[obol] Clark/Skamania County Birding

[Wilson Cady]

        My wife, Susan and I experienced some great birding in Skamania
and Clark Counties on Saturday, Aug. 25. We had planned on heading for
Ridgefield early in the morning but there was a spectacular movement of
birds at our place on Mt. Pleasant in Skamania County. In a half hour we
spotted the following species in our bird bath, with up to five species
present at a time and with multiple individuals of some birds.
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
WARBLING VIREO
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
SWAINSON'S THRUSH
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
YELLOW WARBLER
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
WILSON'S WARBLER
WESTERN TANAGER
SPOTTED TOWHEE
SONG SPARROW
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH

        Other birds seen here but not in the bath were:
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD
CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD
DOWNY WOODPECKER
NORTHERN FLICKER
PILEATED WOODPECKER
STELLER'S JAY
AMERICAN CROW
AMERICAN ROBIN
HOUSE FINCH

        We finally drove out to the Ridgefield Refuge and arrived at
about noon, the best birds there were:
CANVASBACK
GREEN HERON
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (2)
COOPER'S HAWK (3) in a kettle
SOLITARY SANDPIPER (3) on Rest Lake
BANK SWALLOW

        On our way home we stopped at the Washougal Sewage Lagoons at
milepost 17, of Highway 14, and saw that the EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still
present. At milepost 19 we pulled over just beyond the railroad overpass
and Susan spotted a  FERRUGINOUS HAWK perched on a fence post, the bird
flew before I could get a scope on it but we had great views of it as it
soared and hovered over the fields.
        When we arrived back at home just before dusk we still had
Black-throated Gray and Wilson's Warblers moving through our woodlands.


Wilson Cady
Washougal, WA