July 26th - Clark County Hotspotting

I slept in.

This wasn't all bad. My shoulder had been flaring up off and on for a few weeks, and it seemed like I was making a turn for the better if I could wrangle a good night's sleep somehow. But it definitely decided some things for me. As I went to bed, Kevin Black and I were texting back and forth about the trip, and he had suggested a run over to Skamania. Red-eyed Vireo and Eastern Kingbird were two good birds that had been seen in recent days. Any new birds in Skamania at this time of year had my attention, as I figured it would be one of the tougher ones to lift to 150 species for the year. 

But with the sun already well up in the sky, I had to drop those plans, and try to make the most of Clark County birding. 

I went down to the lobby at America's Best Value Inn and waited my turn at the breakfast table. . . behind another. . . hotel guest. . . who was there with his skateboard. I was tired enough at the time that it sunk in very slowly that this person was in to take advantage of a free meal. It also made sense of the signs posted around the lobby, with a list of NO's that included skateboarding. I eventually got in for my coffee and toast, then got packed up to start my day. 

Ugh, Ridgefield

It's so rude of me to be this way about an amazing nature reserve. But gosh I'd love it if visits to the River S Unit at Ridgefield NWR were not an auto route. There are places to stop and get out. A trail here and there, but . . . most of the birds one would want to find can be found from one's car. You just need to drive up a few dozen feet, look around, start the car again, rinse, lather, repeat. That said, if this is your birding jam, and you want a chance to get some great pictures of a wide range of species, it's a great spot. 

For me, this particular morning brought me a lot of the breeding species I'd been missing for the year in Clark: Plenty of ducks, including Blue-winged Teal (125 for the Clark year), and Redhead (126). Swallows, including Purple Martin (127, using gourds near the entrance), and Northern Rough-winged Swallow (128). I even got a few songbirds, which I knew might have gotten quiet here at the tail end of July. This included a Bullock's Oriole (129) using a feeder near the fee station, and a Western Wood-Pewee (130) calling from the wooded areas on the far end of the loop. 

Rails were another treat. The first addition was a Virginia Rail (131), which I watched scurrying across a small pond. I heard more of them later, as well as a nice clear call from a Sora (132). A Spotted Sandpiper (133) was the final addition for the day. Shorebirds were otherwise a bit elusive and/or far from the road. 

Shillapoo Lake

Green Heron

I'd had a long list of birds that I hoped to find at Shillapoo Lake, but this list had been whittled down to a reasonable number by the time I was done at Ridgefield. I made plans to meet up with Randy Hill at the lake, taking the back roads, rather than returning to I-5. This was fun! I actually got to a point where I paused at an intersection, unsure of which way to go, when I recognized "Felida" on the sign. This was a place I'd been earlier in the year, so I took the road and continued South. 

We actually met up at Vancouver Lake, where we had Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Brewer's Blackbirds, and a Willow Flycatcher. Nothing new for the year, and we did try to find grebes (Clark's breeds in the area). 

At Shillapoo, one of the first new year birds was found by another birder. They thought they were on an American Bittern (which I am also missing!), but it turned out to be a Green Heron (134). Some swallows gave us hopes of finding a Bank Swallow. I did not find one but did finally pull out a Cliff Swallow (135) for the year. Careful scoping landed us on a Yellow-headed Blackbird (136), and a Long-billed Dowitcher (137). Other shorebirds included Greater Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper, neither new for the year, but a nice sign that shorebirds were favoring this lake. 

I eventually ran into time constraints. I needed to be back in Renton to clock in at my job with Dad's Taxi Service, so I gave Randy some regretful goodbyes. I was sure that another hour would have pulled out more birds. It was especially difficult because I was leaving with my life list at 149 in Clark County. 

I texted Kevin once again: 

"Went out with Randy Hill. He left my life list in Clark County at 149. What a jerk."

The response: "You deserve it for your neglect of our fine county with our fine birds that you have turned your nose up to for Wahkiakum and Cowlitz."

See, Kevin understands. :D

So, here's the year tallies: 

Looks like about 50 more times where I have to see a bird I haven't seen for the year. 3 more in Cowlitz, 11 more in Wahkiakum, 13 more in Clark (easy peasy), and 21 more in Skamania (diff. . . hard pea.. why isn't there a cute expression like easy peasy for things that are not easy?). Skamania is going to be tough! Two things work in my favor: I had awful results in the winter, so there should be some good new birds to find when the days get shorter. Also, late summer should be a good time to get up in some elevation to find some of the *good* birds that Skamania has to offer. Crossing all fingers!