February 8th - Cowlitz and Clark

Barlow Point Road, Cowlitz County 6:30 AM

Astronomical Twilight

There was a blanket of fog resting on the fields north of the road as I rolled in. This was the road where I'd met the gentleman and talked to him about Barn Owls, and I thought I had gotten there at about the right time. Barn Owl o'clock is a time that I've tried to get dialed in. It seems to be a time that plays with two twilights: astronomical and civil. 

Civil Twilight

During astronomical twilight, we would pack up the telescope for the night - that's what I remember from college. The sky would lighten up just enough to make observations challenging, and the astronomer's "workday" would be done. It's still too dark to walk around properly, so in a sense it's still night. That was the twilight I was viewing as I looked across the field, scanning for any motion, and listening for a screech. 

Interestingly, you're more likely to hear a Barn Owl screech than a screech-owl. It's an eerie banshee sound that always gives me goosebumps. There are times when just being out looking for owls gives me goosebumps, but there's definitely something I love about it - especially in twilight like this. The world is usually still asleep, and most birds are as well, so there's a kind of quiet that . . . we just don't get. We just don't get enough. 

The owl drifted in coming in quietly at the end of its workday, no more than three feet above the ground, and swooped up into the opening in the barn.

Barn Owl (77). On the one hand, wow - over halfway to the goal of 150 for the year, and it was just barely over a month into this little quest. But goodness those next 73 birds would be a challenge, as more and more of the more common birds leave the list. Any owl is a good bird for the year though, and it was a great way to start the day. 

I went back through the town of Longview to I5, and actually tried Woodland Bottoms for Short-eared Owls but came up empty. Not wanting to linger too long, I continued south to my morning destination, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Clark County. 

Moon in the Columbia

Ridgefield NWR - River S Unit

Back in Clark County! My intentionally neglected county this year. I know it's a relatively small county, it's got a larger population than any of the other three I'm birding this year, and it has some pretty productive birding spots. Rather than spend too much time sitting in traffic to chase sightings, I am kind of hoping to hit a single productive spot each month in Clark, and Ridgefield is an obvious winter stop for that! I was sitting at a nice even 50 species from my January trip to Stiegerwald, and made that 51 with House Sparrows along the way before I reached the refuge. 

It continued to be a beautiful morning. The sun made for great views as I got in line for the loop. And that's how this locale is birded, unfortunately - you get in your car, get in line, crawl along, occasionally stopping to put some optics on birds from the car. My other goal with Clark had been to make my single stops a walking/hiking stop if at all possible, but it just wasn't an option here. 

At the restrooms at the start of the loop, there are a few feeders - these gave me a Steller's Jay (52, for Clark County now), which joined some California Scrub-Jays, House Finches, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Cackling and Canada Geese were nearly always present, sometimes in the hundreds, in the fields around me as I started driving. I kept an eye on these for possible Greater White-fronted or Snow Geese. 

Early ponds were full of American Coots, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, and Ring-necked Ducks. I was also able to add Pied-billed Grebe (53), and Ruddy Duck (54). It was admittedly nice to be able to see so many birds at such short range, and I never felt pressured to move along - people generally negotiated the traffic situation fairly well (with the notable exception of a shouting and swearing match that I overheard at one point behind me. . . )

Freedom, solitude, quiet . . . all things I'd enjoyed in the bit of owling I'd done in the morning were not completely present during this visit to Ridgefield! Dipping into a rare bit of tree-lined road, I stopped and listened, enjoying Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets (55), as well as a Pacific Wren (56), Song Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees. Further up, I heard White-breasted Nuthatch (57), which is a bird I'd love to see this year as well. On this loop, I still wasn't feeling great about getting out of the car and making efforts to see it closer. 

There were also some nice stretches here for shorebirds. Killdeer were fairly common, of course! I also got a large flock of Dunlin (58), and a single Greater Yellowlegs (59). A Black Phoebe (60) also called from out of sight - a fairly regular bird for the refuge.

Dunlin foraging in the sprinkles

As I reached the final part of the loop, I started to see more raptors, including Red-tailed Hawk, and Nothern Harrier. Above me at one point, I got a clear listen to a Red-shouldered Hawk (61), but the darn thing was almost directly above me, and I couldn't really get out of the car. Driving up and around a bend, I scanned for it in the trees where I'd been. Nothing. . . nothing. . . and then it flew out from cover. I got a butt shot of it as it moved to cover on the far side of the field. 

Getting the cold shoulder from a Red-shouldered Hawk

Sandhill Cranes (62) flew overhead, and then I finally got some big white birds: Trumpeter Swans (63), and a very cooperative Great Egret (64) right outside of the window. American Bittern, and Rough-legged Hawk - those were two species I'd really hoped to find, but missed on this trip, but it was still a productive bit of birding for the morning. 

Trumpeter Swan

At this point, I had to find a place to plug in, unfortunately. Work emails loomed, and I also wanted to do a quick check of eBird sightings to get a good plan for the rest of the day. I swung down to historic Ridgefield. I'd not been to this part of town before, and I really may need to return! All of the restaurants were closed at this hour, but I did see a sign for an upcoming bluegrass concert in March outside of one of the pubs. That may just be worth planning around for my March trip!

I may eventually get over the excitement of Great Egrets this year. . . but not yet

A Starbucks, closer to the freeway, gave me a place to collect myself. I shot off some editorial reviews and set my eyes back on Woodland Bottoms in Cowlitz County. 

Woodland Bottoms

Boy there are a few birds that I have expected to find here that I keep missing. Rough-legged Hawk and Western Meadowlark are the most notable. Tundra Swans (78 - back to the Cowlitz list now) flew overhead to reduce that challenging list by one. I stopped at one of the spots that looks out to the Columbia, and watched Greater Scaup floating by, looking for Redheads that had been reported off and on during the week. They're a tough bird in the county! While I missed them, I did end up hearing California Quail (79) - a species that had once been more regular in Woodland Bottoms but had become less common over time. 

Kalama

I think I will finally remember this. It's not "CAL uh ma" (rhying approximately with Panama) nor "kuh LAHM uh" (rhying with former Mariner's pitcher John Halama. . . you're welcome for that random reference, but it works for me), but "kuh LAMB uh", kind of like. . . Shama Lama Ding Dong. I guess my thoughts of opening a Zoo in Kalama will have to be put aside. Maybe a tea shop instead? 

TLDR: Kalama Tea, not Kalama Zoo. 

What a delightfully unproductive start! I got parked near McMenamin's on the waterfront and started to walk. . . and look at the Columbia. . . and quickly realized this was a "Nothing to see here! Please move along!" situation. I drove out to the end of the spit with the same result. 

1. Left key on car
2. Key fell off
3. Meeker Pond
4. Sportsmen's Club Road
5. Kalama Mouth with Russ

And somewhere around here, I put my car key - the little keyless start fob - on top of my car. I swear to you I don't remember doing this. But there's always a bit of juggling going on with keys, binoculars, camera, and scope. At any rate, I got driving, taking a road that ran parallel to the highway north. It eventually loops back around south, where I hoped to hop on Meeker Road. And that's when I heard the clack-clack-bang of something on the roof of my car. 

I looked down to make sure my binocs and camera lenses were all present. They were. I pulled over to do a more careful search. . . and my car told me that there was no key detected, and that it was in time out until I figured out where the key had gone. 

. . . 

Walking back up Frontage Road a couple hundred yards, I finally saw the little black fob in the road.

*thumpthump*

*thumpthump*

Fun fact. these little fobs can get run over several times, and still work! Now. . . to be fair. . . I do need to be nearly inside my car before it will detect the key. This may be a problem at some later date, but for now. Phew! Kalama Tea averted. 

Up Meeker Road, I pulled over to view Meeker Pond. This. . . did not feel safe. I found some Northern Pintails (80), got off the shoulder, and continued north. 

Sportsmen's Club Road was a neat stop! I knew that a few birds had been seen. . . somewhere around here, but I was a little fuzzy on the exact location. Nonetheless, I got some nice views of gulls - California (81), Western (82), Short-billed, and Ring-billed. It was a little tricky, trying to get close enough to where the gulls were roosting out on the river, as I tried to get photos. As I stood and scanned, I realized that my feet were getting a little wet! What a fun little reminder that even here, you can get a little bit of in and out from the tides. 

I was still confused on where to look for a Red-necked Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser than had been seen along the Columbia near Kalama. I texted Russ, my Cowlitz County connection, and his advice was "Follow me!"

Red-breasted Merganser

Russ pulled up next to my car as I walked back to it - he'd been out birding himself and wanted to look for the merganser. The comical delivery of the text was exactly the kind of thing that I've come to expect from him. I'd say the same about finding him out birding. He gets out after those birds! I followed him around to the mouth of the Kalama River - on the south side, rather than the North. My car's outdated GPS did not really give any hints as to how we would get there, following a gravel road out behind some warehouses to a nice open spot. But we got there, and pulled out the optics, and found our target - a Red-breasted Merganser (83). 

We talked a bit about separating these from Common Mergansers. Nearly every field guide shows the Red-breasteds with a spiky mohawk, and the Commons with a slicked back hairdo. But Commons can show the spikes too! It really does come down to the breast, where Commons show a lot of white, clearly delineated from their heads and necks, and also, Russ pointed out, to color. Commons are a much deeper red, while Red-breasted Mergansers had a lighter, orange-y tinge to their head. 

That ended my February trip to the Southwest corner of the state! I was quite happy with the start to the year. Cowlitz was off to a great start at 83. Wahkiakum had only gotten a single day of attention from me in January but was sitting in second place with 73 (although it has since moved into third place behind my home county - King, where I've slowly been adding to the year list (75)). Clark, despite my neglectful approach, was at 64, and Skamania had given me 60 species in a single trip during an intermittent February downpour.

Am I on track? I have nearly no idea. I do know that in many of these years, things get quiet during October. . . November. . . December. . .but I may just be scrambling to find some winter birds during those months this year. Should be exciting!

February 6th and 7th - A Start in Skamania

February 6th - scouting

Distant view of the Columbia River from Little Buck Creek Road, Skamania County

This February trip followed a format familiar to my Klickitat trips last year; I combined a trip to Ellensburg (bringing my son back to college), and a trip to Yakima (to see my mom) with the birding trip. The drive from Yakima to Bingen happened early enough on the 6th that I had time to slip into Skamania and poke around a little bit in the afternoon. 

Traditional Shot

Skamania was an ice rink during my January trips, and it's not close enough to allow for a quick unplanned trip. So, it was sitting at 0.0 species for the year as I finally crossed into Skamania. The White Salmon River empties into the Columbia right at the Klickitat/Skamania border, with Cook-Underwood Road rising up the hill northward immediately. I hopped on this road and found a spot to view the cove below the bridge, picking up my first two species for the year - Mallard (1) and Ring-necked Duck (2).

It was late afternoon, so I wasn't expecting a lot of bird activity. Nonetheless, I did have some hopes for finding Wild Turkeys - a regular fixture along this road. As the road finally broke from the river, and carried me westward, the area was different from what I was used to for Skamania. It seemed like I was always either down near the Columbia, or up in the mountains in the past. Here, I was surprisingly in wine country!

Vineyards from Cook-Underwood Road

Vineyards dotted the road upslope, but downslope, I saw some birds in a field, so I pulled over to investigate. Not only were there a few sparrows flitting around - Golden-crowned Sparrow (3), and Dark-eyed Junco (4) - the field also had a pair of California Quail (5), code 3 birds. The "Bad Math" and "Running Tally and Needs Lists" pages at right explain all of the codes, but in short, code 3 birds are seen annually in the county, but are often tough to find. 

What makes a bird tough? They may live in inaccessible habitat. They may have a very small range. They may only come through during a small range of dates, during migration. In other cases, they might also be pretty skulky. I'd say the latter, combined with small populations, make California Quail a little tougher, and I was glad to have them on the year list. 

California Scrub Jay (6), Steller's Jay (7), and Black-capped Chickadee (8) added to the list as well. With no turkeys in sight, I turned up Little Buck Creek Road. I saw no birds, heard no birds whenever I stopped! I tried calling for Northern Pygmy Owl, but it just remained quiet. I took one last peek around, and returned to Bingen where I stayed the night (for about 40 dollars!) at the Society House. Not bad for a quiet, comfortable bunk, and a free visit to the soaking spa. Much of my time there was spent at the large tables in the common area, typing away on a writing project. With ten different projects running, it's never going to be completely free from these responsibilities!

I mean 8, but. . . it's been a couple of weeks now. I'm done editing these! :D

February 7th 

What a day! The weather report (collected through Wilson, my birding friend in the west end of Skamania) was for downpours on the west side, and sprinkles to the east. I would have to see how the morning went, but the forecast definitely shaped the plans. Early in the year, the plan is *always* owls, and this morning was no exception. Owls had been seen and heard around Stevenson in previous weeks, so that was the first place my mind went. 

BirdWeb is a resource I have used time and again to help me. In this case, it was the map for Northern Saw-whet Owls that grabbed my attention. Their winter range is supposedly all along the Columbia, but it also extends up northward from Stevenson, along Rock Creek. I figured this area, up away from the highway, would be a nice place to explore early in the morning. 

Stevenson

As I drove from Bingen to Stevenson, I stopped here and there, calling for owls at the Spring Creek Hatchery, and Dog Mountain trailhead. Eventually, I did make it to Stevenson, stopping near Stevenson High School, an area where Great Horned Owls had been reported.  I got out, waited, called a little. . . waited for cars to pass, waited for cars to pass, listened. . . even at 6 A.M., the traffic past here was just thick enough that I decided to head up and north a little bit. 

Loop Road looked pretty tempting - loops are always the best! You don't have to drive a long length of road, and then just drive it all back. So, I started up, periodically stopping to call for owls. On a very early stop, I got calls down-slope from the road from a Great Horned Owl (9). My car's GPS encouraged me onward as I spent the dark hours circling back towards town. . . but then Loop Road stopped being one. Stopped being a loop. Stopped being a road. Apparently, a slide took out part of the road a few years back. 

Naz-Goose

I celebrated this surprise with a little nap before heading back down into Stevenson. My first stop as the sun came up was the Rock Creek Mill Pond. I was greeted at the parking lot by a flock of Naz-Goose, barnyard monstrosities, likely bred by Saruman. Mixed in with them, however, was a Greater White-fronted Goose (10). A pair of Canada Geese (11) called from the Mill Pond itself, never seeming more civil than in close comparison to these big aggressive geese.

 

The pond held a lot of waterfowl. It was just starting to get light, so my efforts to scope the whole pond would wait for another day. Nonetheless, I picked up some new waterfowl: Gadwall (12), American Wigeon (13), Lesser Scaup (14), and Bufflehead (15). A few common birds were kind enough to start singing as well, including Steller's Jay, and Song Sparrow (16).  I considered staying longer, of course, but I had a 9 A.M. appointment. . . at a winery! 

Willow Wine Cellars sits on the East end of the county, and I was headed West, so I had set up a fairly early time to try some wines before I left for the West side. I had travelled fairly far West just to get to Stevenson, so I could neither dilly nor dally too long at any spot. Still, the lure of the Columbia was strong. The Stevenson waterfront frequently pulled in some good birds, so I went through downtown (picking up House Sparrow (17) and European Starling (18)) and scoped the water.

 

Scaup it already

Greater Scaup (19). I can't even tell you how many Greater Scaup I came across during the day, during the whole trip, really. I'd scan them for surprises like Redhead or Tufted Duck every time, but. . . there were just a lot of them. Everywhere. Also out on the water: Western Grebe (20), Horned Grebe (21), Hooded and Common Mergansers (22, 23), Double-crested Cormorant (24), and Common Loon (25). American Crows (26) called from down the road, and I figured it might be a good time to start down the highway to the East.

Common Loon on the Columbia

Wind River Mouth

This was a great little spot. A lot of sand out in the river provided lots of places for gulls to roost and forage. This included Short-billed Gulls (27), and Ring-billed Gulls (28). Common Goldeneyes (29) were in the river, and Bald Eagles (30), and Common Ravens (31) were also found during my stop, as well as Rock Pigeons (32) on the bridge. 

Home Valley Park/Spring Creek Fish Hatchery

Two other stops - one at Home Valley Park, where I had Pacific Wren (33) and Spotted Towhee (34) in a light sprinkle. Then, from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, I had a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes (35). All of these stops along the Columbia were brief once I'd left Stevenson, but it was still nice to have the year list slowly tick upwards.

Willow Wine Cellars

Wine A.M.?

I continued to Cook Underwood Road, heading up the hill and northward, as I had the day before. I tried the same field for sparrows and quail but found nothing in the sprinkly weather. I continued to hope for Wild Turkey as well but saw none along the road - just beautiful views of vineyards and the Columbia far below. 

Brendan and Tarnna Simpers moved to the area in 2011. Actually, in keeping with themes from the year before in Klickitat County - it turns out that this was a return to the area for Tarnna. So many people seem to leave the area and return. This is at least what I've seen from many of the people I've talked to at restaurants, wineries, and hotels along the way. Brendan was there to meet me that day, with some time to taste their wines in their barn. 

I tasted only good wines! A rose (which I bought), a chardonnay, and a pair of reds (cabernet franc being the primary grape across the board on this particular morning) - all were very easy drinking. It was so nice to hear their story. It turns out that the willow was a reference to a tree that had given the couple an extraordinary bit of shade on a hot day. My own kids spent many a day in their childhood underneath a huge corkscrew willow in our backyard at home, so something about this really touched me. 

I of course had to check in about birds. Not anything like finches or sparrows. People have those birds around them constantly without a notice. But I knew that I could get the skinny on Wild Turkeys if I asked. "Gobble Gobble Gobble!!" their daughter called out from behind a wine barrel - she'd been home sick from school earlier in the week and had joined us for the tasting. It turns out they really are pretty common residents along the road, and Brendan had seen them that very morning. I got some help on where to look for them, but still missed them on that morning. "Birds fly," my old friend Pete would have said astutely. Maybe not very often if they are turkeys, but the point stands. 

Cook-Underwood Road

Whole lotta this

I continued westward on Cook-Underwood Road, wanting to follow its loop all the way back to Highway 4. The road was clear, and I picked up a few birds along the way: Red-tailed Hawk (36), Red-breasted Nuthatch (37), and Chestnut-backed Chickadee (38). 

Much of the drive became pretty homogeneous as I got farther upslope away from the Columbia. The road takes a turn from northward to southward at the Willard National Fish Hatchery. I really had hoped that the rushing river here (the Little White Salmon River) would have an American Dipper, but none were found. I did see a pair of young men pull up with a kayak, ready to hop into the turbulent waters, and was pretty amazed at the skill/optimism that must have been involved.

Little White Salmon River

Little White Salmon Fish Hatchery/Drano Lake

The Little White Salmon River empties through the eponymous fish hatchery, and into Drano Lake, which in turn empties into the Columbia. This was a great little stop! The road to the hatchery hugs the north and west edges of Drano Lake. Along this stretch, I found a Great Blue Heron (39), and Western Gull (40).

Great Blue Heron and... (one-legged?) Western Gull

Near the end of the road, mudflats were a little closer, and I was able to add more birds, including a Glaucous-winged Gull (41), American Coots (42), and Pied-billed Grebe (43). Ring-necked Ducks, Common and Hooded Mergansers were also quite numerous, and Horned Grebes were found once I circled back around to the Drano Lake parking lot. This is a great spot, with rarities like Tufted Duck, Arctic Tern, Surf Scoter, and Pacific Loon having been found in the lake over the years. I'll be back!

Go. . . West? Strawberry Island

Rain was already falling, and it wasn't supposed to be any better as I headed West through the Gorge, but it just had to be done. As I passed the Bonneville Dam, and reached the town of North Bonneville, I turned off towards Hamilton Island, or "Strawberry Island", as it was named by Lewis and Clark. I kind of like the latter. EBird does as well, so we're in agreement there. 

Lesser Goldfinches

This island is criss-crossed with trails and seems to have the right mix of habitat to pull in a wide range of bird species. I decided to make a hike of it, and the rain, for the most part, took it easy on me. This was well worth it, with a total of 24 species seen despite the day's weather. One of the first new birds for the day was an American Kestrel (44), seen as I drove to the parking area. Very early in the hike, I added a tough bird for the county, as some Lesser Goldfinches (45) called from just off of the trail. I'm still slow in figuring out their calls, but I feel like I'm getting better with them over time!

Anna's Hummingbird (46) and Pileated Woodpecker (47) called from near and far, respectively. Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets (48 and 49) joined some Black-capped Chickadees, and a very vocal Bewick's Wren (50) - as if there is any other kind of Bewick's Wren. American Robins (51) had not been easy to find on trips to Skamania, but they were here in the dozens, as were a few other common birds, including Fox Sparrow (52), Northern Flicker (53), and Red-winged Blackbird (54). 

I did get a little turned around on the way back, just as the rain decided I'd had enough dry time. This brought me to a trail that gave me a nice view of my car from above. I finally found a trail that went down safely from this berm, and tried to figure out what my next move would be. 

Skamania Landing

What an odd place this is. Beautiful, varied habitat, and I know that we explored more of it when I'd been here with Wilson, but on this particular day, the DON'T PARK ANYWHERE signs were particularly foreboding. I didn't want to get on the bad side of the good residents of Skamania Landing. For what it's worth, I also did not want to get completely drenched. Had I stepped out of my car at all, I certainly would have been. I scanned the water, finding a Trumpeter Swan (55), and two ducks I'd figured I would find here after missing them all day: Green-winged Teal (56) and Northern Pintail (57). There were plenty of other waterfowl, including Canada Geese, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, and Bufflehead. A dozen wigeon all turned out to be American, leaving Eurasian Wigeon as a target species down the road. 

Franz Lake

Rainy as heck. I got out and looked at a swan long enough to recognize it as a Tundra Swan (58) and found a Great Egret (59) on the far side of the lake as well. But oh gosh, even typing this brought back to me just how hard that rain was coming down at this point! I got in the car and got the heck out of there. 

St Cloud Wayside

This was a fun stop. I had been here over a decade ago, when I signed up to do a Skamania County Big Day with Wilson, and was quite dragged around the county, coming out with no idea where I'd been! It was an amazing day, but it really drilled home to me how much value I get out of planning and driving and all that jazz (or bluegrass, if that suits you). But this spot is really just an orchard - lined with blackberries on most sides and opening to a little trail down to the Columbia. 

I got some sparrows in the blackberries, including Golden-crowned, Song, and Fox Sparrows, as well as Dark-eyed Junco and Spotted Towhee. There were quite a few American Robins, and my first Varied Thrush (60) of the year for Skamania. Have I mentioned that they're my favorite birds? 

I walked the loop, and the indecisive weather once more gave me a little break. The sprinkle was light enough to warrant a quick look at the Columbia. Surprise! 58587598607 Greater Scaup. Story of my day. 

West End

The very west end of Skamania County starts to get a little more farmy and fieldy once more. I drove Belle Center Road, Marble Road, and Fitzgerald Roads, hoping for something easy like a Eurasian Collared-Dove, something a little unexpected like a Northern Harrier, or something crazy like a Short-eared Owl (they've been seen here before). It was beautiful, and I appreciated that all of the birds on the other side of Marble Road could count on my Clark list as I drove it. . . there just weren't any birds to be found! The rain was still just heavy enough, so at 2 or so, I called 60 species a pretty good start in Skamania. 

Shelter

I got to Washougal and stopped in at Trap Door Brewery and Kitchen. They had a plug in and wifi for me, and I enjoyed a delicious bratwurst. I can't say that I tried any of their brews, because I opted for the house made sangria, sitting on the counter loaded with citrus and cranberries. What a fun stop! There were plenty of regulars at the bar as I clacked away on my laptop, entering bird observations and shooting off emails to put out a few work fires. They rolled out a few specialty dogs while I was there - contenders to join the menu. I didn't try any of them, but this is definitely something I've started to wake up to - messy hot dogs. I've seen them on a trip to California, but I am not well versed in all of the kinds, having only recently tried my first Seattle Dog. But I'm intrigued!

At that point, even with daylight remaining, I decided an early run to my lodging in Kelso was the best bet. Zippity Doo Dah done. I had plans for some owling the next morning in Cowlitz and potentially Clark and didn't really feel like fighting the weather (or the Clark County traffic... gross).

6th day - in the books!