Vaux's Swifts migration is on!
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The Carpet One Chimney in Rainier, OR is busy with Vaux's Swifts every night. Sunday night Linda Jennings counted 521. Check it out, best place to watch is from the steps of the city hall.
Date -- Sunday, August 27, 2017
Observer -- Linda Jennings
Site location -- Rainier Carpet One
Observation Start Time -- 7:30:00 PM
Observation End Time -- 8:38:00 PM
First Sighting: Time -- 7:32:00 PM
First Bird In: 8:16:00 PM
Last Bird In: 8:26:00 PM
Time of Sunset -- 7:59:00 PM
TOTAL COUNT -- 521
2017 Cowlitz County Bird List - June Update
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We only added two species in June and both were species that are annually late arriving summer residents; Red-eyed Vireo and Common Nighthawk. However the main reason these were the only two was our ability to find all the other typical breeding species by the end of May. Not only that, but this appears to be the highest number of species recorded in the county by the half way point in the year since the inception of this project.
As is my normal, I will only be updating this list every other month from now to year's end. We do typically get some rarities for the county in fall migration and early winter, so be on the look out.
Download the pdf here.
Summer 2017 Whistler is online
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The Summer 2017 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- WHAS Summer Picnic Invitation
- Board Notes
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- Brown Canyon Field Trip Report
- Puget Sound's Great blue herons provide summertime watching
- New WHSRN Site dedicated at Willapa Bay, Washington
- Programs and Fieldtrips
2017 Cowlitz County Bird List - May Update
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May saw a continuation of migrants both passing through and the breeding birds arriving. One highlight were the seven Franklin's Gulls that spent a day in the Woodland Bottoms. These gulls with black hoods were enjoyed by a number of birders as they made the second ever record for the county as they passed through to their more inland breeding sites.
Also of interest were a pair of Black Phoebes found at Washburn Road north of Kelso. In addition to being only the fifth record for Cowlitz County they also appeared to attempting to nest. This would be the first breeding record for the county of this species which continues to slowly move its range northward.
Download the pdf here.
2017 Cowlitz County Bird List - April Update
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There was a singing Cassin's Finch found near the parking lot of the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater Lake in early April. In the 11 years of this project, this is only the second time we have recorded this species.
They are more typically found on the east slope of the Cascades from the Ponderosa zone on up to the crest with a few found just on the west side of the Cascade crest. With the east edge of Cowlitz County quite a ways west of the crest this species is only found sporadically in our county. A nice addition to this years list.
Download the pdf here.
Some Birds seen on the Oregon Coast
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This year-round bird was found during a morning bird walk at Fort Stevens State Park on the north Oregon Coast.
Two Whimbrels were seen on the beach at Gearhart. This is a sure sign that the spring shorebird migration is about to begin.
This pair of snowy plovers may be anticipating nesting on the Geahart Spit at the mouth of the Necanicum River. The banded bird is the male. These birds have been observed at this location since last December.
This White-crowned Sparrow is establishing its territory and hoping to attract a mate with his song.
2017 Cowlitz County Bird List - March Update
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The slow trickle of spring migrants continued in March, with the highlight of the month being a White-tailed Kite spending the end of the month along Barlow Point Road west of Longview. This species was once common in the Willow Grove/Barlow Point area until the December 2008 snow episode found this species eliminated from southwest Washington and northwest Oregon.
The nearly two feet of snow that lasted for two weeks left this beautiful raptor unable to find food and they perished. Since then there have been a few records of this species in western Washington, including one at Willow Grove in November 2011, all of which were a few days or less. Many birders have been enjoying "our" bird including many new to the hobby for whom it is their first ever sighting. Hopefully it will stick around and be the beginning of the re-population here of this species.
Download the pdf here.
Tundra Swans and Canvasback Ducks near Svensen OR
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These photos were taken on March 4, 2017 near Svensen, Oregon, a small community off OR30 and show an abundance of Tundra Swans and Canvasback ducks. The quiet of the morning allowed John and Margaret Green to hear the lovely sounds of the swans feeding. They saw a plethora of waterfowl including Snow Geese and Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal. A few Greater Yellow Legs searched for breakfast. Eagles were in the tree tops.
Eagles feeding at Ft. Stevens State Park
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There were actually 9 eagles, both immature and mature on the ground at the elk carcass and 4 mature soaring above. This was near the south jetty at Ft Stevens State Park in NW Oregon. Quite remarkable. There were also ravens as you can see and John saw 2 Turkey Vultures as well, despite it still being early for vultures.
Spring 2017 Whistler is online
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The Spring 2017 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Annual Meeting and Dinner Announcement
- The Green's Observation on Living on the Coast
- A Message to Our National Audubon Members
- Membership Form
- NW Birding Events
- Help Protect the Marbled Murrelet
- Trumpeter Swan on Long Beach
- CBC Results
- Great Egret images
- Bald Eagle Surveyors Spy Twelve
- Plant a Tree for Wildlife
- WHAS brings nature to the Children’s Discovery Museum
- Programs and Fieldtrips
- Great Egret feeding on Stickleback
- Trumpeter Swan on the Long Beach Peninsula
- Urgent Action Alert: Attack on Public Lands
- 2017 Cowlitz County Bird List - January Update
- The Green's Observation on Living on the Coast
- Dep. of Natural Resources Denies Lease for Millennium’s Coal Export Terminal in Longview
- Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 17-20
- Final 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List
- Winter 2016 Whistler is online
- September/October 2016 Cowlitz County Bird List