Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society
LCBAS of south central Washington
Birding
The main motivation most members of LCBAS have for joining the chapter is to watch birds! We provide opportunities for members and the public to enjoy nature, watch birds, and learn more about their biology and identification. In particular, we offer
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First Saturday Bird Walks - info on the right (September - June)
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Christmas Bird Count - in December or early January
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July Birding Challenge - a friendly competition between birders to count birds in summer in Benton and Franklin counties. See the July 2024 results.
Benton & Franklin County
Birding Hotspots
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Find and explore the best birding hotspots in Benton and Franklin Counties. Peruse the geographically grouped sites, choose an area and go birding!
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Links for each site take you to eBird where you will find a treasure trove of details and photos about the birds observed there.
Bird Lists - printable documents
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Small Checklist of the Birds of the Lower Columbia Basin (print two-sided on 8.5"x14" paper and fold into 5ths)
Wood Duck - Larry Umthun
First Saturday Bird Walks
8:00am
with Lisa Hill
First Saturday bird walks begin promptly at 8:00am and binoculars are available to borrow.
The 2026-27 bird walks will be held at several great birding hotspots as follows:
September 5 - Season Kickoff with fall migrants! A nostalgic walk starting at the location of the former causeway to Bateman Island. We will walk the path west toward the boat launch and continue along the dike path to Hwy 240 and return on the same route. Meet in the parking lot of Wye Park in Richland.
October 3 - Sacajawea State Park, Franklin Co
Late fall migrants and early waterfowl should make this a great bird walk. The gates open at 8:00am and we will begin by 8:15am.
WA State DISCOVER PASS required
Day passes can be purchased at the park and yearly passes are available online.
Located in southeast Franklin County at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Meet in the main parking lot.
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L600472
November 7 - Two Rivers County Park, Kennewick
Located along the Columbia River in east Benton County, this site will have lots of winter waterfowl and songbirds. Meet in the parking lot on the west side of the lagoon.
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L835471
December 5 - W.E. Johnson Park, Richland
The park is located long the east shore of the Yakima River. It is a great location for winter songbirds and some waterfowl on the river. Meet at the south entrance near 619 Tanglewood Dr.
Parking is anywhere along the street.
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L835470
January 2, 2027 TENTATIVE LOCATIONS
A 2-stop walk beginning at the animal shelter pond in Pasco, then crossing the cable bridge and checking out Clover Island and Duffy's Pond in Kennewick.
February 6 - TENTATIVE LOCATIONS
Chamna Natural Preserve and Inland Asphalt Pond
March 6 - TENTATIVE LOCATIONS
Columbia Point and Riverview Natural Area
April 3 - TBD
May 1 - TENTATIVE LOCATION
Horn Rapids County Park
June 5 - TENTATIVE LOCATION for a full-day trip
North Franklin Co: Windust Park, Lyons Ferry Park, Palouse Falls State Park (DISCOVER PASS REQUIRED).
Lazuli Bunting - Larry Umthun
7th annual July Challenge
was a great success!
July 2026 Birding Challenge
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July in the Mid-Columbia region is hot and dry; challenging conditions for birds and birders sandwiched between spring and fall migration. Breeding birds are active and fledglings abound, but very few waterfowl or shorebirds are in residence.
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Jason Fidorra, local birding enthusiast and wildlife biologist, started the July Challenge in 2020 to encourage people to count as many species as possible in the region in July.
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Fun and for the birds; a friendly "competition" between Franklin and Benton counties! Participants can align themselves with one county or try to count as many birds as possible in both counties.
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Birders are encouraged to use ebird to tally their birding adventures. A remarkable number of species are in the area during the height of summer.
Summer... It’s hot, buggy, most migrants have passed, and there’s less motivation to get out birding. So little in fact that July USED TO BE the least birded month in our area. But as we have learned through this challenge, many discoveries await! Data centers like eBird benefit from this information for conservation and science. July is no longer the most data deficient month - but let's keep going!
Join us for the 7th annual July Challenge -- a fun effort to document as many species as we can during July in Franklin and Benton Counties, and maybe beat past county records of 15 species across both counties or highs of 147 in Benton and 133 in Franklin, or take the lead in individual county lists! Regular emails will be sent to participants about species and standings through the month on this friendly “battle of the counties”. Feel free to bird in either or both counties to explore new sites and birds! To join the fun, send an email to JFidorra@gmail.com to be added to the email list.
Benton Co: 145 species/15 participants
Top three listers in Benton Co:
Jef Blake 130 species
Lisa Hill 107 species
Mark Gerber 85 species
Franklin Co: 132 species/11 participants
Top three listers in Franklin Co:
Richard Laubach 111 species
Mark Gerber 96 species
Jason Fidorra 69 species
Prior July Challenge species totals:
2020
Benton Co: 137
Franklin Co: 123
Combined: 151
2021
Benton Co: 128
Franklin Co: 122
Combined: 144
2022
Benton Co: 124
Franklin Co: 116
Combined: 138
2023
Benton Co: 130
Franklin Co: 126
Combined: 151
2024
Benton Co: 138
Franklin Co: 130
Combined:
July 2026 challenge stats
Combined Benton & Franklin Counties total: 155 species
(record 158 in 2025)
2025 - new records!
Benton Co: 147
Franklin Co: 133
Combined: 158
W. E. Johnson Park - Richland
Christmas Bird Count - Saturday, Dec 26, 2026
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the much-anticipated highlight of the winter birding season throughout much of the Americas. With humble beginnings nearly 125 years ago, the CBC is one of the world's largest community science projects, facilitating the gathering and compilation of an immense amount data about hundreds of bird species.
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The Tri-Cities Christmas Bird Count (CBC) regularly has the highest number of species seen inland in Washington thanks to strong community and LCBAS member support.
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It is typically held the first Saturday following Christmas Day.
View from Bateman Island from the former causeway
Bateman Island Bird Walk
Bateman Island is a major birding hotspot in the Mid-Columbia. Located at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers, the island and surrounding waters are teeming with a huge variety of birds and other wildlife throughout the year. Over 230 species of waterfowl, songbirds, raptors and shorebirds have been documented in a variety of habitats.
The island is located in Richland, WA, accessed via watercraft from the Columbia Park Trail boat launch west of the Wye Park parking lot.
Belted Kingfisher
Larry Umthun
Bullock's Oriole
Larry Umthun
Common Loon
Larry Umthun
View to the south from Columbia Point over the Yakima R. delta toward Bateman Island
For many years, Bateman Island in Richland was the location of the First Saturday bird walk. In December 2025, the causeway to the island was removed and ACCESS TO THE ISLAND IS NO LONGER BE POSSIBLE VIA THE CAUSEWAY.
The island can still be reached via watercraft.
First Saturday bird walks will now be held at other great birding locations!