Rivers and Mountains of Oregon and Washington May 22—28, 2011
Posted by Bob Sundstrom
Bob Sundstrom
Bob Sundstrom has led VENT tours since 1989 to Hawaii, Mexico, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Iceland, Papua New Guinea, the Southwest Pacific islands, Antarctica, the B...Related Trips
Our Rivers and Mountains of Oregon and Washington tour starts in Portland, Oregon, then works east along the Columbia River Gorge, whose towering basalt cliffs and tree-clad lower reaches place it among the most scenic places in the United States. By the first afternoon, we turn north from the river toward towering Mt. Adams in the South Cascades, where we will spend two nights at Mt. Adams Lodge. The comfortable lodge sits at the foot of 12,281-ft. Mt. Adams on many acres of forested grounds. With the lodge as a base, we explore a wide range of habitats, from Ponderosa pine forest and high elevation fir forest to oak woods and marsh. After Mt. Adams Lodge, the route runs along the scenic Klickitat River gorge and then east along the Columbia Gorge. Our next destination is La Grande, Oregon, nestled in the Blue Mountains and near the Grande Ronde River. Birds of the mountains, stream sides, and broad marshes are found here. The final full day of the tour leads along the Grande Ronde River to a pass through the Blue Mountains, then across miles of high elevation grasslands before once again returning to the Columbia Gorge. The bird diversity across so many habitats is impressive, and the tour coincides with a rich flourish of wildflowers in nearly all the habitats.
The first full day of our 2011 tour began in the western lowlands along the Columbia, with stops in a variety of sites and habitats. A vividly colored Red-breasted Sapsucker was among the morning highlights, as were numbers of songbird migrants: trees dripping with Western Tanagers and Warbling Vireos, as well as the yellow flashes of Wilson's and Townsend's warblers. A Pacific Wren posed and sang at close range. We watched an American Dipper catch and then dispatch a sizeable minnow. As we pulled into the Mt. Adams Lodge grounds, we stopped before getting out of the van to watch two male Calliope Hummingbirds, whose wine-colored gorgets shone as they hovered at a feeder just a few feet from the van. A stroll on the grounds before dinner gave us our first Western Bluebirds and dazzling Lazuli Buntings of the trip.
The following morning, a walk on the lodge grounds offered a bounty of new birds: singing MacGillivray's and Nashville warblers, Hammond's Flycatcher, and Cassin's Finch among them. Rufous Hummingbirds buzzed across the grounds, trying to guard all the feeders at once. Black-headed Grosbeaks sang their lilting songs. After a lodge breakfast of huckleberry pancakes, a visit to a nearby grove of Ponderosa pines yielded wonderful views of the uncommon White-headed Woodpecker, plus Gray Flycatcher and Pygmy Nuthatch. Later that morning during a foray to higher elevation forest on the hem of Mt. Adams, we had superb studies of Hermit Warblers, and later Black-throated Gray Warbler a little lower down. We picnicked along Trout Creek, where the ground was carpeted with pale blue Lyall's anemones. In fact, we picnicked every day of the tour at lunch, enjoying the opportunity to dine among the birds and wildflowers. That same evening, a Common Poorwill sat on a mountain road for us, as we moved in close to it and watched in the spotlight.
Days in the La Grande area were filled with more birding highlights. At Ladd Marsh, as we watched an American Bittern in the spotting scope, a Golden Eagle soared overhead for a long time, surprisingly low to the ground. Sandhill Crane pairs escorted rufous-brown chicks, and a pair of Virginia Rails gave us the view of a lifetime, walking almost up to the group while calling loudly. Handsome Cinnamon Teals were abundant here, as were rough-voiced Yellow-headed Blackbirds. A pair of Northern Harriers flew by together and, as we watched, the male transferred the prey from its talons to the female in mid-air. Wilson's Snipes stood atop fence posts while Wilson's Phalaropes spun in shallow ponds.
Birding in the Blue Mountains, we were treated to great views of two different pairs of Williamson's Sapsuckers. One pair we watched changing places at the nest cavity, as a Clark's Nutcracker and Pileated Woodpecker perched nearby. At other mountain sites, a sky-blue Mountain Bluebird visited a nest hole in a huge dead tree and a Red-naped Sapsucker perched in a tall cottonwood—another of the nine woodpecker species seen on the tour. Great Gray Owls, a bird typically seen on the tour, were absent this year because of low prey availability. For the first time in more than 20 years none were using the nest platforms in the nearby forest.
The high elevation grasslands were a scenic delight, and offered some nice birds too. The tall, rolling hills were dotted with wildflowers—orange paintbrush, yellow lupine, blue camas. As we came around one bend, a Long-billed Curlew was in furious aerial chase on the tail of a raven. We later watched a curlew at leisure in the scope. Western Meadowlarks and Horned Larks posed along the way, and we were lucky to see two different pairs of Chukars at very close range as they stood still at the edge of the road—likely standing sentry over unseen chicks.
It was a memorable week in the scenic Northwest, at a great season.