Cowlitz County Bird List - June Update
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Details
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
- Details
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
- 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
- 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
- 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