A Quiet Fall - September 6th

The quiet fall has continued. My car was in the shop for nearly two months for a major repair, with my binoculars waiting inside. . . or so I thought. In early October, at long last the repairs were done, and the binoculars that had been in the car had gone missing. It's a rough thing. . . I shouldn't have left them in there. Outside of the missing binoculars the repair place had been extremely communicative, helpful, etc. To their credit, they are working now (in the middle of November) to get them replaced. 

But this explains why my September trip was made without binoculars! With my camera still also awaiting repairs, I made an optically challenged trip through the county in September. 

I started it off with a trip to visit a friend in Yakima, taking the day to pick up some birds along the way - a new species in Thurston County, and another in Lewis (my 175th! a Black Phoebe) along the way. We spent the evening watching the Mariners and catching up. He apologized in advance for an early rising time, fearing he'd wake me up with the clanking around at 4-5 in the morning. "Perfect!" I told him, knowing that bright and early is never a bad thing on trips like this. 

I made one more effort to find some Yakima birds on my way to Klickitat County, setting up near a retention pond in Mabton before sunrise. This, however, was not welcome in the end! "This is an active farm. . ." I was told by the property owner, and I had to simply move along. 

The Mabton-Bickleton Road was a new one for me. I'd been hoping to enter the county from as many different directions as possible, and this one seemed like a no-brainer. That's where I caught the sunrise:

One bird that I was hoping for in this corner of Klickitat was Gray Partridge. I was encouraged when a pair of them flew from the side of the road as I ascended. I was still a mile or so from entering Klickitat County, but they did add to my life list for Yakima, which had slowly creeped up during the year, now sitting at 199 species.

Another "Welcome to Klickitat County" sign. I think I've hit them all at this point? It's been a lot of enterings and leavings over the course of the year, and there are only so many ways in and out of the county! As large as it is, much of the northern border it shares with Yakima is reservation land. On the south side, the border is with Oregon. 

I drove it slow, keeping an eye out for Gray Partridge in particular, but also had it in my head that a Prairie Falcon might be possible. Those thoughts kept me occupied all the way in to one of my favorite little towns: Bickleton!

I had to stop in at Bickleton, because I had long been planning to bring a check or cash to pay my months-old lunch tab from the Bluebird Inn. Unfortunately, they were closed, but the cafe across the street happily took the check, and got it delivered later in the week. I sat here and got much-needed wifi, so I was able to sit down and get some work done as I had my breakfast. 

It was neat as always to strike up conversations with the locals. We got into a talk about partridge, and it was neat to hear the discussion One person had noted that they hadn't seen any. Another noted that the weather (plenty of rain during the year) had meant that there were some especially good areas where they were concentrated. "Try Pine Creek Road", he encouraged me, and so I did. 

This was a pretty little drive! In the end, it was not productive for any of my target birds, although it was fun to see a few Western and Mountain Bluebirds lingering around. 

I debated with myself on how to get down to the Columbia, and in the end decided to go with Hale Road, making my way over to Alderdale Road and the Carrot Ponds. My friend Kevin had told me that the Carrot Ponds would be a good stop. I did wonder what might have been possible with binoculars! That said, a few shorebirds (Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer) were seen and heard fairly close in, and there didn't seem to be much activity in the far end of the ponds. It was still neat to finally stop at them, and to see the orange bits of carrots floating around on one end of these manmade ponds!

From here, it was a long drive along the Columbia towards Lyle. I had a reservation at Domaine Pouillon to pick up some wine, taste some wine, and grab some wood. The wood was a bit of oak from the property, and was procured for use in a project I plan to poke at slowly over time: 

1) Get a mug from every county in the state.

2) Get a piece of wood from every county in the state.

3) Cut out the county shape from that piece of wood.

4.) Eventually put all of those pieces together, pop some screw hooks into them, and enjoy the fanciest mug-holding display ever. 

I've had this idea floating around for a while now but have been giving it some more attention lately. As I sit here in November, I have just returned from a fairly impromptu trip over to Mason County, where I was able to get some wood from Mark and Beth Biser over at Still Waters farm. They got me a few different pieces to work with, including some Lodgepole Pine from their property that was blessed with a little bit of Blue Stain. Apparently, there are pine beetles that leave their eggs in the wood, bringing a fungus with them that stains the wood blue! So at least one county is being cut out now. 

The oak made sense for Klickitat, and why not from a winery that I've been enjoying? We talked a good bit about birds, wine, wood, weather, and all that jazz before I hit the road. 

A Prairie Falcon seen along the drive on the Columbia was my 185th bird in Klickitat for the year. That. . . was two months ago, and I am still trying to get a hold of binoculars! Sad to say, the 200 birds I imagined for the year may not come, but we shall see. I think having exceeded 175 for the year, given all of the challenges that life sent my way this year, has been quite an accomplishment. And what's the worst-case scenario? I have to come back to Klickitat County sometime down the road? Sign me up!

Stay tuned! I will see if I've made my last trip to Klickitat for the year. I am hoping I have not, and will need to sort that question out in the context of holiday plans. 

June. . . August. . . September

I lost my father in June.

And I'm sorry, I really am, that I've got you here at the intersection of life, birding, and Klickitat County, just to be greeted by loss. We can go back to winding, dusty roads, to the Ponderosas, the sage, and the firs, and to the deep wide Columbia. We can go back to the fields of flowers, the deep canyons, and the oaks, to the wineries, the huckleberries, the whitewater and yard signs. But. . . I lost my father in June, and I needed a few minutes.

I'd say it changed the course of my year, but this was in the back of my mind when I chose Klickitat. Dad's health. . . well, my mother called it a dumpster fire, and one of my brothers noted that he was "working towards a blackout on his health ailment bingo sheet". I wanted to see them more, but also wanted to make sure not to be a burden. Being in the next county made it very easy to weave in some visits, and to leave, but to still be a phone call away. This choice has left me with no regrets.

Balance. Balance is so important. It's easy to lose sight of that when I make some of the choices I make during these years - heading off at 3 AM to get to an owling spot, driving a few hours out of the way to make it into town on a snowy day, heading off on hikes without any GPS on hand - but there really is an effort to find balance. 

The biggest way balance shows up is through my decision not to chase birds. There have been some interesting reports coming through, of shorebirds, terns, gulls, owls, and flycatchers. Hopping in the car would have meant more birds for the year. It would have meant more pictures, more stories, and more details in the picture I'm trying to paint of the county for the year. 

Balance means changing plans, and putting this behind friends, family, and work. That said, all three of those groups know the importance of this time for me. 

I do ask my daughter, who is working her way through high school, if it's ever too much time away. As I was getting ready to start a similar year (10 years or so ago), I'd dragged her into watching The Big Year with me, and she actually yelled "NO!" at the TV when Owen Wilson makes the decision to go chase a bird instead of meeting his wife at the hospital. She has good guardrails. :) So, I do ask her often, and we're good. It's nearly the only measure of balance that I really need. 

This year wasn't accidental, ultimately. This post was not a surprise. I needed a few minutes (months) for sure - but I'm ready to head back in earnest, and to blog in earnest. I've learned to trust the process over time. I know there's value in these explores. I know there's value in typing and sharing. 

So, I'll try!

June 

I'm having a little laugh here as I type this because I have to remember. . . what the heck *did* I do in June?? But it's coming back now. 

My son needed a ride back to Ellensburg for college. Perfect! It always made it easier to "bundle and save", and I'd really wanted another crack at Pa-knick-knack Road (I think it's called Panackanic Road, but the sources I've come across seem to be flexible on that point - so shall I be). He had time with friends in the Seattle area that lasted a little longer than I'd expected, so it was a late drive. 

It was already dark, in fact, when I entered the county (in the wee hours of May 30th, despite the title above). I actually pulled off at Satus Pass, a spot where Flammulated Owls had been reported in years past. I couldn't complain about any traffic noise at that hour! I found a spot to hop out of the car and stroll along the road at night, throwing the occasional hoot or toot out into the warm night air. While I didn't get any owls, I did add my first Common Poorwill of the year (species 169 for the year - a tally I'll continue to keep in parentheses). 

I didn't arrive at Pancreatic Road until roughly 3 AM! I loved this. I think there's Venn Diagrams that I could use that would help me describe how weird that is. Driving at 3 AM during a new moon down back roads off of back roads with no shelter for the night besides the car, in order to look for owls to add to my Klickitat County year list. There's a sliver of people, I suppose, where that might sound like a great night. 

The stars alone made it worth the drive. 

I spent much of my life looking closely at the stars - pointing lenses upward in search of star clusters and galaxies. I found the Pleiades when I was in junior high, and continued from there, finding the whole extent of the Messier Catalog. There's something difficult about completing things, at least for me. I did get a healthy case of the "now-what?"s, and it was likely not too long after that when birds became the answer to that question. 

But still, there is a warm familiarity that I feel on a cold starry night that is hard to describe. The treasure map over my head turned with invisible slowness as I got out of my car, looked and listened for owls. Occasionally, I'd look up at it, tracing through the Milky Way, and along the back roads that led to this nebula, that globular cluster.

The back road below my feet held a lot of promise as well, with reports of so many different kinds of owls right there on Picatrix Road. But birds aren't stars. That is something that makes it more interesting, more surprising, and more frustrating all at once! You may have a map to a flammulated owl sighting. You might even follow that map to a flammulated owl! But birds fly. Birds use a measure of care - they're not always ready to say hello, simply because you drove to where they are. And on this night, it was as quiet as stars.

I caught a few winks in my car, and tried again as twilight started creeping back in. This included a little walk across a long meadow that stretched north from PiquantSnack Road. Chipping sparrows offered the best views, as well as some Western Bluebirds, and Hairy Woodpeckers. There was no shortage of birds here, but I added nothing for the year, not so much as a Common Nighthawk - something I had really expected that I'd find. 

I looked it over one more time, "Well played Pandemic Road. . . well played. . ." I told it admiringly, as I finally made it back to Fisher Hill Road. A Townsend's Solitaire flew along a fence line in front of me, improving a poor view I'd had of one a month earlier. 

I stopped once for a little view of Mount Adams. 

And then I returned to this great hummingbird feeder I'd visited with my friend Kevin during the previous month. I took a picture of a hummingbird. And then my camera stopped working. 

I have, as noted above, been way too busy, and that has affected my ability to troubleshoot, diagnose, locate receipts, contact the camera folks, etc. But this thing would go "click" and present me with a black image. This was not a result of leaving the lens cover on (but I appreciate you thinking of that! It's not a bad guess).

But that is yet *another* hiccup in my year! I did find the camera receipt and will be looking into how repairs work. We are working with the kid from the bench, my poor li'l flip phone. It has been doing its best for me, and nothing more. I'm thankful for it. 

I finished watching the hummers come in to the feeder and flit back away - long enough to be satisfied that there weren't any Black-chinned Hummingbirds mixed in with the Rufous, and Calliope. 

This feeder was sitting across the road from Conboy, which would not have been a bad stop itself! Trout Lake, however, was my real destination for the morning. I drove up North from town, a little farther than Kevin and I had previously explored. I made a point to stop at a few bridges along the way, as Harlequin Ducks use the White Salmon River to breed in the summer. They are nearly impossible to find for about a month, as they use secretive nests on fast-moving rivers at mid-elevation. But June was not a bad time to look. I came up empty here too!

A little farther up the road, I parked for a hike at Trout Lake Natural Preserve. The parking threw me off a little, and I had a mild concern that I had parked illegally, but I think I was okay. The walk was, in the end, about three miles out and back along a flat, tree-lined trail. Most of it was up from Trout Lake, with the occasional creek crossing. In terms of birds, it was just peachy: Added for the year: Gray Catbird (170), Willow Flycatcher (171), Veery (172), and Swainson's Thrush (173). It was all of the birds you would not quite expect in early May but would certainly expect in late May. 

The trail brought me to Trout Lake Creek, where the trail slowly changed from wide and clear to sketchy, to an all-out bushwhack. Along the river should have been good for Bullock's Oriole, I thought. Above the trail should have been good for Olive-sided Flycatcher, I thought. But imagined birds are not (as it turns out) countable. American Redstart and Hermit Warbler had also been had in recent sightings, but I could turn up nothing but Black-throated Gray and Townsend's. 

Pacuvius Duskywing

Convinced that a Bullock's Oriole was hiding around here somewhere, I finished the hike, drove to the other side of the lake, and walked the shorter path along the South - eventually getting a Bullock's Oriole (174). 

From Trout Lake, I grabbed the road running north and west from town, towards Skamania County. It didn't take many clear-cut (clearcut? clear cut??) stops to find one with an Olive-sided Flycatcher (175). 175! This was a happy total for the year. 

I knew at this point that I was headed back towards Goldendale. But how to get there? In the end, the answer was Wahkiacus Heights Road. Zero regrets. This was one of those trips that I really needed. I didn't know what kind of habitat to expect, or what kind of roads. The answers: This road is largely lined with clear... with lots of places where they cut down all of the trees, along with second growth ponderosa pine and garry oak, scattered over rolling hills. It was plain, and it was pretty. 

Approaching Wahkiacus, the oaks became more frequent, and I started rolling down the windows, then started stopping. On the last little stretch of the road, there are some deep winding switchbacks lined with oak. This is where I got Ash-throated Flycatcher (176), and my first new state bird from Klickitat County, a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (177)!

Back up towards Goldendale - because I have a sense of humor, I made a stop at the Goldendale Sewage Lagoons. I pulled off of the road, stepped out of the car, closed my eyes, and *felt* the laughter of a hundred Blue-winged Teals, swimming around in the ponds and laughing at me from behind their protective gates. Shorebirds were likely gone at this point, but there was still a buzz circulating around the bars of this exclusive club. I opened my eyes, took one more look at the little pond outside of the Lagoons (Say's Phoebe, Killdeer, Mallard), and continued to Goldendale. 

BBQ, Bought a couple of mugs, Hotel. Sleep. 

My lunch destination was Bickleton. I'd secured a mug at the Market Street Cafe on an earlier trip. When asked about payment, I was told, "Just bring back two mugs." I don't think they expected this. I dropped them off at the front counter with an explanation, before dashing off to the bathroom. I could hear the gal behind the counter cracking up and explaining what had happened to the kitchen. Mission accomplished. 

I crossed the street to the Bluebird Inn. I had a great chat with the bartender, who had (as with so many people), left the county, and had returned. The hardest part, it seems was the sheer distance to big town. The Market Street Cafe had *some* provisions, but people really had to plan on getting snowed in at any point during the winter months. I had a great BLT and a pint of beer, and went to pay. . . 

"Oh, we don't take credit cards."

So there we go. I came to Bickleton to pay a debt, and still came out behind. They take your information and hold onto those unpaid tabs, calling people up once a month or so. My ticket noted, "I'd like to pay in person!" (spoilers - I did!)

Gray Partridge, Swainson's Hawk, and Sage Thrasher were my biggest hopes for the trip out of Bickleton. I went down familiar habitat along Sand Ridge Road, and bingo! A Sage Thrasher (178) hopped up and sang from a bit of sage for me. I was happily surprised by the activity, despite the time of day (roughly 1 or 2 at that point). Birds were still singing, including Sagebrush Sparrows, which I had already for the year, but are generally hard to find in the county. 

The biggest failure is one I may regret all the rest of my days. I saw a snake in the sage and did the best I could to make some mental notes on the length, color, behavior. . . and when I got home, I thought I'd seen a racer. In the process, I found that there were places to report observations of snakes as well. I added my observations to the mix and smiled at my contribution to citizen science. 

I got an email a day or two later that got a great conversation going back and forth about the snake. In the end, this was the response that got me: 

"Hi Tim,

 

Thanks for your response. I’m not sure what else it could be, I’m no snake expert either, but I’ve noticed we’ve been getting a lot of Rubber boa observations lately. Here is a link to the WDFW’s old herp atlas: https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02135/wdfw02135.pdf

 

We’re working on updating this document and putting it into a more user-friendly format, but generally the identification information is still valid and useful.

 

It’s always fun to meet other wildlife enthusiasts!"

Rubber boa? Rubber boa??? I'd been talking with friends just days earlier about how I'd love to see a Rubber boa some time during my travels. I looked at the images of Rubber boas, as well as the range. And I had no definitive way to say what I had seen. That sucks. I honestly thought those suckers lived in slightly more treed locales. Ah well!!

Hale Road, in the same part of the county, had some reports for Swainson's Hawk at a pretty specific intersection. I drove the road to that intersection and scanned the farmland, eventually finding a Swainson's Hawk (179) perched on the only tall tree near a barn. 

All roads lead to the Columbia! I descended at Roosevelt, drove West to Rock Creek, and found a pretty nice bunch of new birds, including Eastern Kingbird (180), Yellow-breasted Chat (181), and Bank Swallow (182). An American White Pelican I'd seen back in May was still hanging around in the deep and wide water near the south end of Rock Creek. 

My next two stops were essentially non-birding stops. Maryhill Winery was a chance to get some food and wine, hop on some wifi, and do a little bit of work. I continued my "where ya from" interrogation of the entire county, finding more Klickitat County Yo-yos working at the winery. Being right along the Columbia, and a fairly large operation, the people working here were a little younger, and not necessarily people that were deep into careers in the wine business, but they were all friendly and happy to talk about the county. 

The wine was great! Semillon is one of my favorite white wine grapes, and one that isn't as easy to find as others (Sauv blanc, reisling, chardonnay, pinot grigio, etc). Theirs was delicious, as was the pizza. Overpriced. . . I mean, of course it was! But the view was amazing, and hey, I had wifi. There are worse places to work!

Next stop - the Stonehenge Memorial. I love this little place. It's not the same size as the original, but many of the same features are replicated. It was designed by Quaker Sam Hill as a war memorial. The day was beautiful, and my good old flip phone was enough this day to capture that. 

I started this with a note that I'd lost my father in June. He was 77. I lost my first son almost 20 years ago. Loss is hard, and I think this memorial provided a good bit of time to reflect. Dates of birth and death, side by side, served as an obvious reminder. Some of the young men memorialized here were equal in age to my son. It is good to remember those we have lost. It is good to love those we have here. 

One more stop before I left the county - Bingen Pond. I actually turned my focus on the sailboard launch on the east end of the park. Purple Martins (183) played and churped along the water's edge - a beautiful finish to the day. 

In memory of my father, Vincent Patrick Brennan, I leave you this: 

A child of salt and sacrifice was born

Gift to a proud brother.

The boy grew up in the sands, in the streets,

Skinny legs carrying him around the stickball bases,

Clever grin spread beneath his Pollack nose

A nose and a smile that won the heart

Of a fiery redhead girl.

Wedding bells and bassinets.

Growing family and heading west.

Adventure called and he answered.

Fruits and roots, trees and tomatoes

The young man learned to feed the world.

Forklifts and factories, warehouses and blueprints.

“If you put it. . . here,” the man explained,

“You can feed more people. Feed them for less.”

Pinochle and plackis, Manhattans and Merry Christmases.

The man danced with his redhead bride

On a floor filled with friends and family

Collies, kids, and chaos.

Open doors, love, and adventure. Always adventure.

The man had become a mountain,

Father of seven, they ran away from him like snow-melted rivers.

His slopes guided their early paths.

His greatest joy, and his greatest pain

Were these rivers running free

The giver, the lover, the healer, the writer, the teacher, the farmer, and the protector,

Away they ran from his slopes, away from him to carve valleys

Away to crash over dangerous cataracts, to feed lush meadows.

“If you work harder. If you love others more. If you do it like this,” the father explained,

“You can help more people. Use your gifts.”

The old man lay in the bed.

His hand held by the woman whose heart was his always.

Children one by one, coming to comfort his brow,

To see his wink again, to hear him say,

“Please… please use your gifts. And I love you. I love you so much.”

Miss you, Pops 

Timothy 9/19/2022

May 8th - Backroad, Brackish, Backwater, Low Brow Birding with Black

 

Only the best puddles! AND this one! Kevin and I at the grand opening of Low Brow Pond

I've been to a number of Good Places in Klickitat County this year: Rock Creek, Catherine Creek, Swale Creek, Sand Ridge Road, Bingen Pond, Conboy Lake NWR. But years like this are also about going to a Good Number of places, which I have also done! What's a good number? 74 to be exact. (It's a guess, but at least an exact guess.) Today was a day to hit a lot of those other places. 

Okay, but Conboy first (kind of)

The BZ Glenwood Highway was our path to Panakanic Road, and we did end up stopping at one point to scan the refuge from a fine viewpoint. 

Ruffed Grouse were drumming, and Kevin heard Sooty Grouse as well. A Wilson's Snipe (164 for the year list) did its winnowing display, and many ducks were visible from the road. Blue-winged Teal still eluded us! In the first week of May, my hopes remained pretty high at even the smallest puddle. 

Wild Turkeys on the run

Another stop was necessary as we passed a house with hummingbird feeders, and a flock of Wild Turkeys. I include the picture at right, in part because it gives perspective on how fun Conboy is, with open fields and water right up against deep forests of Ponderosa Pine. 

Kevin and I heard Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds for sure as we watched the little birds zipping to and away from the feeder. We also found a Calliope, picked out by its very short tail, and confirmed by Kevin by . . . the other field marks that I need to learn. 

Rufous Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird (165)

It's always so nice to see these feeders full! We actually saw the owners outside and thanked them before heading on our way. 

Panakanic Road 

Outside of just being spelled differently every time I type it, this road has gotten more nicknames than any other road I've visited this year. 

1. Obvious: Panakanic Basket Road
2. Musical: Panakanic! at the Disco Road
3. or PanakaNick Jonas Road

and, since Kevin and I saw birds like Gray Jay, Northern Goshawk, 454879 species of owls, including Flammulated and Barred, Williamson's Sapsucker. . . we added

4-7: Golden Jackpot Road, Bonanza Boulevard, Superbird Parkway, and Countworthy Court. We never got around to actually putting up the signs for this, but if you do see any of those names on a sign in the future, yes it was us. 

V.L.T.

In the spirit of wide-eyed birding, I found nothing new for the year on this stop! But it really was special habitat. A little water, lots of pines, a few scattered openings, and a few Very Large Trees. I don't usually include full lists, but for this one, why not: 

Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, Turkey Vulture, sapsucker (species undetermined), Red-tailed Hawk, Cassin's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Steller's Jay, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Evening Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Brown-headed Cowbird, MacGillivray's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, warbler (species undetermined - either Townsend's or Hermit), Wilson's Warbler, and Western Tanager. 

It was easy to imagine even more species rolling in during the weeks to come! We walked almost the entire length of the road before heading back to the car, but this is a nice backroad that I'll definitely see again. 

Glenwood Mill Pond

We stopped in Glenwood for gas and a little sustenance from the gas station, then it was onward to the Glenwood Mill Pond. 

More Soras here. Like. . . there's a lot of ponds where you arrive, and frogs start hopping in the water. Same thing but Soras. Just all over the place, and scurrying from their hiding spots two feet from the road as we walked along. New at this spot was American Bittern (166), oonkagloonking from cover. We also called up some Virginia Rails, which have not been easy to find this year!

Walking back past the cars, I first heard then saw a trio of woodpeckers at a snag. What appeared to be two Red-breasted Sapsuckers flew away, leaving a single Red-naped Sapsucker. 

This one actually had me paused on an identification for a bit. These sapsuckers can hybridize with each other. In this case, I was only worried because of the yellow on the breast. Images and descriptions kept showing and describing this bird with no yellow on the breast. Red-breasted Sapsuckers, on the other hand, have extensive yellow there. I did finally get set straight on this. Red-naped, even the pure ones, can have yellow on the breast. Nothing else seemed to be pointing to hybridization, so I'm calling this one a Red-naped Sapsucker (167). 

Glenwood Mill Pond

We kept poking around, looking for Blue-winged Teal, but to no avail. It was time to move along to Goldendale for our last stop on the Backroad, Brackish, Backwater, Low Brow Birding tour. We were running in separate cars, so I unfortunately missed a Ruffed Grouse that Kevin saw dashing across the Glenwood Highway as we approached town. 

Goldendale

We actually circled around looking for coffee for Kevin first, eventually finding an open stand in town. Then we made our way West and South of town to our destination: Low Brow Pond

This name was just our take on the humor of this situation. On this same block sat the Goldendale Sewage Lagoons. One of the funny things about this situation already, is that The Really Nice Place we would rather have been viewing was a sewage lagoon! There had been sightings over the last few days of Wilson's Phalaropes, Red-necked Phalaropes, Semipalmated Plovers, American Avocets, Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Blue-winged Teal. Any of these would have been welcome additions to the year list. 

But. . . the lagoons are on private property. You can't just stroll up and view them. Some of the locals do have access and have built enough trust to use it regularly. So . . . first of all, understand that this is just part of the normal story of birding. Part of the story of life! There's places you can go, there's places you can't. Good gosh, even I posted an entire blog entry in March on Grayback Mountain - a hike that may never be open to public access again! 

That said, the picture, the parody, that we came up with in our head was this: 

Sorry, Sir. . . you aren't on the list

We'd been told that the birds from inside the lagoon sometimes make their way out to a pond South and West of the lagoons on the same block. Kind of like . . . try the gas station down the street from the club, because sometimes celebrities fill up their tanks there. "You might see Brad Pitt!"

This spot - the dumpster outside of the five-star restaurant, has now officially been dubbed Low Brow Pond. Low Brow Pond did exactly what it was supposed to do when we visited: It gave us a Mallard, a Killdeer, a Least Sandpiper, and a Greater Yellowlegs (168). That yellowlegs came flying shortly after we arrived, supporting this picture that there's a little bit of flow between the ponds. The water is also on the shallow side here, so we agreed that it could pull some shorebirds out now and then. 

Folks. If you're looking for shorebirds in Klickitat County, Low Brow Pond is not a bad bet at all. It's no Goldendale Sewage Lagoon by any stretch! But it would be surprising to come up empty, and the potential for some of those rarer birds to land in there, or even to simply fly overhead while viewing Low Brow is high enough to warrant a stop.

168 for the year! That hardly feels like coming up empty at all. I'm looking forward to searching for the later arrivals once June rolls around. Some of them (Bullock's Oriole, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat) had been seen before I even left the county!

May 7th - May rain, May not, May even snow

Awake in Trout Lake

Kevin had gotten in pretty late in the evening, and the previous day had been a long one for me. Rather than running off to do any owling in the morning, we went ahead and "slept in" a little, although in birding terms that's never too late into the morning!

Cabin 3 - Sleeping Beauty

Our home base for the weekend was Cabin 3 at the Trout Lake Cozy Cabins. They were not lying with cozy! The beds were comfy, and the heat worked just fine. I may even have left the heat up a little too high. We got coffee figured out and went through our plans for the day. Conboy. Conboy was our plans for the day.

Trout Lake is almost in the far Northwest corner of Klickitat County. Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge is almost as far to the Northwest as Trout Lake. Having just read the website introduction to the refuge, we'll take a momentary break from the normal dreck to give you their intro!

Picture a rustic cabin in a grassy meadow bursting with colorful blooms. The smell of tall, ruddy-barked ponderosa pines fills the air. The distinctive trumpeting of Sandhill cranes echoes throughout the refuge as they descend to their valley home. Calm water reflects the rich and varied greens of meadows and forested hills. Dancing glints of sunlight catch the eye as a stream winds its way from hill to lake. This, in part, is the experience of Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and you are welcome here. In fact, people have been coming here for millennia. Native Americans found life-sustaining resources in abundance, and nineteenth century settlers could see its tremendous potential as a place to call home. All the while, the wildlife lived here, too.

How could one pass on a description like that? Although to Kevin and me, the main source of excitement was the possibility of some good woodpeckers! Red-naped Sapsucker, as well as White-headed and Black-backed Woodpeckers had all been included on a recent trip checklist from Conboy. 

Even though Conboy wasn't far away, Kevin and I found opportunities to find new birds as soon as we stepped out the door. Townsend's Warblers (species number 139 for the year) were among the birds calling from the trees around the cabin as we packed up to go.

Along the way, we spent a lot of time with the windows down and eyes scanning all around us. Warbling Vireo (140), and Tree Swallow (141) were among the early additions. At one point, we stopped for a flock of pigeons. I'd had the darndest time finding any Mourning Doves or Rock Pigeons in the county, having only picked up my first the day before. This turned out to be the last species I needed from this family: Band-tailed Pigeons (142)!

Band-tailed Pigeons

These birds are easier to find in the West half of the state, and always tend to have favorite spots. Just over the Cascade crest, they can still be found in similar areas, including the Trout Lake area. After looking these over, Kevin got a peek-a-boo view of some birds in an agricultural/industrial looking gravel lot across from the pigeons. Least Sandpipers! (143) We had a good laugh at the find, and briefly considered marking the muddy lot as an eBird hotspot with a flashy name. We decided against it. 

Least Sandpipers

I laugh more, and I find more birds when I'm with Kevin. These are not bad things. We've explored quite a few counties together over the last decade, and it was just a joy to have him along for the trip. Our future bird-themed rock band Sage Thrasher picked up a few new possible tunes over the course of the weekend as well. 

We scoped that parking lot hard, hoping to add to our little shorebird bonanza, but in the end, it was as productive as. . . well, as a muddy gravel parking lot in the spring. 

Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Tree Swallows

Conboy was a great stop. I keep telling myself this afterwards, and it's true. We were just so darned focused on searching for these woodpeckers that it took some reminding on this point! But it turned out to be over 50 species of birds in the end. 

Early on, we had views of Western Bluebirds busy near a distant nest box. On this trip, one thing sunk in regarding bluebirds: it's fun to watch them fly. It's almost an identifiable thing for me now. It's subtle, but there's just a slight playfulness to the way they fly. And I say this with a dash of apology, because I'm a science guy at heart, and there's ways to quantify just about everything if you work at it. But I don't really know how to measure this exactly. They're just fun. 

Sora

The Willard Springs Foot Trail sets out from the Visitor Center, and immediately takes you towards a huge wet field holding ducks, geese, and some Sandhill Cranes. This was where I found my first Wood Ducks (144), and Cinnamon Teal (145) of the year. Kevin and I came across some sparrows as well. 

Perhaps best to say that Kevin came across them and tried hard to point at the sparrows ten feet from us, all to no avail! It's always amazing to bird with others and realized just how bad I am at picking up a moving bird. So I missed a Lincoln's Sparrow that Kevin found, but eventually got on a Savannah Sparrow (146) in the grasses and shrubs lining the field. 

Sora (147) was a fun find and was walking in plain view for us. We heard and saw plenty of Sora over the course of the weekend. Very active time for them! Other new birds in this marshy area included Common Yellowthroat (148), Marsh Wren (149), Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds (150). A Peregrine Falcon flyover made it 151 for the year. 

This path eventually took us into a more forested patch, but it never felt like we were more than 20 feet or so away from the wet open fields. The forest gave us Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper (152), Townsend's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler (153), House Wren, Wilson's Warbler (154), Golden-crowned Kinglet (155) and Pacific-slope Flycatcher (156). We listened to Lesser Goldfinches (157) calling for a good long while before realizing what we were listening to as well! We also saw and heard every Yellow-rumped Warbler on Earth, quite likely.

Holy cow we stopped a lot to listen for woodpeckers! Northern Flickers were seen and heard in small numbers, and we finally got a look at a Pileated Woodpecker flying overhead after giving some raucous calls in the distance. This was at the end of the road, at the have-a-seat bench at Willard Springs. MacGillivray's Warbler (158) and Gray Flycatcher were found at this little opening as well. 

There were just so many signs of woodpeckers that we were expecting to encounter. Signs like: 

I'd visit here if I was a woodpecker, just sayin'.

1. tapping
2. baby woodpeckers
3. woodpeckers
4. signs

But it was just quiet, even most of the way back. We did finally come across a single Hairy Woodpecker, but it just wasn't the woodpeckers-falling-off-of-every-branch experience our minds had concocted for us. 

We continued around the refuge on other roads. Most of them took us past more water, more soras, more swallows (including Barn Swallows (159) and Northern Rough-winged (160)), and the occasional Sandhill Cranes. I did finally find Northern Shovelers (161), and a heard-only window down drive by Rufous Hummingbird! (162). We knew we'd get this bird plenty of times through the weekend, so that was good enough for today. 

Regrouping

Mount Adams from the front door of the cabin

This got us to about noon. Kevin and I got back to the cabin in Trout Lake and grabbed some lunch. What did I not do? Fill out my eBird checklists. Why not?? Kevin had been putting them all up and sharing them throughout the trip. Anyone who has gone through this labor knows what a gift this was!

We sat and chatted and thought of "where next. . .?" We tried researching a little. I researched the backsides of my eyelids for a while. In the end, we thought that heading Northwest held some appeal. The general sentiment, after seeing a lot of the same birds over a several hour several mile hike is to mix it up a little. So we decided to head to Trout Lake Natural Area Preserve to try for some odd ducks, especially Barrow's Goldeneye, but maybe also Blue-winged Teal. 

It was a nice little stop! We heard yet more Soras, yet more Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a vocal, active Dusky Flycatcher. We also got a Spotted Sandpiper (163) down on a log on the water's edge. We kept going up the road, stopping mostly at clearcuts now, looking and listening for early Olive-sided Flycatchers. One fun find was a tree full of Turkey Vultures. 

We kept going. . . kept going. . . and it just felt like one of these turns was going to bring us to a sign that said we were leaving Klickitat County and entering Skamania. This never happened! We didn't realize at the time just how far it was to the Northwest corner of the county, just chalking it up to poor sign placement. 

We pulled in at the Station Cafe in Trout Lake. Kevin for a beer (they had Everybody's Brewing from White Salmon on tap) and me for Huckleberry Ice Cream. Neither of us were disappointed. 

We were the only customers at that hour of the day. We were right on the cusp of tourist season, and it had been a pretty rainy forecast (not that it had been rough for us). It's certainly a spot I'll be returning to for Huckleberry anything, honestly. 

Pizza came from Mount Adams Pizza Company - right there in the parking lot for the cabins. They did a 1000 percent veggie pizza for us, and it was well done. Pretty handy as well to be able to take the buzzer back to the cabin and get buzzed when it was ready! We spent the evening playing card games, catching up, and making plans - always always making plans!

One of those plans was to hit Panackanik Road for owls if the weather allowed. Snow was in the forecast, but we were going to at least have a peek outside and decide. And with that, we drifted off to sleep. 

Snow time like the present!

2 A.M. and 32 degrees were too early and cold respectively for Kevin, but I couldn't resist. I stepped outside and saw stars. Somehow, if there are stars above you, and the air is calm, the cold becomes much more bearable. I strolled up the major road, calling, listening, walking some more. It did start snowing - big fluffy flakes. I was shocked that I came out empty handed! Although it's past the peak calling season for owls, the habitat seemed nice enough, and I could hear for miles with the air that calm. I hung it up around 3:30 or 4:00 and flopped back in bed. No new owls, but very content with the search!

 

May 6th - County Hug

Mountain Bluebird - one of many seen around Bickleton

Quality Inn - Goldendale. Until their kitchen opens, we get inspiration

Okay, full disclosure. I birded some on Thursday, May 5th. It was late afternoon birding, so does that really count? Spending an hour wandering around Brooks Memorial State Park, listening to the wind, some Red Crossbills, and a few nuthatches. . . it just didn't feel post-worthy. Taking Box Canyon Road, a road I'd never driven before, as far as it would take me before the mud turned me around? Not interesting at all. Passing the "F^#k Jo and the Ho" sign on Box Canyon Road. . . as much as I like to dive into a county and try to understand the residents better, I gave this a pass. 

Lies, obviously. I just talked about all of it. As unsatisfying as that late afternoon foray was bird-wise, it still is a lot of the reason I come out. Exploring, trying to understand, and honestly a little bit of disappointment. You need some of it. If I go to a different place and find a lot of birds, it will mean more. If I go back down the same road at a different time of day, a different time of year, and find a lot of birds, it will mean more. 

That said, this is what "Where are all of the birds?" looks like: 

A hotel in Goldendale, eBird, and some time to scribble helped me as I sorted through the answer to that question. I was at the Quality Inn. As an editor, I sometimes want to press (Do you mean "high-quality?" because when we say "Dave is a quality guy." for example, it doesn't really specify whether he falls on the high- or low-quality end of things. . . ), but thankfully I. . . well, I have some filters in place!

I love the hotel, anyway. Their hot breakfast is not yet available. Kitchen is still closed post-COVID, so they give out a breakfast-ish/lunch-ish/snack-ish offering in white bags festooned with words of encouragement. I got "Make it happen" today. Challenge: accepted.

Map of Klickitat County. . . I wish I'd seen that it was "updated in 1977"

Meadowlarks!

I'll just get that out of the way. I had Western Meadowlarks from the moment I opened the door, and then at nearly every moment for the rest of the trip. So many meadowlarks. My first destination was Bickleton. I loaded up on coffee and hit the road. This is one of those odd situations where you don't just cross the highway. The Bickleton Highway is an overpass from Goldendale, so I had to make a U-turn here or there to get on it. 

It turned into nice habitat pretty quickly. I was interested in a day list, so things like Common Ravens, House Finches, and American Robins were instantly interesting. The landscape changed fairly frequently, so I got a nice mix as I drove. A little patch of Ponderosa Pines gave me my first Chipping Sparrows (108 for the yearlist); A little patch of farmland gave me my first Mourning Doves (109).

Western Bluebirds did become more frequent as I got closer to Bickleton, the bluebird capital!

And another nice surprise (as well as a pretty easy identification!) was a Great Egret (110) standing in a field. 

Various stops gave me looks and listens of new birds constantly, including House Wren (111), Cassin's Vireo (112), Brown-Headed Cowbird (113), both Orange-crowned (114), and Nashville (115) warblers, Western Wood-Pewee (116), and Western Kingbird (117).

Western Kingbird

The road dips down to intersect with Rock Creek Road. What a neat little intersection! From the high plains on either side, it really is a pretty deep cut. Hammond's Flycatcher (118) was found here in the thick evergreens lining the rapid creek. Lazuli Bunting (119) and Vaux's Swift (120) were two other new birds found in this little stretch. 

On the way back up and towards Bickleton, it started to get thicker with bluebirds, both Western and Mountain. A Townsend's Solitaire (121) on a low fence post provided another nice surprise. Across the road from the solitaire, there were a couple of Vesper's Sparrows (122) singing from the field. 

I decided against zooming in on this Vesper Sparrow. Enjoy the spring flowers!

Looking North from Northeast Klickitat

There were sprinkles during the morning, and often views of heavier showers on distant fields. Some of the last year birds before I got to Bickleton included Dusky Flycatcher (123), Yellow Warbler (124), and Gray Flycatcher (125), heard giving its call over and over in the distance in the scene above. 

Bickleton

I have to go back to Bickleton. In part, it's a mug thing. I took a mug from the Market Street Cafe, with the understanding that I would bring two mugs back. Never mind that this is a town that is 4 hours or more away from home. Small price for the perfect mug.

Someday. Someday I'll have one from every county and have them mounted up on a state map. Jigsaw pieces with wood for each county, and a hook to hold each of the 39 mugs. A boy can dream. 

There was a lot of "Can I help you?" in the cafe. Not the kind that you sometimes hear directed from a clerk to a suspicious person in a store. There were people from staff to locals who just seemed bent on making my stop in Bickleton a pleasant one. In addition to the mug, I had folks grabbing me silver, filling my coffee, and providing me with a bluebird map for the area. 

"Best food in town" I was told and had no reason to doubt them (although I do hope to stop at the Bluebird Inn next time I come through!). I had a chance to listen to the locals talking about the rain. "Sounds like it'll be a 5-million-dollar rain, not just a million." I overheard. (I had to check. It's a thing.)

A town that embraces its visitability

This blew my mind a little bit! I guess heavy rains in early May aren't a given and can have a massive effect on the costs for farmers. There was definitely a little bit of bubbly excitement, as well as some chuckling at the poor souls who had not yet finished planting!

I left, mug in hand, with my camera battery newly charged up. I took a look down the block at the historical museum, which included a carousel exhibit I've visited once before. It didn't take me quite so much by surprise this time, but I did make sure to peek down the road and make sure it was still there. 

Gosh The Boy had loved carousels. 

Sand Ridge Road

I continued my "hug" of the county by hitting nearly the northeastern most point in the county, finding Sand Ridge Road. This was where I had hoped to find some species that particularly enjoy sagebrush, most of which were highly coded birds (code 3, and code 4). Success! Brewer's Sparrow (126), Loggerhead Shrike (127), and Sagebrush Sparrow (128) were all found at various points along the road. I did strike out on Sage Thrasher, but hey. . . I'll be back. 

Can you find the Loggerhead Shrike?

 

A little help!

This is just one of several areas in Klickitat that has gotten more coverage from birders in recent years, so the codes on some of these birds will change from 4 (seen less than annually) to 3 (seen annually). It added a nice bit of variety for me after a morning of riparian and farm-field birding. Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks were also pretty easy to find during this stretch. 

Sagebrush Sparrow

I continued down Sand Ridge Road and hit a few other stops on the way towards the Columbia, including a stroll up Alder Creek Road (which advertised itself as sketchy when wet), and Six Prong Road. New birds kept coming! Cliff Swallow (129), Rock Wren (130), and Lark Sparrow (131) kept the year list rising through the morning. 

Lark Sparrow perched on a fence under cloudy skies

I kept looking for Sage Thrasher all along Six Prong Road, which seemed to have plenty of sagebrush, but eventually gave up on it and descended to the Columbia on Roosevelt Grade Road. A pullout early on gave me my first Cedar Waxwings (132) of the year. 

Rock Creek Road

I had passed this road on its other end, but now caught it on the end near the Columbia. I'd been down this road a decade earlier in the middle of a week-long trip around the state, but today I just wanted a peek at the water near the slow-moving end of the creek. While I was hoping for some new ducks, all of the ducks I found were previously seen during the year - Common and Hooded Merganser, Mallards, and American Wigeon. 

An Osprey (133) on the other hand was new, as was a white blob sitting in the middle of the creek.

I stared at it for a good bit before it finally popped its head up for a second, revealing from its bill that it was an American White Pelican (134). Not a complete surprise, but this was a bird where I wasn't 100 percent sure where I'd find one. I tried for Sora and Virginia Rail and scanned the reeds one more time for Wood Ducks before continuing down the road. 

Hard to tell, but this is a Pelican

There were more stops along the Columbia: Rock Pigeon (135) flying along the Columbia in the wake of a train at Horsethief Lake. Western Tanager (136), on Lyle-Snowden Road, White-throated Swift (137) at Coyote Wall Trailhead - a tough bird for the county, but a reliable nester here. 

Cliffs that held White-throated Swifts - Coyote Wall Trail

At this point, I beelined for food at a familiar destination: Everybody's Brewing in White Salmon. I was in need of some computer time! Time spent freelance writing over time had turned into freelance reviewing and editing. I'd now landed a new position with a company. Leading projects now included all of the same work from before, along with new non-writery things. This trip to Klickitat had been planned out months before and happened to intersect with some busy new steps in training. 

Everybody's Brewing - White Salmon

Texts from my friend Kevin let me know that he would be arriving later in the evening to Trout Lake - our lodging for the night. Once I'd cleared out emails, I decided it was time to head North - finishing this big loop around the county. I made a quick stop in White Salmon at a feeder that had gotten visits from Band-tailed Pigeons. They were unavailable during my stop, but I did come across a Black-headed Grosbeak (138), as well as the owner of the feeders! Brief as it was, it's always nice to meet the birders in the counties I visit!

Up the road I went, arriving at the cabins in daylight, but letting my head hit the pillow hard for the night.