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WHAS - Bird Lists and Wildlife Sightings

Please send information about wildlife sightings to our Wildlife Sightings Chair.

To see some recent Washington State bird sightings go to the Tweeters list. To subscribe to Washington State Tweeters or to get more info about Tweeters visit WA Tweeters.

Sandhill Crane (WDFW Image)

 

2017 Cowlitz County Bird List - January Update

Details
Last Updated: Thursday, February 02 2017 17:59

 

Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture - Image US-FWS

Our year got off to its traditional New Year's Day jump start with the Christmas Bird Count. During the rest of January we've added numerous species that typically are not found within the count circle as well as a number of species that are less than annual in Cowlitz County.

The most unlikely find was a Turkey Vulture that was found at Willow Grove in early January. While this species will be ubiquitous in a couple months, mid-winter is an not the time we usually find them. Although it seems every year one or more are found trying to over winter in Washington, they typically have perished by January.

Besides the one in Cowlitz a few have been found in the Puget Sound area as well as farther downstream on the Columbia River into January this year, including a few still around after our recent rare long snow and freezing episode. Amazing!

Download the pdf file here.

 

Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 17-20

Details
Last Updated: Friday, January 06 2017 12:58

Backyard Birdcount Website

The Great Backyard Bird Count is scheduled for Feb 17-20, 2017. This is citizen science at its best. You can view and report birds wherever you are during this weekend. Last year over 5000 people participated around the world and reported over 18 million individual birds. 

Please go to www.gbbc.birdcount.org for information on participation.

Final 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List

Details
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 03 2017 09:26

Courtesy of the US FWS

Acorn Woodpecker - Image courtesy of the US FWS

Here is what bird list maintainer Russ Koppendrayer's says of 2016:

We had another fine year with 204 species in the county. We seem to be able to break the 200 species barrier with more regularity in recent years, likely a product of both more birders as well as better reporting. Thanks to all who shared their finds on Tweeters and/or eBird as well as those who contacted me separately. 
 
Our only miss of birds usually seen annually in the county was Long-billed Dowitcher, a shorebird that migrates through both spring and fall. We missed it in the spring, and the really dry summer and fall left us with almost none of its preferred mudflat habitat for possible fall sightings.
 
Highlights from the last two months included an Acorn Woodpecker that visited a feeder in the Goble Creek area for about a week and was seen by numerous birders. This  was the third ever record for the county, and amazingly they are in 2014, 2015, and 2016 all in late fall or winter. Also found was our second ever Palm Warbler that spent a couple days in Willow Grove Park during a snow event, foraging on the ground in snow free spots under trees and near sidewalks.  

Download the pdf file here.

 

September/October 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List

Details
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 02 2016 11:11

Courtesy of the US FWS

Clark's Nutcracker - Image courtesy of the US FWS

Russ Koppendrayer's says of the last two months:

Only three species added to the list in the last couple months as is typical for this time of year. Also fairly typical was the fact that all three are rare visitors to our area. An amazing ten Clark's Nutcrackers were seen at the Forest Learning Center near the Mt. St. Helens National Monument. This species is common to the Cascade crest near Mt. Adams, but this is only the third record in Cowlitz County. A Brown Pelican was photographed flying rapidly UPSTREAM at Woodland, a species that rarely comes anywhere near this far up the Columbia and is more associated with salt water. Also a third record for Cowlitz was a Pelagic Cormorant photographed swimming in the Columbia at Woodland. As its name suggests this too is a species that rarely gets upstream past the brackish water of the estuary.

Two months left for some more exciting finds, so as usual get out there and do some birding.

Download the pdf file here.

 

July/August 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List

Details
Last Updated: Thursday, September 01 2016 15:30

Russ Koppendrayer's take:

As is fairly typical of the July - August period we added only a few species, primarily regular species that we had missed earlier and some that we find most years, but also sometimes miss.

Coming up is that late fall and early winter season which can be most productive for vagrants that have never been encountered in the county before or only once or twice. Many times these are young birds that get their migration route a little confused.

Let's get out there and enjoy the movement of the birds.

Download the pdf file here.

 

More Articles ...

  1. April 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List
  2. June 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List
  3. First 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List (January)
  4. Final 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List

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