[obol] Klickitat Birding 4/14

[Wilson Cady]

        I led a Vancouver Audubon tour of Klickitat County yesterday
(4/14/07) which lasted thirteen hours due to our running up to the Benton
County line to escape the rain and look for species we don't see here in
western Washington. At Bingen we found a breeding plumaged COMMON LOON in
the Columbia River, from here we continued onto the Tidyman Road ponds at
Dallesport. A GOLDEN EAGLE was the highlight of this stop as it perched
in a tree giving us excellent scope views with great lighting. It left
this perch and swooped over the ducks on the pond before sitting down on
a stump where it was repeatedly bombed by a crow. A visit to the Maryhill
Museum provided us with both AMERICAN and LESSER GOLDFINCHES feeding on
dandelion seed heads on the lawns along with a gorgeous golden-hued
yellow variant HOUSE FINCH. As we continued east up the Gorge we were
surprised to spot four WILD TURKEYS walking along the Columbia River
shoreline east of the mouth of Rock Creek, far from any forested areas. A
quick check of the carrot Pond on Alderdale Road failed to provide any
shorebirds at all so we returned to Sixprong Road and bird up the creek
finding both ROCK and CANYON WRENS singing from the small cliff along the
roadway. We traveled up Sandridge Road finding one LONG-BILLED CURLEW
along the road on our way to the "old growth" sagebrush patch where we
spotted at least four SAGE THRASHERS, one very cooperative SAGE SPARROW
and two LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES. A long day of birding with  great
participants, unfortunately we did not have enough time to stop and look
at all of the species of wildflower that are blanketing the hillsides
now.

Wilson Cady
Washougal, WA
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