[Tweeters] Memorial Day weekend - Southwest Washington birding

[Tim Brennan]

Hey Tweets!

I was able to get down Sun-Tuesday to continue this attempt to see 150 species in Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum Counties this year.

I picked up 35 new year birds for Skamania, most of them coming on the Whistle Punk Trail north of Carson. There's a beautiful mix of habitats there, and I picked up 8 species of warblers (Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Orange-crowned, Wilson's, Hermit, Black-throated Gray, MacGillivray's Warblers and Common Yellowthroat - Townsend's was almost certainly there as well, but I never got a good view), and 5 flycatchers (Hammond's, Olive-sided, Pacific-slope, and Willow, as well as Western Wood-pewee). Wind Mountain was also a nice hike, and the slopes down from the trail contributed to some really nice views of Hermit, MacGillivray's and Nashville Warblers. Other Skamania highlights included Sooty Grouse (Wind Mountain, and later near Silver Star), Bushtit (tough to find - on the entry road to Beacon Rock State Park), and Yellow-breasted Chat (Marble Road).

I spent a little time in Cowlitz, where I got Yellow-breasted Chat on the powerlines that cross the Yale Bridge Road.

I did some Clark birding along the corridor from Yacolt uphill, picking up American Dippers (at every single bridge, it seemed), House Wren, and Olive-sided Flycatcher. The Grouse Vista Trail was a fun hike, as it leads from Clark County into Skamania County. It does go to the summit of Silver Star Mountain, and there were plenty of hikers doing the whole thing, but I was content turning back a little ways into Skamania when it started to get a little steeper and snowier. Plenty of Sooty Grouse along the way, and again - Hermit Warblers galore, including one point when I was viewing 5 of them, all looking pretty pure, in a single tree! Hermit Thrushes singing the whole way, of course.

The Skamania day has been blogged here: https://southwestwashingtonbirding.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-2728th-whistle-punk-and-wind.html
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May 27/28th - Whistle Punk and Wind Mountain (Skamania County)<https://southwestwashingtonbirding.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-2728th-whistle-punk-and-wind.html>
Whistle Punk Trailhead What a neat spot. I had seen lots of good sightings from this trail, near Wind River Road, and not far from the Pacif...
southwestwashingtonbirding.blogspot.com

Other days will follow.

Cheers,

Tim Brennan
Renton
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