Clay-colored Sparrow from wikimedia
Clay-colored Sparrow - Image courtesy of Wikimedia

By Russ Koppendrayer

As we continued into early spring in March the species list grew slowly, but some very interesting birds were found.  

A Chipping Sparrow in the Woodland Bottoms was either over a month early or more likely a bird that had over wintered in the area. A Golden Eagle in the Cascade foothills and Say's Phoebes at both Woodland and Kalama are species found in Cowlitz County most years, but not annually. A Pelagic Cormorant seen from the Longview waterfront flying upstream on the Columbia River was the fourth record for the county. Last, but certainly not least was a Clay-colored Sparrow found in the Woodland Bottoms. While this was the third record of this species in Cowlitz County, it was the first in twenty years, with the most recent being in November of 2003.

Here's looking forward to more excitement and much enjoyment as the summer breeders and migrants just passing through become more numerous over the next couple months. Enjoy!

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