in the woods, the first we have had here since 2012. Large numbers of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS passed overhead accompanied by VAUX'S SWIFTS and a tantalizing glimpse of a possible BLACK SWIFT. Other species seen were a kettle of 5 TURKEY VULTURES plus 6 other flyovers, 10 BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, 2 MOURNING DOVES, 1 DOWNY WOODPECKER, 1 RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, 2 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS 1 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, 1 BROWN CREEPER, 3 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, 2 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, 5 WESTERN TANAGERS, 20 EVENING GROSBEAKS and our resident BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, SPOTTED TOWHEES AND SONG SPARROWS and DARK-EYED JUNCOS. It was a very enjoyable morning of birding and the sharing of birding stories.

Wilson Cady
Columbia River Gorge, WA