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How many Birds can you see in Washington State?

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Last Updated: February 15, 2014

According to a recent article in the Seattle Times the present record for most birds seen in Washington State is held by Gene Hunn at 442 out of 505 species known in the state. There are thousands of birdwatchers in the state, but only a relative handful keep serious bird lists. Living up to the excitement in the recent film "The Big Year," bird listing exists for Washington State too.

The record stands at 359th avian species witnessed in the state in 2001 by  Marv Breece, of Seattle, and the record is still holding up.

Check out the article for more details.

WHAS members John and Margaret Green featured in The Chronicle

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Last Updated: February 06, 2023

The Chronicle article featuring the Greens

Here is some great info on birding in our local Cowlitz and Columbia Counties thanks to Willapa Hills Audubon members Margaret and John Green, which were recently interviewed by the St. Helens Chronicle.

"We've had some ducks come into the lake here and people from all over Washington come to see this," said John Green, a long time birder and member of the Willapa Hills Audubon Society. Green and his wife, Margaret, live just across the street from Lake Sacajawea in Longview. The 30-acre park offers some of the best opportunities to get involved in bird watching. "Last year we had a bird that was rare for our area, for our county, and we'd go out and walk the lake and I would run into somebody from Seattle who had come down and hey'd ask where it is," said Margaret.

For more see the article in The Chronicle.

November / December 2011 Whistler is Online

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Last Updated: December 27, 2017

Click to Download the pdfThe November / December 2011 Whistler
is available now.

Read more of its content:

  • WHAS Backyard Bird Calendar;
  • Membership Application Form;
  • Indian Jack Slough Update;
  • WHAS Donation to Wake Robin;
  • President Message;
  • Christmas Bird Count’s 2011 Update;
  • Winter Bird Feeding;
  • Wildlife Sightings;
  • Penguin Program;
  • Book Review: Moby Duck;
  • Backyard Birding Information;
  • WHAS Programs and Field Trips;

Backyard Birds Calendar 2012 for sale

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Last Updated: February 06, 2023

Calendar 2012

Now available, the WHAS 2012 Calendar features beautiful photos of Northwest backyard birds, shown in the month they're here, along with tips on creating your bird friendly yard, as well as a special section for keeping track of your backyard bird sightings.

Read more: Backyard Birds Calendar 2012 for sale

Christmas Bird Counts Overview 2011

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Last Updated: February 15, 2014

Christmas Bird CountThe Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is citizen-science at its best.  You can help with this effort, whether you have ever gone bird watching or not.  You will have the opportunity to meet new people with interests in birds, or spend time with friends from previous years.  Observant eyes are needed for that day: the more the better.  You can point out where you see birds and experts in your group can do the identifying; if you do know some of the birds in your area, so much the better.  This is your chance to help collect the information which will direct decisions in the future, decisions which will affect how much natural beauty, including birds, remains for future generations.

Bring your binoculars if you have some, boots, warm clothes and a lunch, and join us for a day outside, looking closely at some of Nature's most interesting creatures, sharing the day with people who have similar interests.

Read more: Christmas Bird Counts Overview 2011

Bald Eagle Recovery

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Last Updated: February 06, 2023

More bald eagles spend the winter in Oregon than anywhere in the U.S. outside Alaska. Yet the lower Columbia River is one area in Oregon where eagles have trouble successfully hatching eggs.

Watch a recent Bald Eagle episode of OPB's Oregon Field Guide.

Duckling sightings at Lake Sacajawea

Details
Last Updated: February 15, 2014

Duck at Lake Sacajawea - Click to enlarge

It is unusual for ducks to have ducklings this time of year as well as for them to survive the raccoons which inhabit the lake area. There are perhaps a dozen eggs and 4 or 5 hatchlings as of October 12th. As of October 26th, three ducklings were still observed with their mother, who appears to be a feral domesticated duck.

Urban Bird Adaptations

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Last Updated: February 06, 2023

Check out this Science News Article "When Birds Go To Town" for insights into how birds adapt to or are impacted by noisy environments, how trash filled diets impact birds reproductive success and what kind of reception the crows in Seattle may give you if you walk around in a caveman mask.

Rainier's Vaux's Swifts fall update

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Last Updated: February 15, 2014

Vaux Swift in Rainier OR

Upon learning that 3,000 Vaux's Swifts were observed at Chapman School in Portland the other night, Darrel Whipple decided to check out Carpet One in Rainier.  Result was Carpet One - 0, Rainier's Old Hall (Big Green) - 82. The migrating swifts are dropping into the tallest chimney in Big Green (the northwest corner, behind City Hall). Some were observed there during the northward migration in May,

Read more: Rainier's Vaux's Swifts fall update

September / October 2011 Whistler is Online

Details
Last Updated: December 27, 2017

Click to Download the pdfThe September / October 2011 Whistler
is available now.

Read more of its content:

  • WHAS Summer Picnic;
  • Update on Backyard Bird Calendar;
  • WHAS Movie Series;
  • Member Form;
  • Bird Quiz;
  • WHAS Kids Day Story;
  • Sapsuckers – Persistent birds drill into, but usually do not harm trees;
  • Introducing WHAS volunteers;
  • Fall ACOW;
  • WHAS Programs and Field Trips;
  • National Coverage of Proposed Coal Terminal in Longview
  • Check out our bird lists
  • July / August 2011 Whistler is Online
  • Read about WHAS members in the Daily News
  • May / June 2011 Whistler is Online
  • Call for bird photos
  • Bird spring migration maps
  • March / April 2011 Whistler is Online
  • Backyard Bird Lists
  • An Unusual Avian Visitor
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Upcoming Events

Aug 16;
WHAS Summer Picnic
Sep 13;
WHAS 50th Anniversary Celebration
Oct 25;
WHAS Regular Board Meeting

Audubon WA News

  • Are there Still Greater Sage-grouse on Private Lands in South Central Washington?
    Audubon partners with WDFW to survey private lands in the Toppenish Ridge management Area
  • Is Estuary Habitat Restoration Increasing Bird Populations?
    Audubon Washington's Coasts Manager joins the Salish Sea Estuaries Avian Monitoring (SSEAM) program for avian surveys at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
  • "Elevation" Program Shapes the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
    The Seward Park Audubon Center wraps up its first season of the "Elevation" teen engagement program
  • Western Snowy Plover Recovery at Leadbetter Point National Wildlife Refuge
    Audubon Washington Coasts Program Manager Anna Vallery joins WDFW's plover surveys
  • Field Notes: Sage-grouse Surveys on the Columbia Plateau

National Audubon News

  • Northern Waterthrush by Vanesa Álvarez Díaz
    Listen to the bird in this mural! 1810418105 Painted: 6/13/2025 About the Mural: In this mural painted by Vanesa Álvarez Díaz, a Northern Waterthrush perches on a branch amid a selection of...
  • Blackpoll Warbler by Yukiko Izumi
    Listen to the bird in this mural! 1806318064 Painted: 6/2/2025 About the Mural: In this mural painted by Yukiko Izumi, male and female Blackpoll Warblers pop amid a tangle of native plants:...
  • Blue-winged Warbler by Geobany Rodriguez
    Listen to the bird in this mural! 1806018061 Painted: 4/27/2025 About the Mural: In this mural painted by Geobany Rodriguez, a Blue-winged Warbler perches on the side of a garden shed,...
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