A Phenology of Winter Bird Records in the Columbia River Gorge
1 December 2006 through 28 February 2007
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
a.p. – alternate plumage
ASY – after second year, ie., fully adult
BBA – Breeding Bird Atlas
b.p. – basic plumage
BSI – Bingen School Inn, at ne. corner of N. Cedar and E. Humboldt streets in Bingen, WA
D.O.R. – dead on the road
GPNF – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
HY – hatching year bird: i.e., young of the year
IBA – Important Bird Area
KTC – Klickitat Trail Conservancy
L. – Lake
MP – milepost
NAMC – North American Migration Count
NAP – Natural Area Preserve
NF – National Forest
NWR – National Wildlife Refuge
OBOL – Oregon Birders Online
R. – River
RBA – Rare Bird Alert
SP – State Park
stt – steel transmission tower
SY – second year bird (bird in it’s second calendar year)
Tweeters – Washington bird chat online
WMA – Wildlife Management Area
WOS – Washington Ornithological Society
WTP – wastewater treatment pond / s
Records are from Klickitat Co., WA, unless otherwise indicated, with the exception of the well-known city of Hood River, located in Hood River County, OR.
For the purposes of this phenology project, the Columbia River Gorge extends from the Sandy River mouth Multnomah Co., OR, and from Steigerwald Lake NWR in Clark Co., WA, east to the Willow Cove WMA in nw. Morrow and ne. Gilliam counties., OR, and to the Whitcomb Island Unit of Umatilla NWR and Crow Butte SP in sw. Benton Co., WA. This includes all of Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco and Hood River counties, nw. Morrow Co. and e. Multnomah Co. in OR and all of Skamania and Klickitat counties and se. Clark and sw. Benton counties in WA.
Eurasian Wigeon –
1 on 1 Dec., drake, on Drano Lake, Skamania Co., WA (MLD, MD). Gleaned from Tweeters.
Northern Pintail –
1 on 1 Dec., drake, loafing with head tucked on the mudbar at the e.ne. shore of Waucoma Basin, along the Hood River waterfront, at ~13:20 (SJ).
Long-tailed Duck –
1 on 2 Dec., the female is still present on the Washougal WTP, Clark Co., WA: seen at 08:30 and again at 12:30 (WC & group of habitat restoration shrub-planting volunteers); this bird was first noted there on 24 Nov. by WC. Gleaned from OBOL.
1 on 2 Dec., “The female Long-tailed Duck remains at the Washougal sewage ponds, visible from the wide shoulder of [hwy.] 14. She spent twenty or thirty seconds on most dives, then only remained on the surface for 3 to 10 seconds. But she came up in the same area each time, so I was able to [have] a number of satisfactory looks in my scope” (JB). Gleaned from OBOL.
1 on 3 Dec., female still present: “A small group of us braved the cold east wind to get some good looks at the Washougal Sewage Lagoon’s Long-tailed Duck this morning. The LTD spent much more time under water than on the surface, but was near the center of the pond nearest the highway and could be seen with the naked eye when it surfaced” (AA). Gleaned from OBOL.
1 on 7 Dec., female still present: “My mom and I went out to the Washougal sewage ponds (aprox mile 17.8 on hwy 14 in WA) to see Wilson Cady's Long-tailed Duck which was very active. We got there about 10 a.m. and the wind was howling. As Wilson said, there is ample parking on the wide shoulder for viewing the main pond. While I got a brief pre-dive glimpse of the pretty little lady before getting out of the car, it took me quite a while to get a good scope view while being buffeted by the e. wind, burrrr. We were there for about 30 minutes. When she dove, it seemed as though she would be down a long while and then surface some 60-80 feet away. As she did this repeatedly, she was all over the pond except for the edge nearest the hwy.” (BC). Gleaned from OBOL.
“several” on 7 Dec., “I also saw several Common Goldeneye on the same pond” [Washougal sewage ponds, Clark Co., WA] (BC); gleaned from OBOL.
Barrow’s Goldeneye –
“some” on 3 Dec., on the Washougal WTP, Clark Co., WA, in the morning (AA); gleaned from OBOL.
Hooded Merganser –
2 on 1 Dec., drake & hen, diving in Boat Works Basin, along the Hood River waterfront, at 12:22 (SJ).
30+ on 1 Dec., on Tunnel Lake, Skamania Co., WA (MLD, MD). Gleaned from Tweeters.
Red-necked Grebe –
1 on 1 Dec., loafing with bill tucked into chest feathers, off n. side of The Hook, along the Hood River waterfront, tagging along with a small flock of 9 Gadwall, at 13:30. Good scope view from car window, grebe not far offshore (SJ).
Eared Grebe –
3 on 1 Dec., together off the n. side of The Hook, along the Hood River waterfront, at 13:45. They aim their fluffed-up rear ends at the wan sun; even when actively foraging they take the time to do this, between dives (SJ).
1 on 2 Dec., still present on the Washougal WTP, Clark Co., WA; it was first found there on 24 Nov. (WC and habitat restoration volunteers). Gleaned from OBOL.
1 on 3 Dec., still present on the Washougal WTP this morning (AA); gleaned from OBOL.
Western Grebe –
43 on 1 Dec., off the n. side of The Hook, along the Hood River waterfront, 13:30 to 14:00 (SJ).
Black-crowned Night-Heron –
3 on 1 Dec., two adults (one looks dingier than the other) and one HY, loafing in riparian at the shore of Boat Works Basin, along the Hood River waterfront, at 12:36 (SJ).
Bald Eagle –
1 on 1 Dec., adult, circling on thermal along the bluff top e. of the home at 18 McConiga Rd., ~1 mi. to nw. of Lyle: the first one seen there this winter (BH).
Merlin –
1 on 1 Dec., female-plumaged bird, bathing at w. side of the Hood River mouth at the base of The Spit, 11:18 to 11:22. When finished it flew in small circle, alighting atop an alder in the riparian row on the jetty that extends out into the Columbia between the Hood R. mouth and the mouth of Boat Works Basin; within a minute it flew off to the south. Great scope view from my car window across the river to the east (SJ).
Mew Gull –
15 on 1 Dec., one 1st winter, 14 adults, the total number counted along the Hood River waterfront, 14:50 to 15:40. Six adults on the sandbar off the mouth of Boat Works Basin, 2 adults on a sandbar off the beach at e. side of the Hood R. mouth, and 7 (one = HY) on the mudbar at the e.ne. shore of Waucoma Basin (SJ).
Herring Gull –
3 on 1 Dec., one HY, 2 adults, along the Hood River waterfront: one adult loafing on a sandbar off the beach at e. side of the Hood R. mouth, at 11:05, and one adult, one HY, loafing with gulls on the sandbar off ne. corner of The Event Site, at 14:50.
Thayer’s Gull –
1 on 1 Dec., adult, on the dike between the Hood River marina and the Columbia R., along the Hood River waterfront, at 15:19. Studied at point blank range (15-20 ft. from the car) in direct comparison with an adjacent adult Western type gull; the latter has a huge bill compared to the Thayer’s much smaller, more slender one. The red mark at the gonys extends up onto the cutting edge of the upper mandible. Thayer’s eye is not dark brown; rather it’s a paler, mottled greyish-light dusky brown. Mantle, wings pale grey; wing tips dark slaty-blackish with white spots on folded wing; legs, feet dark pink. Noticeably smaller than the Western in body bulk (SJ).
Mourning Dove –
1 on 6 Dec., eating from a tray feeder on the driveway along the n. side of E. Franklin St., between Cedar and Cherry streets, in Bingen, at 14:45. Uncommon in Bingen any time of year (SJ).
Northern Pygmy-Owl –
1 on 6 Dec., about 25 ft. up in the upper branches of a cedar that’s <30 ft. tall, along the e. side of Elm St. just s. of the T jct. with E. Humboldt St. in Bingen, at 11:10 to 11:20. I was alerted to it’s presence by the raucous mobbing of ~ 5 or 6 scrub-jays. This is the first pygmy-owl I’ve seen down in the “banana belt” of Bingen. Today there is an inversion: calm with fog / low cloud enveloping the tops of the Columbia R. bluffs, including Burdoin Mountain n.ne. above town (SJ).
Anna’s Hummingbird –
1 on 6 Dec., male, sipping from a feeder along the w. side of (ditched) Dry Creek on the nw. corner of Walnut St. at W. Jefferson St. in Bingen, at 14:00 (SJ).
Williamson’s Sapsucker –
1 on 3 Dec., “a female…at Spring Creek Fish Hatchery in se. Skamania Co. near the gate leading in to the hatchery. This appears to be a 'County First' for Skamania County” (RK fide KK).
Red-breasted Sapsucker –
1 on 3 Dec., adult, calling, in the row of pin cherries along Schoolhouse Rd., just ne. across the road from the Underwood post office, Skamania Co., WA, at ~14:15 (SJ).
Pileated Woodpecker –
1 on 3 Dec., heard only, calling in the distance to e. of the e. jct. Cook-Underwood Rd. with the Orchard Lane Rd. loop, down in the vicinity of the Cooper Ave. Spur, Underwood, Skamania Co., WA, at ~15:40 (SJ).
Hutton’s Vireo –
2 on 2 Dec., along Jewett Creek, accessed via Barnedt Rd., at the e.ne. edge of White Salmon, “…was happy to hear, then see, a White-breasted Nuthatch and later (at 14:00) 2 Hutton’s Vireos in a winter mixed group of juncos, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and Golden-crowned Kinglets. This "mixed flock" was just up the drainage about 3/4 mile (as the crow flies) from where we observed the adults feeding fledgling several months ago” (JE, PM).
American Crow –
~85 on 3 Dec., calling, flybys going n.nw. past the ne. corner of the Orchard Lane Rd. loop, Underwood, Skamania Co., WA, at 15:14. Some time later a crow roost was discovered when I stopped along Cook-Underwood Rd. 0.3 mi. north of the jct. with Chenowith Rd., at 16:30. Off in the distance to the se. I heard a lot of raucous cawing and could see some crows milling about over the conifer-clad w.nw. slope of Chemawa Hill. This is about 1 mile e. of the aforementioned jct. with Chenowith Rd., and ~1.75 mi. to se. of Mill A, Skamania Co., WA (SJ).
Red-breasted Nuthatch –
1 on 2 Dec., along Jewett Creek, accessed via Barnedt Rd., at the e.ne. edge of White Salmon, with a mixed flock of juncos, chickadees, kinglets and 2 Hutton’s Vireos, at 14:00 (PM).
2 on 3 Dec., singles, heard calling along the Orchard Lane Rd. loop, Underwood, Skamania Co., WA, in mid to late afternoon (SJ).
White-breasted Nuthatch –
1 on 1 Dec., in the yard at 18 McConiga Rd., ~1 mi. to nw. of Lyle (BH).
1 on 2 Dec., calling, along Jewett Creek, accessed via Barnedt Rd., at the e.ne. edge of White Salmon, in the early afternoon (PM).
Brown Creeper –
1 on 6 Dec., calling, working lower portion of the bole of a small ponderosa pine nw. above Jewett Creek, upstream from the hwy. 141 crossing in White Salmon, at 13:25 (SJ).
Canon Wren –
1 on 1 Dec., in the woodpile between the house and the garage at 18 McConiga Rd., ~1 mi. to nw. of Lyle (BH).
Golden-crowned Kinglet –
2 - 3 on 6 Dec., found in 2 spots only, while walking from White Salmon down hwy. 141 to Bingen, starting at the Dock Grade Rd. jct. and leaving the hwy. at Lincoln St., Bingen, with a short detour up Jewett Creek from the hwy. crossing, and another that took me past Daubenspeck Park in Bingen, as I made my way back to BSI, from 12:55 to 14:50. Both times the bird/s were in ponderosa pines (SJ).
Varied Thrush –
1 on 1 Dec., in the yard near the bird feeder at 18 McConiga Rd., ~1 mi. to nw. of Lyle (BH).
5 on 1 Dec., one male in the w.most big locust at sw. corner of the BSI hostel bldg., 3 females in the crabapple to n. at 408 E. Franklin St., and one in the apple tree at the se. corner of the intersection Cedar St. and E. Franklin St., Bingen, at 10:20-10:21 (SJ).
44 on 3 Dec., along the Orchard Lane Rd. loop and the adjacent intersections with Cook-Underwood and Schoolhouse roads, Underwood, Skamania Co., WA, mostly foraging on the ground, tossing leaves where the ground is snow-free under oaks, and in / closeby occasional apple trees with fruit still hanging, 14:00 to 15:55. Sex ratio pretty much 50:50 (SJ).
34 on 6 Dec., (14 male, 11 female, 9 unsexed), noted along hwy. 141 from the jct. with Dock Grade Rd. se. down to Lincoln St., while walking downslope from White Salmon to Bingen, and then returning to BSI, Bingen, with a little side jaunt up Jewett Creek above hwy. 141, and with another detour past Daubenspeck Park, Bingen, via Lincoln, Alder, W. Jefferson, Joslyn and Franklin streets, from 12:55 to 14:50. Some were in/under apple trees with hanging/fallen fruit (SJ).
Northern Mockingbird –
?1 on 3 Dec., “Unfortunately, I didn't have my binos during this afternoon's dog walk, but I saw a bird that looked very much like a Northern Mockingbird to this amateur's naked eye. It was located at the Sandy River Delta area (exit 18 off hwy. I-84), [Multnomah Co., OR,] in the open area along the east-west part of the main loop (about 0.5 mile sw. of the blinking power pole)”
(SL-W). Gleaned from OBOL.
The following is a second hand report from this past November: 1 on 12 Nov., at the Sandy River Delta, Multnomah Co., OR, in a huge blackberry tangle near the pylon (stt) se. of the one with the red light (JHy fide AC); gleaned from OBOL.
American Pipit –
1 on 1 Dec., calling, flies w. over the beach at e. side of the Hood R. mouth, along the Hood River waterfront, at 11:10 (SJ).
Spotted Towhee –
6 on 6 Dec., total # encountered (singles) in a walk along hwy. 141, from Dock Grade Rd., White Salmon, downslope to Lincoln St., Bingen, with a detour past Daubenspeck Park via Lincoln, Alder, W. Jefferson, Joslyn and Franklin streets in Bingen, from 12:55 to 14:50 (SJ).
Fox Sparrow –
1 on 3 Dec., Sooty, calling in a ceanothus thicket off the w. side of the Orchard Lane Rd. loop, several 100 m. to n. of Underwood, Skamania Co., WA, at 14:40 (SJ).
1 on 6 Dec., Sooty, in blackberries on the slope between Lois Lane and hwy. 141, between Bingen and White Salmon, at 13:45 (SJ).
White-crowned Sparrow –
1 on 6 Dec., adult with pale lores, along E. Franklin St., Bingen; this is the only one found in a walk down hwy. 141, from Dock Grade Rd., White Salmon, to Lincoln St., Bingen, with a detour past Daubenspeck Park on my way back to BSI, Bingen, from 12:55 to 14:50 (SJ).
Golden-crowned Sparrow –
16 on 6 Dec., total # encountered at 7 different spots during a walk from the Dock Grade Rd. jct. in White Salmon, down hwy. 141 to Lincoln St., Bingen, with a detour past Daubenspeck Park, as I made my way back to BSI, Bingen, from 12:55 to 14:50 (SJ).
Dark-eyed (Slate-coloured) Junco –
1 on 1 Dec., male, foraging on the ground under birches above the s. bank of the Columbia R., at the nw. corner of the Luhr-Jensen plant, Portway Ave. along the Hood River waterfront, in company with 14 Oregon Juncos, at 12:46 (SJ).
Western Meadowlark –
17 on 2 Dec., “…There were 17 W. Meadowlarks out on the [Steigerwald Lake NWR] refuge…” in Clark Co., WA (WC & group of habitat restoration volunteers). Gleaned from OBOL.
~60 on 6 Dec., perched in the dying oak and on adjacent utility wires along E. Franklin St. at the intersection with Cherry St. in Bingen; the draw is a feeder on a driveway midway between Cherry and Cedar streets, at 14:45 (SJ).
Lesser Goldfinch –
1 on 3 Dec., female, along the Orchard Lane Rd. loop at MP 1, Underwood, Skamania Co., WA, foraging with a b.p. American Goldfinch and 30 juncos, in chicory growing in a low spot w. of the road, at 15:30 (SJ).
Observers:
AA – Al Ahlgrim
JB – Joe Blowers
WC – Wilson Cady
BC – Bill Clemons
AC – Alan Contreras
MLD – MerryLynn Denny
MD – Mike Denny
JE – Janet Essley
BH – Bob Hansen
JHy – Jeff Hayes
SJ – Stuart Johnston
SL-W – Stephen Ladd-Wilson
PM – Paul Moyer