March 13th - Smart Enough to Come In Out of the Rain? (Skamania County)

The jury is still out on the answer to that question. I would say if coming in out of the rain is smart, then I was intermittently smart on this soggy Monday morning. 

I'd gone to bed very early in my bunk the night before at the Society Hotel in Bingen. It had been drizzly and drippy the day before, and I appreciated the warm shower, the dry bunk, and the fireplace. I sat and did some reading the night before. Plain old leisure reading. I don't get enough of it in, honestly. I spend so much time sitting in front of a computer, I guess I just feel like. . . when I'm done, I need to get up and move. Get away from sitting and get away from words for a while. But a little Stephen King did me just fine for an hour or two after dinner. 

Even so, I'd gotten to bed early and found myself awake early, so I just got into the car and started the day in Skamania. 

At 2.A.M. In the rain.

Certainly, at this point, some readers are glancing up at the title for this post. . . and making some decisions. This is not unfair. But it's March, it's Skamania County, and there's owls. 

Special Owls

I'll take a page out of a friend's book here and refer to a certain species of owl as "Special Owls". General practice amongst birders is to treat these owls like Fight Club. Rule number one is that you don't talk about them. While the name change is pretty transparent and questionably helpful in maintaining their secrecy, I'll try to talk about them with some respect for their situation. 

Special Owls have had a rough go of it in our state. Yes, taking down old-growth forest where they nest has been a big piece of this. Add to that, Barred Owls have moved in and outcompeted Special Owls in all but the most marginal habitat. So we are down to . . . gosh I don't even know how many Special Owls left in the state. But it's a small and worrisome number. 

I have come across these owls three times before, and never planned. Stopping to think about the places where I had them, I would agree with the description: marginal habitat. Where would they have been before? Mid-elevation old-growth forests with a high canopy and lots of yummy flying squirrels to hunt. Barred Owls have moved into many of these areas, especially in easy terrain and in areas with lots of biodiversity. This has left the Special Owls areas in slightly higher elevations, often with lots of steep terrain around them. 

I got some ideas of where to go, in hopes of pulling over, stepping out of my car, and just listening to them actively calling. Just ideas - nothing I picked up from anything passed along from other birders. People know the potential impact of birders on these owls - especially birders who might use playback or calls, risking the attention of Barred Owls. My ideas never got put to the test, as a snowy road turned me back, but I still loved being out there at this hour exploring. 

Side of the road at the end of the road

I pulled over as the rain pattered heavily on the roof of my car, tilted the seat back, and slept. Occasionally I'd wake up and take stock of the rain. Occasionally it was lighter. I returned to areas deep in Barred Owl territory and called some - slowly moving along the road each time the rain returned. This did eventually get me a Barred Owl - species number 63 for the year in Skamania. 

Spring Creek Fish Hatchery

Yellow-rumped Warblers (64) were pushing through the park where I found myself at sunrise. Out on the East end of the county, and along the Columbia, I figured this was as good a place as any to start the day. On the river, I had scaup (many), and Common Goldeneyes. This had been a place where I'd found Barrow's earlier in the year, but I didn't see any on this particular day. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Myrtle subspecies

New for the year here were American Goldfinch (65), and Belted Kingfisher (66). Some grebes got my attention, and I honestly did not mind scoping them from my car as the rain continued. The Westerns were Westerns, and the Horned were Horned. All were still in winter plumage, although the days are approaching when breeding plumage will start sneaking in, making it just a little easier to pick out an Eared Grebe. 

Western Grebe. And rain.

Rock Creek Mill Pond

I did a quick check at the Wind River Mouth, finding a handful of gulls, Gadwall, scaup, goldeneyes, and a Great Blue Heron. The Rock Creek Mill Pond in Stevenson gave me a new bird for the year - Ruddy Duck (67). It was hard for me to believe that these birds were a code 4 - not seen annually - although a quick check on eBird confirmed this. They've been seen every year since 2019 on there, but it takes a more extended presence for the birds to be listed as annual.  And it was raining.

Ruddy Ducks and Buffleheads - Rock Creek Mill Pond

Tunnel number 2. There are 5.

I tried the Stevenson Waterfront, and friends. . . I actually looked carefully through a raft of scaup, looking for a Tufted Duck. Sorting through scaup is not my favorite activity. I know that if you sit and stare at enough of them, you can find the occasional Redhead, the occasional Tufted Duck. But something about this smacks of pull tabs or slot machines to me - with a hint of desperation. But honestly, that's how miserable it was with the rain. I had no reason to get out of the car, and there was no shortage of these ducks floating out on the Columbia. So, I sat and tore away at some pull tabs for a while, telling myself how exciting it would be if I won. 

But eventually, I knew it would have to just come down to work. 

Strawberry Island

I wish I was lying, but this was the trail

What to write about here. I walked three and a half miles or so in steady rain to add. . . a Downy Woodpecker (68), a House Finch (69) a Violet-green Swallow (70), and a Tree Swallow (71) to my year list. It was comically wet. I actually started the walk just running off in the spirit of let's get this done and forgot to put on my mud boots. The trail sent me back. It was a bummer every time I had to lift my binoculars, wipe them down, and fight the fog to look at birds. Right after seeing the Downy, a Golden-crowned Sparrow popped up from near the shore, posing on a low vine. I lifted my binoculars. Golden-crowned Sparrow. Check. I put them down, and the bird flew, immediately replaced by another bird. I lifted my binoculars. Another Golden-crowned Sparrow. Check. This repeated. . . three? four more times? And as the rain pelted me, I actually had a good laugh at this. 

Best bird pic I got from Strawberry Island. :)

I'd come with hopes of bluebirds and phoebes. They were seen aplenty during the week after I left, but I had no luck at all in the rain. Blah! Blech! :D 

I'll tell you though. As I spent many of my days leading up to the trip pushing to meet writing and reviewing deadlines, throwing emails back and forth from the comfort of my couch - THIS was a change of pace! The lack of birds. . . I mean, this is just where it's a good thing that I approach these years with a sense of humor, rather than making it a Very Serious Endeavor. I've occasionally birded with VSE birders, and it's just not fun. 

For that matter, I've also birded with Smart Birders. People who. . . look at weather reports. Plan around weather reports. Consider road conditions. That population. . . hmm. I'm not necessarily a member of the Smart Birder population, but there are times where I think they might be on to something. I may join them someday, but the likelihood is low. This just means that occasionally, y'all are going to have to hear about how I walked three and a half miles or so. . . in steady rain . . .to add a Downy Woodpecker. . . and a couple of swallows that I'll be able to see on any day, nearly anywhere over the next half a year. 

Drying off in Stevenson

I turned back up the highway, East towards Stevenson. There's a smidge over 1500 people there, making it the largest town in Skamania and the county seat, no less. I had passed through it so many times, idly thinking it would be nice to visit some of the shops, but there's never really been the time. The weather made the time for me!

My first stop was Traverse PNW Market. What a neat little shop. I browsed at the speed of need-a-reason-to-stay-inside, picking up a few candles as gifts, a bottle of Poire (pear cider) from Dwinell Country Ales (a place I'd wanted to visit in Goldendale last year), a Bigfoot Country sticker for the laptop, and four macarons to enjoy on Saint Pat's with my daughter. 

I've come to enjoy macarons, especially after a single failed effort to make them. If you haven't made macarons before, I'll just say that it's easy for them to go wrong, and that when they do, they go comically wrong. The ones I picked up were all dressed up for March and were far more enjoyable than the miniature hockey pucks I'd made. 

I chatted with the shopkeeper a little and shared my reason for being in town. "Skamania's a big county. . ." she noted, which is not all wrong, especially relative to the other counties I'm hitting this year (see "Bad Math" on the pages tab at right). But I added that at this time of year, it's a pretty small county! With roads waiting to open, it's basically just the Columbia corridor, plus a couple of higher elevation roads that look down immediately on the Columbia. 

And I was still wet. 

So, I went up a few blocks to the Red Bluff Tap House, right on Highway 14. The mac and cheese did much to restore my soul, as did the flight of taps I got. This option has become so widespread - being able to try small pours of 4-5 taps. For me, the enjoyment far exceeds a pint of anything. Being able to try new things is a good bit of fun. 

I did pull out the laptop, did a quick check of email, checked for bird sightings, and got back to it. 

Beacon Rock State Park

Beacon Rock State Park is a beautiful spot - the name coming from the giant monolith on the Columbia. In better weather, this would be a place to try for Peregrine Falcon and Canyon Wren. For that matter, it would be worth doing the hike up the rock for a view of the Columbia - something I've done a time or two before. On this day, I explored around a little bit, and found that there's more to the park than just the rock. On the west side there's a boat launch, as well as a loop trail. I peeked at the water birds at the launch (nothing new, really, and guess what. . . there were a lot of scaup!), then braved the rain once more. 

Pileated Woodpecker

t was down to a lighter sprinkle, but it was not a dry walk! I was hoping to add some woodpeckers, as i still needed Hairy Woodpecker and Red-breasted Sapsucker for the year list. The only one I found was a Pileated Woodpecker, announcing its presence with heavy THOK THOKs as it slowly pummeled a deep oval into a snag. Near the end of the loop, I found a dozen or so geese, which included at least one Cackling Goose (72) mixed in with the Canadas. 

This was admittedly work for me. The birds weren't calling, and I carry around deep suspicion of any goose I call a Cackling unless I've heard it. But with a little help, I was directed to the slope of the bill - a little more concave on a Cackling Goose, and a little flatter on the alternative - a Lesser Canada Goose. This was another higher coded bird, at a code 3, so I was happy to have come across it!

Little guy up front is the Cackling Goose - the light breast gave me pause. . . they are 
often much darker there

The delicate bill and concave profile for it made me feel better. . .
BUT I'd enjoy finding out I was wrong here. I'm trying to 
get less bad at identifying Cackling Geese. :)

Departure

I did make a quick run through Skamania Landing. I'd found on eBird that Brewer's Blackbirds seem to be regular there. I confirmed this firsthand, making it a nice round 73 species for the Skamania year list. 

On the way out of the county, I did make some runs up some of the roads running up away from the Columbia - Woodard Creek, Duncan Creek. I believe it was up Woodard Creek that I got the best bird of the day, a Varied Thrush. 

Varied Thrush, in what would only be considered perfect lighting for a Varied Thrush

I saw him fly down onto a branch along the deeply forested road and gave him a proper hello. Short but pleasant conversation: 

"Varied Thrush!! I'm your biggest fan. How are you?"

"Tshcupp"

"Good. Good. And how are things at the office? How's the family?"

"Tschupp. Tschupp."

"Oh, good to hear. Could I get a picture?? I know y'all usually skulk around out of sight, but. . . could I?"

"Tschupp."

Click. "Thank you!"

"Tschupp," and off he flew to do Varied Thrush things. 

I stopped for a picture from the Cape Horn Viewpoint as well. 

And then it was homeward bound. Just for funsies, I did a meander through Eastern Clark County, starting up Washougal River Road, finding an American Dipper on this rock ten seconds before I took the picture. 

Washougal River - where I found an American Dipper (#92 for Clark)

And it continued to rain, but I kept my eyes open any time I caught a glance of the river, with Common Merganswer (I know it's a typo. . . but I'm leaving the w in once, for every 3 billion times that I delete it, and I just hit three billion there. The fingers just want to type answer.) and Mourning Dove on my mind. 

And of course, as soon as I slipped out of Clark, out of Cowlitz, the sun came out, giving me a lovely Lewis County sunset from I-5. 

Day 9 in the books!