Vaux's Swifts Fall Migration view and dinner
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We hope you don't miss the spectacle that is the Vaux's swifts entering the chimney at Riverside Community Church in Rainier to roost for the night along their migration route. Numbers have been as high as 18,000. So, make your way to Rainier, have a nice dinner at one of the restaurants there and get over to the corner at W D St and W 3rd St near Fox Creek. We have arranged for several tables at El Tapatio Restaurant, 117 West "A" street for a 5:30pm group dinner on September 26. Everyone is expected to pay their own way. Walk-in are welcome or you can contact Gloria Nichols at (360) 636-3793 or by
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.
The Oregonian recently featured the Vaux's Swifts in Rainier Ore, check out the video below and see our volunteers in action.
If the video is not loading watch it on YouTube.
Cowlitz County Bird List - August Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
As usual the last two months have been rather slow for adding new species to our annual Cowlitz bird list. We did add two species that are both reported less than annually.
The first were Black Swifts which were reported on two occasions. Likely present every breeding season in very low numbers, they can be very difficult to find as they can forage very high in the sky and cover a huge area. Finding them is a hit and miss proposition and always a pleasure to encounter them.
The second species was a group of three Baird's Sandpipers found feeding on the sand bar at Sportsman's Club Road. This species is unique in that we rarely get adults in western Washington as they migrate farther inland in both spring and fall. We can also go a few years between sightings in Cowlitz County and then usually only one individual. Having three hatch year birds together was a nice treat.
Fall migration will continue for a couple months and usually bring some surprises, so keep your eyes and ears open.
Download the pdf here.
Fall 2024 Whistler is available
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The Fall 2024 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- A Patch of Sky - Presidents message
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- Fieldtrips and Programs
- A lovely Picnic at the Turners' home
- Children's Discovery Museum is moving to Catlin School
- A Camera for the Chimney
- Vaux's Swift Fall Migration in full swing
2024 Vaux's Swifts Fall Migration is in full swing
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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's 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 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 below 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.
The Oregonian recently featured the Vaux's Swifts in Rainier Ore, check out the video below and see our volunteers in action.
If the video is not loading watch it on YouTube.
Cowlitz County Bird List - June Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
With the end of June the year is half over and we have seen wintering birds, spring migration and breeding birds. That is reflected in our fine total of 197 species. From here on we will see additions to our Cowlitz County year list slow dramatically and I will give an update every other month instead of monthly.
We did add five species in June. Red-eyed Vireo and Yellow-breasted Chat are late arriving annual breeding species here and were found early in the month. Golden Eagle and Western Screech-Owl are coded as less than annual. The vast majority of Golden Eagle sightings are of soaring birds and are rarely repeatable, but are found most years. Western Screech-Owl is likely a year around resident in Cowlitz County that has been historically under reported. With more people out there birding, especially at night this species will likely become coded as an annual species in the near future.
A Lark Sparrow found along Tradewinds Road near Kalama provided only the third record of this species for Cowlitz County. A species that utilizes a variety of habitats to nest in most of the United States west of the Mississippi River, it is oddly absent in western Oregon and Washington. A lost migrant or more rarely a winter bird shows up in random places west of the cascades.
Download the pdf here.
Cowlitz County Bird List - May Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
Spring migration continued with lots of birds passing through Cowlitz County during May and ever more birders seeming to enjoy seeing them. Besides the species that we expect annually a few of the rarer variety were seen. The county's second ever record of American Redstart was reported from the Hummocks Trail. The third record of Brandt's Cormorant was at the mouth of the Kalama River. It seems something is going on with this cormorant species as all three records have occurred in the last year and a half. Also unusual was a small group of Common Terns flying downstream along the Columbia River near Kalama for their fourth record in Cowlitz County.
For a number of us the most exciting find of the month was a Rock Wren singing on territory at an old rock quarry near Davis Peak. While there have been a number of sightings in the blow down area near Mount Saint Helens, most of those are older records. Not only has it been seven years since one was last reported, but this is the first to linger for an extended period, to the best of our knowledge. Although unconfirmed, a couple of observers thought they heard a more distant second individual. Could there be a possible breeding attempt?
Download the pdf here.
Summer 2024 Whistler is available
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The Summer 2024 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Vultures and the Nature of Wase Management
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- Fieldtrips and Programs
- WHAS Annual Picnic
- WHAS donates Birding Kits
- Willapa South – Birding in SW Arizona
- Notes from the WHAS Board
- Earth Day 2024 impressions
- An account of the Golden-Crowned Sparrow Migration Through Naselle
Cowlitz County Bird List - April Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
The end of April finds us in the heart of spring migration with new species arriving every day. With a Willapa Hills Audubon field trip and two Washington Ornithological Society field trips in Cowlitz County during the last week of the month as well as the ever increasing number of individuals out birding we seemed to be finding new species as soon as the first few individuals arrived. Very nice to see a more complete documentation of our county's avifauna, especially on eBird.
The only real rarity of the month was a Brandt's Cormorant seen at the mouth of Mill Creek one afternoon. This second ever record for Cowlitz County was not to be seen again in spite of some diligent searching. Brandt's Cormorants have always been strongly associated with salt water and are unusual in the Columbia River even in the Astoria area. In early April one was spotted near Skamokawa for the very first Wahkiakum County record. Amazingly, many more were seen in the area including groups numbering into the teens and farther upstream to Cathlamet. Both breeding plumage adults and year old birds are being seen. No reason for this phenomenon has been discovered, but as of this writing they are still being seen and additional Cowlitz sightings would not be unreasonable.
Download the pdf here.
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.
Reminder - Annual banquet this Friday
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After a 3 year hiatus WHAS will have an annual banquet and program this year, Friday, March 29, at the Longview Women’s Club, 835 21st Ave in Longview, just east of lake Sacagawea.
We’ll have a board meeting at 5 pm (set-up at 4:30) with a potluck supper to follow. Bring a salad, main dish, veg or desert to feed 6-8 people. Also bring your own table ware and serving implements, as well as a preferred beverage. Paper plates and napkins will be provided. All are welcome to attend.
Our program begins at 7 pm and will feature David Slater, a newcomer to the Long Beach Peninsula and avid birder. David will speak about shorebirds and their adaptive evolution - more here: https://willapahillsaudubon.org/get-involved/programs/665-program-adaptive-strategies-of-shorebirds
Please join us for this lively event and meet fellow birders and conservation enthusiasts. If you can, RSVP Gloria Nichols by email or call 360-636-3793
- Program: Adaptive Strategies of Shorebirds
- Vaux Swift Program with Larry Schwitters
- Annual Banquet and Program
- Spring 2024 Whistler is available
- Cowlitz County Bird List - February Update
- Cowlitz County Bird List - January Update
- Final 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List
- Winter 2023 Whistler is available
- 2023 Cowlitz County Bird List - October Update
- Vaux Swifts Fall Migration in The Oregonian