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By Russ Koppendrayer
May saw the spring neotropical migrants continue to arrive and were enjoyed by many birders. For us in Cowlitz County the rarest to be seen were a couple of Lark Sparrows at the sediment retention dam on the Toutle River. For some reason this large sparrow with a striking appearance was seen in unusually large numbers in western Washington this spring. In our state they seem to prefer rocky slopes with some short grass east of the Cascade Mountains for breeding. Only the second record for the county consisted of the two individuals together foraging for seeds in the short grass on top of the sediment retention structure.
Dusky Flycatchers which appear as a code 5 species in the attached list were seen in two locations near Coldwater Lake in May. Code 5 means less than five records for the county and should definitely have been updated to code 4 last year. At any rate this species, formerly difficult to find in Cowlitz County, may have nested in the brushy slopes of the St. Helens blowdown area last summer and may be trying to do the same this year. Not all that surprising as they have bred nearby in similar habitat upslope around the mountain in Skamania County.
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By Russ Koppendrayer
April migration was fairly typical with a trickle of new species for most of the month and then a rush of new finds in the last week as migration started to reach its peak. Birds will continue to pour through the area for the next few weeks before tailing off again. No big rarities were found, just a few Code 4s, which means they have occurred in Cowlitz at least five times but are not seen annually. A Northern Goshawk seen at Canal Road was the most unusual of this group as we go numerous years between records of this species.
In early April I was made aware of an incredible bird found in Cowlitz County during February. An injured Laysan Albatross found at Willow Grove was captured and sent to PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) in Lynnwood, Washington to be rehabbed. Not only is this family of birds typically found over the open ocean, but this particular species is found in very low numbers off the Washington coast. The rehab was successful and with an assist from the Coast Guard the bird was released a few miles out into the Pacific Ocean.
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By Russ Koppendrayer
As we continued into early spring in March the species list grew slowly, but some very interesting birds were found.
A Chipping Sparrow in the Woodland Bottoms was either over a month early or more likely a bird that had over wintered in the area. A Golden Eagle in the Cascade foothills and Say's Phoebes at both Woodland and Kalama are species found in Cowlitz County most years, but not annually. A Pelagic Cormorant seen from the Longview waterfront flying upstream on the Columbia River was the fourth record for the county. Last, but certainly not least was a Clay-colored Sparrow found in the Woodland Bottoms. While this was the third record of this species in Cowlitz County, it was the first in twenty years, with the most recent being in November of 2003.
Here's looking forward to more excitement and much enjoyment as the summer breeders and migrants just passing through become more numerous over the next couple months. Enjoy!
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By Russ Koppendrayer
While we added some nice species to our composite year list in February, none of them fit in the rarity category.
The smelt runs up the Columbia River and its Cowlitz County tributaries is one of the great spectacles of nature. These tiny but highly nutritious fish attract hordes of predators as they come upstream, including many sea lions, hundreds of Bald Eagles and thousands of gulls. Typically during a large smelt run (this year was one) we find a few vagrant gull species as mixed with the huge flocks of the usual seven species. This year a single Bonaparte's Gull was the sole oddity found in spite of a fairly robust effort by knowledgeable birders. While not one of our regular seven winter species it's not quite a rarity as we expect to see a few during their spring migration in April.
A middle of February sighting of Barn Swallow was also about two months early although winter records of the species are becoming more frequent. All other additions to the list were expected arrivals or resident species we happened to miss in January.
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By Russ Koppendrayer
After not adding any new species to our complete list in 2022 we started off the new year with a bang by adding Brandt's Cormorant before noon on the 1st. This fish eating bird has a strong proclivity for salt water and very rarely would come this far upstream on the Columbia River. Found first at the end of Sportsman's Club Road, it was spotted again that day across the river from the Rainier Marina. On the morning of January 2nd it was seen for the last time near the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
Another rarity for the month was our fourth record of Ross's Goose, found mid month floating in the Columbia at Woodland in a large raft of diving ducks.
As usual we got the month off to a fine start with the Christmas Bird Count giving us a nice number of species on January 1st. Here's to a great year of birding for all of you.
Download the pdf here.