Cowlitz County Bird List - March Update
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Details
Willapa Hills Audubon Society is pleased to announce this year’s annual banquet program. Adaptive Strategies of Shorebirds will be presented at the Longview Women’s Club, 835 21st Ave, Longview, at 7 pm, Friday, March 29, 2024. All are welcome.
Shorebirds are a fun and fascinating group of birds that have adapted to their environment physically, behaviorally, and physiologically to improve their chances at survival. Naturalist David Slater will lead a photo-based discussion to discuss some of these adaptations.
Join us for this investigation into our coastal bird life.
Dave Slater earned an M.S. degree in zoology and has had careers as a marine biologist, radiobiologist, environmental chemist, and aerospace project manager. He collaborated to publish research on Bowhead whale feeding, studied the adaptive strategies of a crustacean and led marine intertidal field trips for zoology students. Dave has taught or assisted in teaching five university zoology courses and has presented at many professional and community gatherings.
Dave and his wife, Yvonne, are recent transplants to the area and new members of WHAS. They recently participated in two CBCs sponsored by WHAS. Dave enjoys leading field trips and is a welcome addition to the SW Washington birding community.
Vaux Swift Program with Larry Schwitters
- Details
Join Larry Schwitters, National Audubon’s most recent William Dutcher award recipient, in a zoom program to be held at 7 pm, Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Schwitters is the champion of the Vaux Swift and has organized and compiled the counting of their numbers during migration all along the pacific flyway. He’ll educate us about Swifts and tell us more about his project known as Vaux’s Happenings. The program will be about an hour, with some time for questions.
Join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83968751310?pwd=MUlTVFRINzR6Lzl3Nm9uSEhCYkswQT09
Meeting ID: 839 6875 1310
Passcode: 310542
Annual Banquet and Program
- Details
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 welcolme 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.
Please join us for this lively event and meet fellow birders and conservation enthusiasts. If you can, RSVP Gloria Nichols by
Program: Adaptive Strategies of Shorebirds
Willapa Hills Audubon Society is pleased to announce this year’s annual banquet program. Adaptive Strategies of Shorebirds will be presented at the Longview Women’s Club, 835 21st Ave, Longview, at 7 pm, Friday, March 29, 2024. All are welcome.
Shorebirds are a fun and fascinating group of birds that have adapted to their environment physically, behaviorally, and physiologically to improve their chances at survival. Naturalist David Slater will lead a photo-based discussion to discuss some of these adaptations.
Join us for this investigation into our coastal bird life.
Dave Slater earned an M.S. degree in zoology and has had careers as a marine biologist, radiobiologist, environmental chemist, and aerospace project manager. He collaborated to publish research on Bowhead whale feeding, studied the adaptive strategies of a crustacean and led marine intertidal field trips for zoology students. Dave has taught or assisted in teaching five university zoology courses and has presented at many professional and community gatherings.
Dave and his wife, Yvonne, are recent transplants to the area and new members of WHAS. They recently participated in two CBCs sponsored by WHAS. Dave enjoys leading field trips and is a welcome addition to the SW Washington birding community.
Spring 2024 Whistler is available
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Vaux Swifts Fall Migration in The Oregonian
- 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