Bird Counts
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April was slower than usual for adding new species to the list, possibly due to a lack of coverage as some of our more active birders spent big portions of the month out of the county. There were no reports of unexpected species. Even Cassin's Vireo and Nashville Warbler which show as less than annual probably pass through in small numbers each year as migrants, but aren't seen or reported every year. Since they don't stay to nest they can be missed some years. Many of the April additions were in the last week and as migration peaks in May we should be finding more on a regular basis this month, the most exciting time for many birders.
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Russ Koppendrayer's says of 2016 so far:
We have reached the half way point in the year with exactly the same number of species as last year at this time when we set a record for the most species seen in the county for a calendar year in the ten years of this project. Last year we did have a phenomenal run of unusual species from mid-October through mid-December to reach that 207 species total. Since we have seen the winter birds and a migration into the breeding season, additions to the 192 species to date will come much slower and I'll be sending updates every two months rather than monthly for the rest of the year as usual.
Download the pdf file here.
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Here is what Russ Koppendrayer says of January 2016:
We got off to our usual outstanding start with a record number of species on the January 1st Christmas Bird Count. The highlight of that day was a 1st for the count Black Phoebe. This was also a 3rd record for Cowlitz County. We also found a number of species that are less than annual during the month as well as a few species earlier in the year to get the big start on the year list. Please continue to report your finds on Tweeters, eBird or directly to me as we try to best 2015's banner year.
Download the pdf file here.
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The Cowlitz County Bird List is maintained by Russ Koppendrayer.
Thank you Russ!
Here is his review of 2015:
What a finish to a record breaking year! We finished with 207 species in 2015 which is four more than our previous high.
Capping the final months was a Yellow-throated Warbler that spent two weeks at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview and was seen by more than 50 birders and well documented with photographs. As well as a first for Cowlitz, this bird was only the third ever for all of Washington. While searching for the warbler a pair of birders found Cowlitz's first ever Northern Mockingbird a couple blocks from the park. This bird also was also seen by many observers during its twelve day stay.
To end our fantastic stretch the county's third record of Rusty Blackbird was found in the Woodland Bottoms just before sunset on December 31.
Download the pdf file here.
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Russ Koppendrayer's review of early fall:
Download the pdf file here.