Pacific Northwest Trip: Birds, Plants, and Bugs of Mt. Adams with Stefan Schlick
This is a self-guided tour. Lodging (book ahead of time), food, transportation, and park entrance fees are your responsibility.
While the bird song is winding down, butterflies and dragonflies are out in full force. And wildflowers are in full bloom at higher elevations. On this trip, we will look at and enjoy everything!
The first day we will spend at scenic Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge at the foot of Mt. Adams. The habitat diversity of marshes, prairie, aspen, and oak forest, sustains thriving bird populations. With some luck, we’ll find Least Flycatcher. In prior years we saw American Redstart here. Our target species are Gray Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Sandhill Crane, and White-headed Woodpecker. Target bugs include Western Red Damsel, Northern Crescent, Arctic Skipper and Great Spangled Fritillary.
We will be working the lower elevations around Trout Lake early on our second day. Birding there is superb, with Red-eyed Vireo, Veery, and Gray Catbird all likely. Trout Lake is the easternmost location where we can reliably find these sought-after eastside species. Warblers and flycatchers will all be around. Later in the day, we will head uphill towards Morrison Creek and Cold Springs on the south side of Mt. Adams. Wildflowers, butterflies, and dragonflies will all delight us.
On our final day, we will head up to the west side of Mt. Adams, visiting the boreal areas around Takhlakh and Horseshoe Lake. We will look for Hermit Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Canada Jay, and Barrow’s Goldeneye. At Horseshoe Lake, we should be able to find Crimson-ringed Whiteface and White-flowering Rhododendron. Spruce Grouse are also up there but can be very challenging to find. Mid-afternoon, we will start our way back to Portland.
