Final 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List
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The Cowlitz County Bird List is maintained by Russ Koppendrayer.
Thank you Russ!
Here is his review of 2015:
What a finish to a record breaking year! We finished with 207 species in 2015 which is four more than our previous high.
Capping the final months was a Yellow-throated Warbler that spent two weeks at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview and was seen by more than 50 birders and well documented with photographs. As well as a first for Cowlitz, this bird was only the third ever for all of Washington. While searching for the warbler a pair of birders found Cowlitz's first ever Northern Mockingbird a couple blocks from the park. This bird also was also seen by many observers during its twelve day stay.
To end our fantastic stretch the county's third record of Rusty Blackbird was found in the Woodland Bottoms just before sunset on December 31.
Download the pdf file here.
The Great Backyard Bird Count
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Have some fun this winter counting birds at your outdoor feeder—and at the same time aid important world-wide scientific research. The Great Backyard Bird Count, hosted by The Cornell Lab, Audubon and Bird Studies Canada, will take place on February 12-15 2016.
This is a fun way to stay connected to the outdoors on cold, wet winter days while staying dry and warm in your kitchen. It's a super way to get kids involved in nature activities and science!
Just count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the GBBC. If you have never participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count before, you must get started by registering at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/ All the information you will need is available through the same web page. A valuable app, called eBird, is also available that helps with identifying birds and uploading your results—but this is not a required item to participate. Just create an account, read the instructions and start watching birds. Report your count back to the web site.
You can receive additional help by contacting Larry Brandt, Science Committee Chair, Willapa Hills Audubon Society - email or 360-200-4580.
Northern Mockingbird seen at Lake Sacajawea
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As frequently happens birders chasing a rarity find another. Attached is the eBird post of the folks who dipped on the warbler, but found a Northern Mockingbird in a holly tree somewhere in the vicinity of 15th & Baltimore. Photos embedded in the list as well.
Rare Birdsighting in Western WA: Yellow-throated Warbler
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A Yellow-throated Warbler was found on the Kessler side of Lake Sacajawea in Longview. It is definitely a county first, a Western Washington first, and only the 3rd recorded sighting in the state, the first two on the east side of the Cascades.
Happy birding, to all.
October 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List
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Russ Koppendrayer's review of early fall:
Download the pdf file here.
Winter 2015 Whistler is online
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The Winter 2015 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Revitalizing WHAS - Invitation to an important board meeting
- Annual Lake Sacajawea Walk & Social
- Membership Form
- Olympic Birdfest, Winter Wings Festival, Great North Central Washington Bird Race
- Christmas Bird Count details
- Sharnelle Fee, 1947-2015
- Highlights of Audubon Council of Washington (ACOW)
- Conservation Committee Efforts
- Highlights of WSACC Meeting
- Crossing Path with Washington’s Wildlife - Birdbaths
- WHAS Nomination form
- Book Review: Fastest Thing On Wings
- Programs and Fieldtrips
Precipitous Decline of Marbled Murrelet in Washington – How You Can Help
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The Marbled Murrelet is a robin-sized bird that was listed as threatened in 1992 under the Endangered Species Act. This bird spends most of its life on near-shore waters from northern California to Alaska. It flies inland to breed high in the canopy of old-growth forest within sixty miles of shore.
The NW Forest Plan was created in 1993 to protect breeding habitat for Marbled Murrelet and Northern Spotted Owl. Without this plan there would now be no old-growth forest on state or federal lands; however, private landowners can cut any timber.
This August shocking news was published on the status of Marbled Murrelet after 20 years of the NW Forest Plan. The science report said:
- In Washington State the Plan has not been successful--the population of Marbled Murrelet has declined 48% since 2001.
- This decline in numbers is tied to decline in breeding habitat, mostly due to timber harvest of habitat on nonfederal lands. Marine conditions were not an important factor.
- The decrease in both habitat and numbers is the largest in SW Washington, where there is little federal forested land. To read the full report, go to “MAMU GTR” at the bottom of http://www.reo.gov/monitoring/reports/20yr-report/
At current rates of decline there will be no Marbled Murrelet in SW Washington within 15 years! If the SW Washington population disappears, the northern population of birds in Washington, Canada and Alaska will be genetically isolated from the southern population in Oregon and California. This genetic bottleneck could quickly lead to species extinction. The situation for Marbled Murrelets is critical.
BUT YOU CAN HELP THIS OCTOBER! To find out how, click the read more below.
Read more: Precipitous Decline of Marbled Murrelet in Washington – How You Can Help
August 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List
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Russ Koppendrayer's outlook into the fall:
Fall migration of neotropical species winds down in the first half of September, but we should have some spurts of these birds for a couple of weeks. Shorebird species have about the same time frame, but they can be extremely difficult in Cowlitz during the fall as all the shallow ponds tend to dry up leaving very little appropriate habitat. The former Longview Sewage Treatment Ponds out at the west end of town (Ocean Beach Highway at Coal Creek Rd.) seem to be worth checking however. These have been decommissioned and the edges offer a bit of mud for shorebirds as they dry out in late summer. Be warned that a spotting scope is really needed to thoroughly check this site from the pull-out along Coal Creek Rd and walking along the gated dike.
Download the pdf file here.
Columbia Riverkeeper's new Handford video
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This August marks the 70th anniversary of the devastating bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II. Hanford produced the plutonium for “Fat Man,” the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Watch Columbia Riverkeeper's newest short film, “Hanford: A Race Against Time” showing how Hanford’s nuclear legacy poses an ever-present threat to the Columbia River and river communities.
Columbia Riverkeepers are also collecting signatures for a petition to President Obama about Hanford cleanup. Go here for more information.
Fall 2015 Whistler is online
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The Fall 2015 Whistler is available now.
Read more of its content:
- Lower Columbia Interpretive Center Bird Exhibit
- Membership Form
- Ridgefield Birdfest and Bluegrass
- Okanogan Trip – Spring 2015
- Unusual American Goldfinches
- Loss of Forest Snags in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- WHAS partners with Lower Columbia School Gardens
- Marbled Murrelet updates
- Audubon Birds and Climate Change Report
- Programs and Fieldtrips
- June 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List
- May 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List
- Summer 2015 Whistler is online
- April 2015 Cowlitz County Bird List
- An Egrets Frustration
- Black Phoebe’s at Julia Butler-Hansen Refuge
- Proposed Propane Development Faces a Setback In Longview
- Spring 2015 Whistler is online
- 2014 Cowlitz County bird count recap:
- Wildlife Sightings