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By Russ Koppendrayer
We had a couple very impressive finds in Cowlitz County during June. First was a pair of Eastern Kingbirds found at the Toutle River Sediment Retention Dam. Just the third record of this species in the county, they were observed building a nest. Later in the month only one individual was being seen. Whether the nesting attempt was aborted or a hidden nest was in use is not known at this time.
The second great find was a Cassin's Auklet in the Columbia River just downstream from Kalama. Not only was this the first ever record of this species in Cowlitz County, but I couldn't find any other record for this sea going alcid in fresh water anywhere in Washington prior to this find. It was observed swimming for about ten minutes including a couple of dives before it flew off and was not relocated. An unusual occurrence indeed.
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By Russ Koppendrayer
A couple species more typically found in eastern Washington were observed in Cowlitz County during this May.
The first was the third county record of Dusky Flycatcher, a species that may occur here occasionally in spring migration, but very difficult to distinguish from the much more prevalent Hammond's Flycatcher.
The second was the first ever county record of Lark Sparrow. This species prefers to nest on arid grassland or sagebrush with rocky soil in eastern Washington. Lark Sparrow seems to make an appearance somewhere in western Washington with a bit of regularity at random locations. With this record in Cowlitz County, only Wahkiakum and Mason counties have never hosted this handsome bird.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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