I’ve set a goal for myself for 2023 to wrap up the last 4 counties in WA to put me over 100 species reported in eBird for every Washington county. Not unexpectedly all of these counties are far from Tacoma in Pierce County where I live. Three of these counties are in SE Washington, an area I’ve birded primarily in winter when some of the northern visiting birds are possible. That said I made a trip to Asotin County in July 2020 when Marian and I camped at Field Springs State park, amnd between that and winter trips I have reported 134 species for the southeastern most WA county. That left Whitman, Garfield and Columbia counties as the other three SE counties where I had yet to see >100 species.
Marian had a family gathering in Wenachee for the weekend, and I decided to take advantage and hjead off birding.
On Thursday June 1 I headed out after a good nights sleep, not leaving until about 8 AM. I drove pretty much straight to Whitman County, with Kamiak Butte the planned first stop for the afternoon. I managed Lazuli Bunting and Brewer’s Blackbirds as roadside ticks on the entry road, then got to the park at 2:15. I had little idea what to expect, and it was a busy forested butte with two busloads of school children at the playground. That said I was pretty happy to immediately hear Veery singing, and lots of other bird song. ON a 2-hour hike I managed 12 county lifers, including Pacific Slope (I didn’t have the inclination to call them Cordillaran) and Hammond’s Flycatchers, and a good variety of forest species. On the ride back to Colfax I flushed a Wilson’s Snipe from a roadside ditch, and spotted a Wild Turkey beside the road.

After checking into the Best Western in Colfax, and getting Mexican food for dinner, I walked the Colfax Trail as the sun dropped, and finished the day with with Whitman County species #102 with a singing Canyon Wren on the cliff beside the trail.

The next morning I headed for Steptoe Butte, a place I’ve been wanting to see for years. It is a pretty cool place, and I got theere at 6:34, and it was cool and sunny. I walked near the bottom parking lot and then drove to the top and birded my way back down. It was spectacular, with great vistas of the Palouse, and lots of birds. Rock Wrens were singing everywhere near the top, Yellow-breasted Chats and Vesper Sparrow were great to see, and I left Whitman County with my list at 109 species
From there I drove back through Colfax to start my Garfield County birding at Central Ferry where Osprey, Violet-green and Cliff Swallows were easy county firsts. I drove down Deadman Creek, a nice backwater area with singing Common Yellowthroat, an American White Pelican, and the usual riparian species were added. I went to lunch at Willow Landing where I enjoyed Marian’s lasagna, and added Blue-winged Teal, Lazuli Bunting and really enjoyed a Yellow-breasted Chat that flew high in the air, singing loudly, and then fixed its wings upward and parachuted back to its perch like a skylark. A behavior I’d never seen. Just as I left it was fun to see a male Northern Harrier perched on a “Feel Free to Hunt” sign.
From here I headed for the higher elevations of the county, hoping for breeding species of the Ponderosa Pine forests and agricultural areas. My favorite stop was Bosley Grade Road, a forested area on a dirt road down a steep grade. It was pretty birdy, with a creek beside the road and I added 9 county firsts there, including typical singing birds, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers, Cassin’s and Warbling Vireos, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
I headed up Mountain Road, adding Western and Mountain Bluebirds, and Vesper Sparrow.

I headed back to Dayton, adding flycatchers (Eastern and Western Kingbirds and Say’s Phoebe) from the car on the ride as Columbia County birds, only to find that the Best Western rated had gone up to $200. + per night, so I settled for the barely adequate Blue Mountain Motel. I found a city park for dinner, and rather than spend time in the room, went to a nice city park with a fishing pond and riverside walk for a picnic dinner. The last of the lasagna was nice, as was the walk. I added Spotted Sandpiper and the easy swallows there.

After a decent night’s sleep, I quickly birded Lewis & Clark SP for low elevation species, before I headed up Jasper Mountain Road for the morning. There I enjoyed a Cooper’s Hawk hopping around on the ground after what looked like recently fledged Brown-headed Cowbirds, singing Veerys, I’d never been in this area, so dlot’s of singing Pacific Slope (Cordillaran) Flycatchers and a calling Pileated Woodpecker. I decided to try Jasper Mountain rather than the Toucannon Road area which is more well known for birding. It worked out well, with good birding, beautiful scenery, and new places to see. An unexpected Lark Sparrow on a wire, lots of Mountain Bluebirds, and a nice variety of dry forest species were found. In the afternoon I headed for Toucannan Road area, adding Red-eyed Vireo and Turkey Vulture (this was the only TV sighting of the trip). By then I was a bit weary, and as I had my goal >100 species in each county I decided to head for home. I made a few stops on the way, partly to rest and stretch, and partly birding. Most interesting was a very quick stop at Palouse Falls SP to easily add White-throated Swift at the Para Ponds in Othello where FOY Lesser Yellowlegs was found, and hoped for Forester’s Tern was not.

I got home by 9:30 and was happy to sleep in my own bed.
Trip totals:
Whitman: 109 life, 67 for the trip.
Garfield: 110 life, 65 for the trip
Columbia 111 life, 66 for the trip.