Susan and I went checking for some of goodies reported the last couple of days from Skamania County. Lots of dabbling ducks right now but no rafts of scaup yet, just a few small groups of GREATER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCKS and BUFFLEHEAD. We stopped at the St. Cloud Recreation Area and did a quick check for the Lewis's Woodpecker that was there last month. The Franz Lake NWR Overlook provided fairly close views of the many waterfowl feasting on the Wapato tubers exposed by the low water. There were around 500 TUNDRA SWANS, at least two TRUMPETER SWANS that I heard, 100 CANADA GEESE, 300 AMERICAN WIGEON, 1 EURASIAN WIGEON, a male, dozens of MALLARDS, GADWALL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAIL and 1 GREAT EGRET. there were 2 GREAT EGRETS at Skamania Landing and lots of dabbling ducks and COMMON and HOODED MERGANSERS. We didn't find the reported Black Scoter in Rock Creek Cove or anything else out of place other than another male EURASIAN WIGEON. We finished off the day checking the Stevenson waterfront, from the boat ramp parking spot at the east end of the port buildings where we spotted an immature COMMON LOON and a RED-NECKED GREBE, we then drove the road along the waterfront to the south of the Port buildings hoping for scoters among the large rafts of scaup that winter there, but no scaup were present yet. I didn't even stop in the Skunk Brothers Distillers tasting room there for their cinnamon moonshine, which might have been warming.


Wilson Cady
Columbia River Gorge, WA