By Russ Koppendrayer
After not adding any new species to our complete list in 2022 we started off the new year with a bang by adding Brandt's Cormorant before noon on the 1st. This fish eating bird has a strong proclivity for salt water and very rarely would come this far upstream on the Columbia River. Found first at the end of Sportsman's Club Road, it was spotted again that day across the river from the Rainier Marina. On the morning of January 2nd it was seen for the last time near the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
Another rarity for the month was our fourth record of Ross's Goose, found mid month floating in the Columbia at Woodland in a large raft of diving ducks.
As usual we got the month off to a fine start with the Christmas Bird Count giving us a nice number of species on January 1st. Here's to a great year of birding for all of you.
Download the pdf here.