2019 Cowlitz County Bird List - April Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
As is typical for April the arrival of migrants started slowly and steadily ramped up as the month progressed, with numerous species making a first appearance in the county during the last week.
This included our third ever record of Calliope Hummingbird on the very last day. This smallest bird species north of Mexico breeds east of the Cascades, but a few are seen briefly in places west of those mountains in late April or early May each year. The male with the striking rose-colored streaked gorget fit this pattern. It made multiple morning visits to a window feeder in Woodland to the delight of the residents, only to not be seen again.
We still have numerous species to make an appearance and migration will continue strong all through May, so get out there and enjoy this annual phenomenon, whether it be in your yard or in the forests and fields.
Download the pdf here.
2019 Cowlitz County Bird List - March Update
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By Russ Koppendrayer
Migrants started to trickle in through the month of March and we found a few wintering species that had eluded us earlier.
The big find of the month was a Black-crowned Night-Heron. While there are previous records for this species in Cowlitz County this is the first appearance for this species that I'm aware of in the last twenty years. As it's name implies a Black-crowned Night-Heron usually is active and feeds at night and hunkers down on a day roost that can be quite hidden. Fortunately for those wanting to see this bird it was found on two mornings about a week apart and each time remained on that roost throughout the day. Word got around and numerous people got to see it each time.
Get out and enjoy the arrival of migrants whether in your neighborhood or out in the field. The pace will pick up over the next weeks.
Download the pdf here.
2019 Cowlitz Columbia CBC Results
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By Bob Reistroffer
On Tuesday, January 1, 2019 the 37th Cowlitz-Columbia Christmas Bird Count (3CBC), the first of the New Year, was conducted. We had 19 field observers and 3 feeder watchers out for the day peering through the fog and finding 89 species of birds. The species count this year was the lowest since 2010. Since 2010 we have had 4 years with over 100 species and the rest in the mid 90’s. Our highest species number was 108 in 2013 and 2016.
The count circle was begun in 1982 with 57 species and 4,545 individual birds found. This year we found 89 species and 14,721 individuals. We recorded some all time individual high counts; 597 Tundra Swans, 394 Ring-necked Ducks, 165 Buffleheads, 664 Rock Doves, 13 Red-breasted Sapsuckers, 200 Western Scrub Jays, 98 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 768 American Robins, and 13 Brown Creepers(tied a high).
Thank you to all our field observers and feeder watchers.
2019 Wahkiakum CBC Results
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By Andrew Emlen
We found 109 species (about average for this circle) plus six additional count week species, despite fairly steady rain. The most abundant species in the circle was Greater Scaup with a count of 23,832, followed by Cackling Goose with 12,240. The most unusual species found were a Lesser Goldfinch (a Wahkiakum county and Wahkiakum CBC first) on Puget Island, a Harris's Sparrow on Aldrich Point Road in Brownsmead, and a Lesser Yellowlegs on Jackson-Pentilla Road in Brownsmead (a first for this CBC). New high counts were set for Trumpeter Swan, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck (302, previous high 188), Black Phoebe (10, previous high 4), California Scrub-jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, and American Robin (683, previous high 394).
We missed Townsend's Warbler for the first time. A count of 1 Western Grebe was disturbingly low (previous low 23, previous high 245).
The count was hampered somewhat by the government shutdown, as the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge boat could not be used to access the more inaccessible islands (Marsh and Karlson Islands) of the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge. Nevertheless, most islands were accessed via kayaks.
Thanks again to everyone for volunteering!
2019 Leadbetter Christmas Bird Count Results
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By Suzy Whittey
The Leadbetter Christmas Bird Count (and the WHAS) would like to thank the generosity of all of the private property owners and businesses who allowed the birders to access their property to count birds.
A special thanks to Anita’s Café in Ocean Park and the Hunter’s Inn in Naselle for feeding the birders breakfast and dinner respectively.
The Audubon “Leadbetter” Christmas Bird count falls within a fifteen mile circle on a map that includes the peninsula from 185th street north to the tip and around Willapa Bay as far north as Bay Center. There were 28 hardy birders that volunteered their day to count as many birds as they could within this circle.
The total number of species that were counted on Dec. 15th was 92, down slightly from previous years. The birders had a good day of weather between our coastal storms, but the storms played a role in the low numbers.
Spring 2019 Whistler is online
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The Spring 2019 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Join us for the 2019 Willapa Hills Annual Meeting Banquet
- Photographer and Shorebird Expert Featured At Annual Meeting Banquet
- President Message: One Last Lecture - An Elder’s View
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- All the detailed results of the local Christmas Bird Count’s
- Upon logging my 40th Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey
- Trinidad and Tobago Comes to Kelso: Rich Birding on the Caribbean Island
- Shorebird Identification Class and Walk
- Board Notes
- Final Cowlitz County Bird List for 2018
- WHAS February Field trip review to Billy Frank Nisqually Nat'l Wildlife Refuge
- April Field Trip for Spring Migration at Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge
- May Field Trip to Nisqually Forest Loop
2019 Cowlitz County Bird List - February Update
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What a month we had in February for weather, as we're just not used to it being that cold for such a prolonged time. The snow in the foothills kept birders out of locations with much elevation, and the cold in the lower flood plain areas didn't get us out in those spots as much as usual either.
Still, we enjoyed the greater than usual abundance of Varied Thrush at low elevation where they were pushed by the snow cover in their more typical haunts. We also had a couple flocks of Western Bluebirds found, one each at the south and north edges of Cowlitz County in mid month, just a bit earlier than usual for this early migrant species. One group was in the Woodland Bottoms and the second along the Cowlitz River right at the Lewis County line.
Could these birds have been easier for us to find as they may sometimes use tree farm clear cuts at slightly higher elevations for migration stops and been pushed lower by the snow cover? Birding is always interesting even in spite of the inclement weather.
Many thanks to Terry Anderson for providing the attached photo of one of the Western Bluebirds seen in the Woodland Bottoms on 2/9/19.
Download the pdf here.
2019 Cowlitz County Bird List - January Update
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As usual we jump started our year with a nice list of species from the Cowlitz/Columbia Christmas Bird Count on New Year's Day.
Our most unusual finds occurred in the Woodland Bottoms, starting with our fifth record of Brant on 1/4/19. This goose spends the winter eating eel grass in Willapa Bay and other coastal areas and rarely ventures this far inland.
Even more exciting was Cowlitz's third record of Palm Warbler found on 1/28/19 and still present at the end of the month. It had been seen by a number of birders. A species that breeds in boggy areas of Canada and very northeast U.S. east of the Rockies spends its winters in the southeast U.S. and the West Indies. A much smaller number winter annually from western California up into coastal Washington with numbers decreasing as you go north.
This winter there has been a much greater influx of this species into Washington as well as some a little farther inland, and our bird is a part of that phenomenon.
Download the pdf here.
2018 Cowlitz County Bird List - Final
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The Cowlitz County Bird List is maintained by Russ Koppendrayer. Here is his take on 2018:
I believe this was the first time in the history of this project that we added NO new species in the final two month period. Never the less we had a very nice year breaking through the 200 barrier again with 201 species.
Three of those species were seen in the county for the first time ever. They were as follows: A Broad-winged Hawk was seen by an experienced hawk watcher who happened to be counting migrating Turkey Vultures in September at the Woodland Bottoms. A flock of Common Redpolls at a west Longview park in January that were part of a massive irruption of this species in all of Washington during the winter of '17-'18. Also a Dickcissel made a stop at a bird bath north of Kelso in early June and was photographed by the owner.
The only species that was a big miss was Dunlin, a shorebird that can over winter here in small numbers, and if we miss them then we find them in spring migration. Not this year for whatever reason. On to a new year of exciting birding in Cowlitz County to see what it has to offer.
Download the pdf here.
Winter 2018/19 Whistler is online
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The Winter 2018/19 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Cusp of Spring Field Trip to Nisqually Refuge
- Long Beach CBC needs new coordinator for 2019
- President Message: Winging It
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- All the details about local Christmas Bird Count’s
- Should winter bird feeding include hummingbirds?
- Slurping of Trumpeter Swans
- Programs and Fieldtrips
- Thayer birding software available free for young birder
- 2018 Cowlitz County Bird List - October Update
- ALERT – Your Comments Needed on Long Term Conservation Strategy for the Marbled Murrelet
- 2018 Cowlitz County Bird List - August Update
- Fall 2018 Whistler is online
- The Marbled Murrelets Need You This Fall
- 2018 Cowlitz County Bird List - June Update
- Summer 2018 Whistler is online
- 2018 Cowlitz County Bird List - April Update
- Osprey Watch Cam at University of Oregon