Columbia River Viewing
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Location
There are three principle places to do river watches in Gilliam: at the north end of the freeway interchange to Hwy 74, exit 147, http://(45.78777, -120.03956) and at the rest stop/overlook a few miles downstream http://(45.71726, -120.23348). To get to the 74 freeway interchange, travel east from Arlington for 9 miles and take exit 147. Turn north on the frontage road and follow it until you get a good view of the river. To get to the rest area, go west from Arlington for just over a mile and look for the exit to the rest area. This can only be accessed from the west-bound lane. The third location is Blalock Port Rd. at the north end of the Blalock Canyon exit off I-84,https://goo.gl/maps/2zMNUsQkr5CzBoVeA. This location is 21 miles west of Arlington and accessible both east/west bound. Getting water birds in Gilliam County is difficult, and the Columbia River is not normally productive, but you never know.
Habitat and Birds
Gulls, including Western Gull, can be seen. It is possible to see White Pelicans flying by. Given the fact that there are good numbers and unusual species of birds below both the John Day and McNary dams and that Gilliam county lies between the two, there must be some traffic of these birds up and down river. Some species seen from these locations include: Canada Goose, Horned and Western Grebe, Snow Goose, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead.
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