Field Trips

1. Kalama to Woodland

Cowlitz County

Driving time: 1 hour 45 minutes to first planned birding stop
Sites include: Kress Lake, Sportsmen Club Road, Kalama River mouth, Kalama Marina, Woodland Bottoms

Approximately 1.5 miles of walking on level, well-maintained trails, with other stops at pull-outs and dead-end roads. Habitat will be riparian, agricultural fields and Columbia River overlooks. Lingering Sandhill Cranes are possible. If the winds are favorable, there can be a good raptor migration, sometimes including impressive movements of hundreds of Turkey Vultures. Black Phoebe and White-breasted Nuthatch are resident at the northern end of their expected range. In the riparian areas we could find nice movements of migrating flycatchers, vireos and warblers of numerous species, as well as more common resident species.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Sa01	Saturday	Shep Thorp – Trip departs at 5:30 a.m.	Yes	Yes
Su01 – Canceled	Sunday – Canceled	Bob Flores – Trip departs at 5:30 a.m. – Canceled	Yes – Canceled	Yes – Canceled

2. Longview to Toutle

Cowlitz County

Driving time: 2 hours to first planned birding stop

Sites include: Lexington Riverside Park, riparian areas along the Cowlitz River, Seaquest State Park, Canal Road, Longview (former) Sewage Ponds and Willow Grove

Expect to walk 2-3 miles on good trails and roads with mostly flat terrain. Habitats will include wetlands, riparian, mixed forest, agricultural fields and river overlooks. Possible species include Virginia Rail, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Hutton’s Vireo, Marsh Wren, Black-throated Gray Warbler as well as a mix of waterfowl and migrant passerines.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Su02	Sunday	Tom Bancroft – Trip departs at 5:30 a.m.	No	Yes

3. Grays Bay IBA to Julia Butler Hansen NWR

Wahkiakum County

Driving time: Roughly 45 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: Grays Bay, Altoona-Pillar Rock, Skamokawa Vista Park, Julia Butler Hansen NWR, Hornstra Beach Spit

This trip focuses on the western portion of Wahkiakum County, starting with the IBA at Grays Bay. A large colony of White Pelicans have nested on nearby Miller Sands since 2008 and should be foraging in the bay, along with loons and many species of waterfowl. We’ll then move to the Altoona-Pilar Rock area to scan the main river. As this is the farthest extent of the brackish water in the Columbia Estuary, it’s the best place to find saltwater species in Wahkiakum County, such as Pelagic Cormorant, scoters, and grebes. . We will continue eastward along Barr and Covered Bridge Roads through the bottomlands of Grays River before crossing over KM Hill to Skamokawa. Skamokawa Vista Park will afford a chance to pick up a few forest species before heading to the Julia Butler Hansen NWR. We can walk the White-tail trail in search of shorebirds and waterfowl, then out Hornstra Beach Spit for more shorebirds and gulls.

	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr03	Friday	Michael Hobbs	Yes	Yes
Sa03	Saturday	Ed Pullen/Ken Brown	Yes	Yes
Su03	Sunday	Cindy McCormack	No	Yes

4. Puget Island to the Brooks Slough area of Julia Butler Hansen NWR

Wahkiakum County

Driving time: Roughly 1 hour to first planned birding stop.

Sites include: Puget Island, Cathlamet, Beaver Creek Road, Indian Jack Slough, Brooks Slough

This trip emphasizes the eastern half of Wahkiakum County. We’ll begin by traveling to Puget Island. Most of the island is cottonwoods and open farmland, good for flocks of migrating warblers and year-round home for species such as Black Phoebe and Red-shouldered Hawk. We can also check out an old barn or two for Barn Owls. We’ll then move from the island to Cathlamet and up the Elochoman Valley to Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek Road reaches an elevation of about 1500 feet, and we may find MacGillivray’s Warbler, Canada Jay and Sooty Grouse. Then we’ll descend to the bottomlands, where we can explore the Columbia Land Trust’s property at Indian Jack Slough and the Brooks Slough area of the Julia Butler Hansen NWR.

Trip. No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr04	Friday	Shep Thorp	Yes	Yes
Sa04	Saturday	Bob Flores	Yes	Yes

5. Stringtown to Fort Columbia

Pacific County

Driving time: 15 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: Fort Columbia State Park, town of Chinook, Chinook Valley and Stringtown Road

Except at Fort Columbia, all the walking will be on flat ground and mostly fairly close to our vehicles. Habitats include forest, wetland, Columbia River, riparian and open fields. Waterfowl, loons, grebes, shorebirds, gulls, raptors and resident and migrant passerines will all be sought. Virginia Rail, Red-shouldered Hawk and Black Phoebe have all occurred along this route in recent years.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr05	Friday	Cindy McCormack	No	Yes
Sa5	Saturday	Laurie Ness	No	No

6. Cape Disappointment State Park and Ilwaco

Pacific County

Driving time : 10 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: State park sites include Beard’s Hollow, North Head Lighthouse, McKenzie and O’Neil Lakes and the North Jetty area.

After the Cape Disappointment area has been explored, in Ilwaco the marina and the Lake Street Access to view Baker Bay will be visited. Among the habitats will be open ocean, rocky and sandy shoreline, forest, marshes, lakes, and Columbia River shoreline. Bird species could include Brown Pelican (American White Pelican is less likely here), Sooty Shearwater, diving ducks, loon, and grebes. Three cormorant species are possible, along with shorebirds and migrant passerines.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr06	Friday	Bruce LaBar and Marcus Roening	Yes	Yes
Sa06	Saturday	Michael Hobbs	Yes	Yes
Su06	Sunday	Steve Giles	Yes	Yes

7. Southeast Willapa Bay

Pacific County

Driving time : Approximately 30 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: Willapa Bay pull-outs along US 101, Willapa NWR Headquarters, Government Road, Lynn Point Road, N. Nemah Road and Hatchery, Palix River along Dike Road, Bush Pioneer Park and Bay Center, and Bone River mouth.

Habitats include shallow saltwater bay, river estuaries, mature and recently replanted forests, and open pastures. Waterfowl and shorebirds should be found in the tidelands, as well as migrant passerines in the various types of vegetation. American Dippers, a difficult species in Pacific County, are regular at the Nemah Hatchery. The nice habitats along this route are definitely under-birded and we could make some interesting discoveries here.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Sa07	Saturday	Steve Hampton and Barry McKenzie	Yes	Yes
Su07	Sunday	Ed Pullen and Ken Brown	Yes	Yes

8. South Bend to Grayland

Pacific County

Driving time: 50 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: South Bend waterfront, Willapa Landing Park in Raymond, Willapa Harbor Airport, Tokeland, North Cove, Midway Beach, and Grayland Beach State Park

This trip could provide a number of prizes. Among them would be long-legged shorebirds at Tokeland such as Marbled Godwit, Long-billed Curlew and Willet, as well as Snowy Plover and Horned Larks at Midway Beach and/or Grayland Beach. The anticipation of rarities will be felt at a number of these spots, as they have been recorded frequently. Surprise shorebirds have been found on numerous occasions at both Midway Beach (rubber boots may be needed) and Tokeland.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr08	Friday	Lin Stern, Elijah Hayes – Trip departs at 5:30 a.m.	No	Yes
Sa08	Saturday	Penny Rose, Scott Hoskin, and Dennis Paulson Trip departs at 5:30 a.m.	No	Yes
Su08	Sunday	Scott Ramos – Trip departs at 6 a.m.	Yes	Yes

9. Long Beach Peninsula and Leadbetter Point

Pacific County

Driving time: Approximately 20 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: Nahcotta, Oysterville, and the Leadbetter Point Unit of Willapa NWR

A major part of this trip will be a hike at Willapa NWR. Bay Loop Trail follows the bay north from the parking lot, then Bearberry Trail crosses the peninsula to the beach of the open ocean. From here you can turn north along the beach. Most years in mid-September hiking boots will be sufficient on these trails, but it might be wise to be prepared with rubber boots. There will likely be migrating passerines in the vegetation on the peninsula and many shorebirds on the mudflats of the bay, in the saltmarsh and on the open beach. Many rarities have turned up here over the years, and Snowy Plover regularly nest and are seen on the open beach. This round-trip distance would be 6-7 miles on flat, but at times squishy, ground. Stops will also be made at Oysterville, Nahcotta and other sites on the Peninsula at the leader’s discretion and if time allows.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr09	Friday	Jeff Gilligan	TBA	TBA
Su09	Sunday	Steve Hampton	TBA	TBA

10. Nehalem Bay State Park Area

Clatsop County, Tillamook County

Driving time: Approximately 1 hour 25 minutes to first planned stop

Sites: We will concentrate our energy on Nehalem Bay, which features a bay and long sand spit. We will also stop by several sites to and from, depending on what birds are being seen in the area.

This trip will look for shorebirds in Nehalem Bay State Park, which features a mixture of habitats including estuary, pine forests and ocean beach. Along the way we will stop at a number of hotspots, including Silver Point, as well as look for migrant songbirds and waterfowl.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fr10	Friday	Bob and Laurie Schmidt	Yes	Yes

11. Hines Marsh and Martha Jordan Birding Trail

Pacific County

Driving time: 10 minutes to first planned birding stop.

Sites: Main focus will be on the Hines marsh and the Martha Jordan Birding Trail, Special access to the State Park is being arranged. These will be areas not normally easily accessible to the public.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Fri11	Friday	Dave Kreft	N	N
Sa11	Saturday	Jon Houghton	N	N

12. Cape Disappointment State Park

Pacific County

Driving time: 10 minutes to first planned birding stop

This trip will try to hit the highlights of a park that can easily take a full day to bird thoroughly. Beard’s Hollow will feature a short, level walk along a wetland, through a brushy area, and out to an open beach with some large rocky features. North Head Lighthouse will be a short level walk along large conifers to the overlook of the ocean and the rocky bluffs at the lighthouse. Lake O’Neil and McKenzie Lagoon can be checked, as well as Waikiki Beach. The short uphill walk to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center overlook is another possibility. Birds seen should include Brown Pelicans, loons and grebes, scoters and migrant passerines.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Sa12	Saturday	Bruce LaBar and Marcus Roening	Yes	Yes

13. Ilwaco to Chinook Valley

Pacific County

Driving time: 10 minutes to first planned birding stop

The marina and views of Baker Bay could have shorebirds and early returning waterfowl. The vegetation along Stringtown Road near the airport can be excellent for migrating passerines, and other stops can be good, as well. The mix of wooded and open habitats along Cross Dike Road and Chinook Valley Road is a great spot for raptors as well as migrant passerines. Both Red-shouldered Hawk and Black Phoebe have become more frequently seen in this area. All walking is on level ground, mostly at the roadside.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Sa13	Saturday	Steve Giles	Yes

14. Fort Columbia State Park to Chinook Road

Pacific County

Driving time: 15 minutes to first planned birding stop

The state park will offer short trails through forest, open areas around the old gun emplacements, and views of the Columbia River. This area is a bit hilly. In the town of Chinook, sites to be visited include Chinook County Park, the fish hatchery, the boat basin and Prince Street access point to the Columbia River. There is a wetland on the way to the hatchery that usually contains Virginia Rail, as well as other species of that habitat. There also should be migrant passerines in this area. The stops along the river and at the marina should have gulls, terns, waterfowl and possibly shorebirds. Finally, a stop along Lingenfelter Road could produce a few raptors to add to the day list.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Su14	Sunday	Bill Tweit

15. Fort Stevens Area (Oregon)

Clatsop County

Driving time: 45 minutes to first planned birding stop

Sites include: Fort Stevens SP–Parking Area D, Fort Stevens SP–South Jetty/Parking Area C, Hammond, Fort Stevens SP–Historic Area. (Note: All these sites are eBird hotspots.)

We will start at Hammond Boat Basin, looking for Heermann’s Gull, Brown Pelican and terns. Then we’ll walk through the gate to Ft. Stevens SP—Historic Area and walk about 1 mile total to explore the grassy fields and look for migrant songbirds. From there, we will drive to Fort Stevens State Park–Parking Area D and walk along the Columbia River beach to look for shorebirds such as Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, and Marbled Godwit. Depending on construction, we may also scan for seabirds like shearwaters at Fort Stevens SP–South Jetty/Parking Area C. Spotting scopes are recommended for this stop. There are outhouses at Parking Area D and Parking Area C, and restrooms at the Historic Area. No parking permits will be needed.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Sa15	Saturday	Randy Robinson	Yes	Yes
Su15	Sunday	Randy Robinson	Yes	Yes

16. Photographer-Friendly Trip to {TBA by FT Leader}

TBA

Driving time: 45 minutes or less to first planned birding stop

Site: The trip will be photographer-friendly, meaning we are less interested in compiling a long species list than we are in achieving some nice photographs. Given the right opportunities (never guaranteed), we will linger a little longer with a bird or group of birds than necessary for a quick ID, perhaps considering birds in their environmental context, not just as subjects for tight, closely cropped portraits. There will be limited walking on easy terrain. Bring photo equipment of your choice, possibly including tripods and long and medium lenses.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback (Y/N)	eBird (Y/N)
Su16	Sun	Dave Kreft	No	No

17. Shorebirds for Beginners – Location TBD

Depending on weather and tide conditions the field trip leaders will choose a location in the Long Beach, WA or Fort Stevens, OR vicinity. Emphasis will be on helping birders with the basics of shorebird identification. This trip will be most helpful to those of us new, or inexperienced, with shorebirds.

Trip No.	Day	Leaders	Playback	eBird
Su17	Sunday	Dennis Paulson and Jane Hadley

Table of All Trips

* Means the trip requires a longer drive to the starting point and will depart at 5:30 a.m.

Trip No.	Trip Name	Full/Half	Leaders	Fri	Sat	Sun
	Pelagic	Full	Oregon Pelagic Tours	X
Th	On-the-way		Jon Houghton – Thursday
01	Kalama to Woodland	Full	* Shep Thorp – Sat * Bob Flores – Sun		X	X
02	Longview to Toutle	Full	* Tom Bancroft – Sun			X
03	Grays Bay IBA to Julia Butler Hansen NWR	Full	Michael Hobbs – Fri Ed Pullen/Ken Brown – Sat Cindy McCormack – Sun	X	X	X
04	Puget Island to the Brooks Slough Area	Full	Shep Thorp – Fri Bob Flores – Sat	X	X
05	Stringtown Road to Fort Columbia	Full	Cindy McCormack – Fri Laurie Ness – Sat	X	X
06	Cape Disappointment State Park and Ilwaco	Full	Bruce LaBar and Marcus Roening – Fri Michael Hobbs – Sat Steve Giles – Sun	X	X	X
07	Southeast Willapa Bay	Full	Steve Hampton and Barry McKenzie – Sat Ed Pullen and Ken Brown – Sun		X	X
08	South Bend to Grayland	Full	*Lin Stern and Elijah Hayes – Fri * Penny Rose, Scott Hoskin, and Dennis Paulson – Sat Scott Ramos – Sun	X	X	X
09	Long Beach Peninsula and Leadbetter Point	Full	Jeff Gilligan – Fri Steve Hampton – Su	X		X
10	Nehalem Bay State Park Area (Oregon)	Full	Bob and Laurie Schmidt – Fri	X
11	Hines Marsh and Martha Jordan Birding Trail	Half	Dave Kreft – Fri Jon Houghton – Sat	X	X
12	Cape Disappointment State Park	Half	Bruce LaBar and Marcus Roening – Sat		X
13	Ilwaco to Chinook Valley	Half	Steve Giles – Sat		X
14	Fort Columbia State Park to Chinook Road	Half	Bill Tweit – Sun			X
15	Fort Stevens Area (Oregon)	Half	Randy Robinson – Sat and Sun		X	X
16	Photographer-friendly Trip	Half	Dave Kreft – Sun			X
17	Shorebirds for Beginners	Half	Dennis Paulson and Jane Hadley – Sun			X