Today, Les Carlson and I ventured out to check Skamania County after the heavy rains and winds. The Columbia River is running very high and is full of debris. At the Franz Lake NWR overlook we could see a large number (250) swans at the east end of the lake and one small group of nineteen very vocal TRUMPETER SWANS, nine of which were juveniles, that were next to shore below the platform.

The best birds at Skamania Landing were a GREAT EGRET and a few COMMON GOLDENEYE. There was very little on Rock Creek pond in Stevenson and it looks like Rock Creek has moved it's channel a little to the east and deposited a lot of material onto the delta in the Columbia River.

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE have returned to Drano Lake along with more COMMON GOLDENEYE.

We found very little at the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery and then began checking the rafts of scaup between the hatchery and the mouth of the White Salmon River when Les spotted the WHITE-WINGED SCOTER first reported by Tom Mansfield on Nov. 15th. It appears to be wintering at this spot.


Wilson Cady
Columbia River Gorge, WA