By Russ Koppendrayer
Spring migration continued on with new species arriving in spurts throughout the month of May. We found species that move through and some that arrive to nest in large numbers. Nothing really rare for the county list was recorded, but a couple finds were at an unusual time of the year.
A Red-breasted Merganser was found roosting on the sand bar at the end of Sportsman's Club Road at Kalama, a species that primarily prefers to over winter in salt water. We get occasional birds that are found for a short stay in the Columbia River between the last week in October until the first week of April. Our first one this year was found in early May, setting a new late spring date by a month.
The second species seen at an odd time of year was a Pectoral Sandpiper, found at the same end of Sportsman's Club Road location a couple weeks later. We typically only see hatch year birds in the fall in Washington. Adults go south from their extreme northern Alaska and Canada breeding grounds east of the Rocky Mountains. For the return trip in the spring all individuals use the central states pathway. So not only was the timing unusual, but the few who saw the bird got to witness one in breeding plumage here in Cowlitz County.
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