The Columbia County highlights are short. I did some driving around Dayton, up Tucannon Road, and up Cemetery Road, hoping for sparrows (I picked up Lincoln's along Tucannon Road at a private residence where I was looking for Barn Owls), and shorebirds (Solitary Sandpipers at Watson and Beaver Lakes!). Shorebirds are especially tough in the county, although Solitaries seem to make themselves an exception, stopping at a few different lakes in the lower reaches of the Blues. Super fun to actually find some, following findings by Christopher Lindsey (who is moving up the county year list record with every new bird he finds! It's in the 180s now...)
In Walla Walla County, I finally got out and gave it a solid effort. North Coppei Creek was productive for me, adding 10 new species for me, including birds as common as Golden-crowned Kinglet and Black-capped Chickadee to a Williamson's Sapsucker. On the tenth, I came back through the county, hitting Bennington Lake, where I found 30+ species, including Gray and Dusky Flycatchers and a California Scrub-Jay (an increasingly common bird in the county, but still not an easy find!).
Shorebird highlights - 100 or so Red-necked Phalaropes at McNary Headquarters, a Short-billed Dowitcher at Donangelo Overlook, Sanderling and Pectoral Sandpipers at the Tyson Ponds.
The last new bird of the trip was a Gray Partridge dashing across the dirt road behind Tyson - 149 for the year in Walla Walla (where my goal is 150 species for the year), and bird #175 for my life list in the county!
One more post to add to the blog, but there's a good start anyway!
