April 21st - The Great Escape, Day 3

Where else would I wake up? 

Bingen, Klickitat County. An inexpensive place to lay my head comfortably. I actually slept in a little bit, which is not a common occurrence on my birding trips! I got a breakfast sandwich and coffee at the hostel's cafe and got going on more writing. Digging through some reviews of assessment items for some engineering curriculum, answering a few emails, and actual factual writing for a chapter on coral reefs, the morning hours went by pretty quickly!

I'd cleared quite a few birds off of my Skamania list at this point during the previous day, and I knew this would be a more work-focused day. Once I did get out the door, my primary goals were to make one stop in Skamania County, and one stop in Clark, before sitting down at a hotel in Cowlitz. 

Skamania

There were little stops along the way. I stopped and listened for the Canyon Wren at Spring Creek Fish Hatchery. . . I stopped and scanned for grebes at Stevenson. . . I stopped and looked for a Peregrine Falcon at Beacon Rock State Park. But my real destination was the home of Wilson Cady on the west end of the county. 

Wilson has been living on this property since I was born. That took a little while to digest. He's had a few years to watch the birds in Skamania County and has a yard list that is well above most people's life lists in the county! Part of this, he ascribes to the way the Columbia dips southward at this particular part of the county. Birds flying northward along the Cascades get to the Columbia, keep heading North over. . . well, over Wilson's place, and can kinda see Steigerwald from there, and Ridgefield. So they can just float downhill to the good spots after buzzing the tower, so to speak. 

For me, and my list there were three birds I was hoping for: Mourning Dove (93rd bird in the county - seen on the way in to his place), Band-tailed Pigeon, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. I came across Wilson in the driveway, burning some brush, and . . . gosh I don't have to explain this to anyone who's spent ten minutes with him, or an hour or two as I did. . . you could write a dang book if you just had the tape recorder out and paid enough attention. Trees, shrubs, birds, mammals, wind and precipitation, migration trackers, the easy spots for Harlequin Ducks, vague information about top-secret birds, the odd habits of the Marsh Wrens at Red Bluff Road Ponds and the reason there's no road to Mount Saint Helens Visitor Center, Skamania County. 

Some Band-tailed Pigeons (94) did drift in, and clap-clapped away over the course of our talk. We watched Rufous Hummingbirds, Steller's Jays, both Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, House, and Purple Finches come in to his feeder as we talked. At one point, he walked me back to the trailhead that goes back through his property. 

"Could I get lost back there. . . ?"

"You can't get lost back there."

". . . " 

"Okay, granted. YOU could get lost back there."

In travels like this, it's a fine thing to come across people who *know* you.

I didn't, as it turns out, get lost. Nor did I find much, outside of a few Pacific Wrens, and a couple deer. I tooted for Northern Pygmy-Owl, which got a thrush "tschupp"ing me. They were given in singles, so I assume it was Varied Thrush. 

Again, with so many hours sitting in front of a screen, simply being able to tromp around in the woods, free of all the chatter was a good good thing. I did also inquire about wood. I am trying to get a hold of mugs from every county in the state. Then I'll get a piece of wood from every county in the state, carve it into the shape of that county, put a hook in it, and puzzle piece it together into the finest mug display ever. I'm only like... 30 years from finishing this sucker at this pace. It'll be amazing! Wilson had put some thought into it and suggested that I get some volcano-fallen wood from outside of the National Park Boundaries. I don't think he gathered that I don't travel with a chainsaw. . . or live with one for that matter. . . but I still really like the idea and will likely try to pursue it. Now for that mug. . . 

I got a picture of a bug and expect the full natural history of this bug in the comments now. ;)

Cause after aaaaaaallll.... you're my Steigerwaaaald

And now Wonderwall is stuck in your head. You're welcome!  I stopped at Steigerwald on the way through Clark County. Another two hours of walking was a good addition to my day of driving! Birds added for the Clark yearlist: 

Greater White-fronted Goose

Greater White-fronted Goose (93), Cinnamon Teal (94), Mourning Dove (95), Rufous Hummingbird (96), Turkey Vulture (97), Osprey (98), Barn Swallow (99), Brown-headed Cowbird (100), Orange-crowned Warbler (101), and Common Yellowthroat (102). This was one of my more productive stops so far during the trip, with over 50 species seen and heard during a brisk walk. 

And how many birds are sitting on my Clark Year Needs Alert on eBird? 61 species. 61!! It's funny to think of how easy it might be to just finish things off. . . but how many times would I need to circle Ridgefield River S Unit birding from my car to make that happen? :D  I shudder to think! 

So, Clark continues to get the short end of the stick for my efforts. That said, I do have my eye on Larch Mountain in May/June! Getting to some of the out-of-the-way spots holds much more appeal for me. No records will be set by this birder in Clark County, but I really do hope to get some exploring in over the course of the year. I don't really need to find all of the birds here. . . there are *plenty* of people doing that daily in Clark!

Cowlitz

I got settled into my hotel, and wandered down to Tim's Tavern where I purchased a bowl of soup, a large side of fries AND an adult beverage. . . for about ten dollars. I don't know what their economic model is, but it's by far the most reasonably priced dive bar I've come across anywhere. Yeah. . . they're a little understaffed at times. If you come in with a little patience, it saddles up with your dollar and goes a long way. 

My friend Sariah dropped in, and we caught up a little, including a mosey down to take in (and produce) some karaoke in Longview. A fine fine end to a productive day.