Flock west to see Bickleton bluebirds

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Flock west to see Bickleton bluebirds

By DON McMANMAN
Herald staff writer

BICKLETON - Near the Tri-Cities - where the Horse Heaven Hills splash upon the shoulders of Mount Adams, where the spring range melds into Ponderosa pine, where 125 souls repose in the tiny town of Bickleton - you'll find more bluebirds than anywhere in the West.

Wander by car near the town, and you'll see residents of about 2,000 birdhouses that have been built and maintained by Tri-Citians and Bickleton residents over the past half century.

There's no census of the birds, but experts agree it's prime habitat for both the western bluebird and the mountain bluebird.

It all started 51 years ago, when the late Jess and Elva Brinkerhoff of Richland stopped for a picnic near Bickleton and saw two bluebirds frantically searching for a home.

Jess Brinkerhoff nailed a gallon tin can to a tree. The birds moved right in.

Over the next three decades, the Brinkerhoff family built about 1,500 birdhouses at their Richland home and mounted them in trees and on fence posts around Bickleton.

They built them, and the bluebirds came.

Other enthusiasts built even more houses.

It's a major community chore each spring to clean out remnants of old nests from the birdhouses, readying them for new families.

The birds are nesting right about now, said Ada Ruth Whitmore, a community leader.

"It looks like we have more than ever. We really are the bluebird capital of the world," Whitmore said.

You can't miss them, streaks of blue flitting over the fields, worried parents fretting around the portal to a birdhouse if you draw too near.

The western bluebird has a red band across its chest. The mountain bluebird is pale blue over most of its body, with a light belly. Females of both species have plumage rather more drab than that of the males.

Busloads of tourists rumble through town at times, drawn by publicity about this place that has found its fame amid birds that would fit in your hand.

A birdhouse outside the community church has a steeple. You can buy bluebird mementos at Whitmore's Whoop-n-Holler Ranch Museum (call 509-896-2344 for directions to the homey collection of Western artifacts). In town, there's a memorial to Jess and Elva Brinkerhoff that looks like a birdhouse.

Even the only tavern in town - one of the three oldest in the state - is called The Bluebird Inn.

Profits from mementos sold at the museum, the tavern and at the Bickleton Country Kitchen go toward maintaining the birdhouses.

"It really can be quite a job. Everyone gets involved," Whitmore said.

The restaurant (owner Vicky Read says the locals like her barbecued ribs) is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, except Sunday, when the doors close at 3 p.m.

The tavern is open daily, except Monday. Kids are allowed, and Whitmore said the hamburgers are great.

There's no gasoline for sale in Bickleton, so fill up before leaving home.

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Get to Bickleton by following a loop from the Tri-Cities.

From Plymouth, travel west on Highway 14 to Roosevelt. The park is open and camping near the Columbia River is free. Turn north at Roosevelt and follow signs to Bickleton.

Coming home, follow the signs from Bickleton northeast to Mabton, then eastward.

Bickleton is about 90 miles through Roosevelt from Kennewick. Bickleton is about 70 miles from Kennewick through Mabton.

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