Cowlitz County Bird List - March Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
We continued to have new species of migrants being found in Cowlitz County throughout the month of March. They were almost all expected at this time of year although a few were actually a little early.
The lone exception was a Slaty-backed Gull. This was the first ever record for this species in the county. Found on a sandbar in the Columbia River in the Woodland Bottoms, it was excellently documented both verbally and with photos. Primarily a species found in Asia there seem to be annual records in the state of Washington and it was finally our turn to host one in Cowlitz County. To the chagrin of many it was last photographed in flight as it departed and was only seen by the folks that found it.
Migration will continue to send more species our way as the wave of birds flowing into the area continues through April and May so get out and enjoy.
Download the pdf here.
Fieldtrip: Birding in West Longview
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Join Russ Koppendrayer and Becky Kent on April 27, 2024 for a morning of birding at some west Longview locations. A great time to be out as spring migration will be ramping up and there should be some lingering winter birds as well as year round residents. We'll visit some dikes along drainage canals, the decommissioned former sewage treatment ponds, and Willow Grove Park.
Expect to walk a little over 2 miles on very level smooth gravel or paved roads. All are gated, so no traffic to deal with. We'll meet at 8AM and plan to be done by noon. Guides will have spotting scopes, but definitely bring binoculars and any other optics you wish. Bring any snacks and liquids you'll need. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. To sign up or address any questions contact
Vaux Swift Dinner and Viewing
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On Sunday, May 12, 6pm, meet for dinner at El Tapatio in Rainier, OR. Afterwards observe the Vaux Swift at W 3rd Street at the Riverside Community Church.
Spring 2024 Whistler is available
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The Spring 2024 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Annual Banquet and Program Announcement
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- Fieldtrips and Programs
- Learning About the Life of John James Audubon
- WHAS Name Change
- Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey tallies 31
- 2023 Christmas Bird Count Results
- Share Your Love of Birds with Kids at the Children’s Discovery Museum
- Wenas Campout
- WOS Annual Conference at Long Beach
- The Best Gift of All
Cowlitz County Bird List - February Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
The month of February did a very nice job of filling in our list of wintering species as well as year round resident birds. In the last week we also welcomed back the first early neotropical migrants of 2024. Both Violet-green and Tree Swallows as well as Rufous Hummingbirds made an appearance. Another interesting find was a hybrid duck with a Tufted Duck being one parent and a scaup being the other.
The star of the month was a Clark's Nutcracker found on the road leading to Signal Peak. This was only the fourth record for Cowlitz County, all occurring since 2007. It seems highly likely that this species was more prevalent in this county before the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980. The Clark"s Nutcracker population was larger then and there was better habitat here. Record keeping of bird species at the county level became much more prevalent from the late 1980s up to the present in the state of Washington.
Download the pdf here.
Cowlitz County Bird List - January Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
In spite of having the Christmas Bird Count at the end of 2023 this year, we are off to a resounding beginning to 2024. We have recorded 124 species in January which is a reflection of the increased coverage of Cowlitz County by birders as well as their documenting their finds on eBird. It's definitely a pleasure to see.
The highlight of the month was a Long-tailed Duck found at the Kalama River mouth. This bird stayed around for almost two weeks and was enjoyed by numerous birders. A female, this individual was only the second record for the county. Also interesting in January, but not nearly as rare were multiple Redheads seen both at Woodland Bottoms and Willow Grove. Until the last two winters we could sometimes go a few years between sightings of this species. Nearly as fun were multiple Surf Scoters seen at both Willow Grove and the Kalama River mouth. While regular in fall migration, it's been a long time since we've had them spend the winter this far up the Columbia.
Download the pdf here.
Final 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List
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By Russ Koppendrayer
For the first time there were zero new species found in the last two months of the year in Cowlitz County. It wasn't for lack of coverage as there was a normal amount of birding activity in November and December, just nothing was found that hadn't been recorded earlier in 2023. The only miss of a species that typically occurs annually was Red-throated Loon, and they are usually quite infrequent in the Columbia River in winter. We did finish with an above average total of 207 species for the year.
We did add two new species to our county list during 2023. Most amazing was the Laysan Albatross that was found injured at Willow Grove. This species of the open ocean met with success at a rehab center and later returned to the Pacific Ocean with an assist from the Coast Guard. The other new species was also a salt water specialist. The Brandt's Cormorant was initially found in the Columbia River near Kalama on January 1st and last seen from the Port of Longview the next day.
Here's to a great year of birding in 2024.
Download the pdf here.
Winter 2023 Whistler is available
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The Winter 2023 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Update on Avian Interpretive Signs
- Christmas Bird Counts 2023
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- Southbound Vaux Swift Migration
- Project Feeder Watch
- WHAS Officer Nomination 2024
- Childrens Museum Holiday Extravaganza
2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - October Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
During the months of September and October we added four species to our 2023 Cowlitz County list. The rarest was an adult Sabine's Gull seen flying downstream over the Columbia River in the Woodland Bottoms. Seen well by two birder's, this bird was still in full breeding plumage in spite of the late September date. The only previous record was of a juvenile that spent about a week at the same Woodland Bottoms area and was seen by many happy birders in the fall of 2017.
The other additions were a female Surf Scoter found in October at the former Longview sewage treatment ponds. This species seems to be annual in our county during fall migration. Also found at the above location, but on a September date, was a Red-necked Phalarope. This species has been being found in the county more regularly in recent years. Lastly a Broad-winged Hawk was seen soaring along a ridge near Woodland on its southbound migration. This also is becoming nearly an annual find.
Let's look forward to more fun additions to our year list in the final two months of 2023.
Download the pdf here.
Vaux Swifts Fall Migration in The Oregonian
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The Oregonian recently featured the Vaux Swifts in Rainier Ore, check out the video below and see our volunteers in action. Scroll down further for some more info if you would like to go.
Several years ago, Darrel Whipple and crew removed the grating covering the smokestack at Riverside Community church in Rainier OR. The purpose was to attract Vaux swifts during their twice-yearly migration.
The southward migration of the swifts from all over the Northwest usually starts in September, affording us more opportunities to view thousands of them entering the chimney. The success was greater that possibly imagined. One Sunday night in early September last year saw 25000 birds enter the chimney before dark. Similar counts happen each night during the 3-4 weeks of migration. You can watch them and meet our volunteers from the corner of W D St and W 3rd St near Fox Creek in Rainier, Ore.
Larry Schwitters of Vaux’s Happening recently sent out the rankings for the top 14 roost sites on the flyway for the migration. Rainier's Riverside Community Church ranked first, second or third in all three categories!
Enjoy the video and come and see the spectacle in person.
The birds can be unpredictable but, in general, if the weather is relatively calm, they begin entering the roost around an hour before sunset and conclude half an hour after sunset.
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - August Update
- Fall 2023 Whistler is available
- Bare Root Trees Offered by the Carbon Capture Foundation
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - June Update
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - May Update
- Summer 2023 Whistler is available
- Birders needed to identify marbled murrelets
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - April Update
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - March Update
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - February Update