2025 OPAS Birdathon/World Migratory Bird Day Report

by Bob Boekelheide

The 2025 Migratory Bird Count and Clallam County Birdathon, held on May 10, is in the books. Overall, it wasn’t our worst year, but it wasn’t our best year, either, with a low species count and moderate numbers of birds.

On count day, 76 participants in 59 parties counted 20,151 individual birds of 161 species. The species count scored below the average number of species for the last 30 years (average species count = 180), equaling 2023 for the lowest species count. However, if you add in the 14 “count week” species, which includes those seen from three days before to three days after the count, our total rises to a much healthier 175 species. We didn’t come close to our record number of species (203 in 2012) or record number of individuals (33,537 in 2010). Click here for the 2025 results. 

Making up for the low species count, this year we tallied the highest number of individual birds since 2016. The high number of birds comes largely through the efforts of two valiant counters, Liam Hutcheson and Bud Taliaferro, who separately spotted several thousand Common Murres and Red-necked Phalaropes from Cape Flattery. Those two species made up about one-third of all the birds tallied on the count.

The ten most abundant species this year, in order of abundance, were Common Murre (3508 individuals), Red-necked Phalarope (3350), Glaucous-winged/Olympic Gull (1508), Pelagic Cormorant (745), American Wigeon (600), American Robin (537), Western Sandpiper (519), Rhinoceros Auklet (395), Pigeon Guillemot (315), and Violet-green Swallow (307). These ten species made up about 58 percent of all the birds we counted. There are undoubtedly thousands more murres, gulls, auklets, swallows, and robins out there that didn’t get counted.

Why the low species count this year? First, our coverage was spotty, particularly in the mountains, offshore, at Diamond Point, and in some marshy habitats around Dungeness. We clearly need more dedicated counters willing to spend all day counting birds.

One obvious setback this year is we did not have an offshore boat specifically for our count. Our luck also ran out with no birders reporting from repositioning cruise ships in Clallam waters, as has happened in recent years. There was one cruise ship the next day that added some count-week species, thanks to Sandy Pringle reporting to eBird. This means we missed a variety of seabirds on count day, from storm-petrels to albatrosses.    

The following species were at the low end of their numbers for the last 30 years, even when corrected for effort: California Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow, Cliff Swallow, European Starling, House Sparrow, and Red-winged Blackbird.  We totally missed several species that we often find in low numbers on this count: Lesser Scaup, Black Scoter, American Coot, Wilson’s Snipe, Pied-billed Grebe, Peregrine Falcon, Western Wood-Pewee, and Bullock’s Oriole.

Should we be concerned about these species? Yes and no. Every one of these species is unique, so it’s hard to pinpoint one or two reasons to explain their low numbers. Did we miss them because not enough people looked in the right places? Cliff Swallows, for example, are putting their mud nests on barns and other structures right now, so if no one looked at the right nesting barns then we didn’t count the Cliff Swallows. Conversely, many late spring migrants are just arriving in mid-May, including Cliff Swallows, Western Wood-Pewees and Bullock’s Orioles. In addition, other than singing males, many birds are fairly quiet right now, quietly occupying nests and possibly evading detection by our close-eyed observers.

It’s been a worrisome year for Peregrine Falcons, which have been very scarce going back to well before the last Christmas Bird Count. Could avian flu be taking its toll? Two Peregrines found dead in Clallam more than a year ago both tested positive for avian flu.  Avian flu is probably still present in bird populations, but its current local status is unknown.

Where are American Coots, another species with low numbers on the last Christmas Bird Count?  American Coots have become fairly non-existent right now on the north Olympic Peninsula, even though they are a common bird elsewhere in the western US. What’s happened to them? There are lots of old coots around Sequim, but no American Coots.

Some of these species may genuinely have declining populations, such as Band-tailed Pigeons. Counts in future years will see if these trends continue. It’s curious that some of the declining species include those closely associated with humans, like California Quail, European Starling, and House Sparrow. Honestly, many of these species probably occurred in higher numbers somewhere in Clallam County, but we just missed them this year.

At the opposite extreme, some species scored high counts compared with long-term trends, such as Brant, American Wigeon, Red-necked Phalarope, and Barn Owl. Brant and wigeons have lingered longer this spring in places like Dungeness Bay, with hundreds still present in mid-May. Time to fly north? As described earlier, it’s been a big year for phalaropes close to the coast, maybe diverted towards shore by ocean conditions. Our high Barn Owl count can be attributed to local residents thankfully putting up Barn Owl boxes with cameras, where the owls can be easily counted without disturbance while they raise their families.

Of all the species tallied on Birdathon day, it is interesting to note which ones recorded the highest numbers within different taxonomic groups. These are the species that make up a sizable portion of the avifauna of Clallam County in mid-May:
Most abundant goose: Brant (not Canada Goose, which usually ranks 1st in May)
Most abundant dabbling duck: Am. Wigeon (not Mallard, which usually ranks 1st in May)
Most abundant diving duck: Surf Scoter
Most abundant pigeon or dove: Rock Pigeon
Most abundant hummingbird: Anna’s Hummingbird
Most abundant plover: Black-bellied Plover
Most abundant sandpiper: Western Sandpiper
Most abundant alcid: Common Murre
Most abundant gull: Glaucous-winged/Olympic Gull
Most abundant grebe: Western Grebe (not Red-necked, which usually ranks 1st in May)
Most abundant loon: Pacific Loon
Most abundant cormorant: Pelagic Cormorant
Most abundant diurnal raptor: Bald Eagle
Most abundant owl: Barn Owl (not Barred Owl, which usually ranks 1st in May in recent years)
Most abundant woodpecker: Northern Flicker
Most abundant flycatcher: Western Flycatcher
Most abundant vireo: Warbling Vireo
Most abundant corvid: American Crow
Most abundant chickadee: Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Most abundant swallow: Violet-green Swallow
Most abundant wren: Pacific Wren
Most abundant thrush: American Robin
Most abundant finch: American Goldfinch (followed closely by Pine Siskin)
Most abundant sparrow: White-crowned Sparrow
Most abundant icterid: Red-winged Blackbird
Most abundant warbler: Wilson’s Warbler

It is quite astonishing how consistent some disparate species are from year to year, despite all the changes in people, locations, and effort between years. Here are a few eerie examples comparing 2024 numbers with 2025. It may be just coincidence, but it’s still remarkable and puzzling. Which is more consistent – the birds or the people?

One striking change in this year’s count is that over 90 percent of the counts were lists submitted to eBird. This is both good and bad. It’s wonderful that so many people use this incredible resource to keep bird records. The bad thing, however, is that people don’t consistently keep close track of miles and hours the way they used to on the old tally sheets, nor does eBird separate distance on foot from distance by car. eBird also targets specific locations, such as “Hotspots,” rather than continuously birding throughout the day. The concepts of “party-hour” and “party-miles” has changed, because people do not seem as conscientious about keeping track of the time and miles they spend birding, rather leaving it up to eBird to calculate. Consequently, comparisons between years are not going to be as accurate.          

Next year’s Birdathon again coincides with the World Migratory Bird Day, which always occurs on the second Saturday in May. Next year’s count will be on May 9, 2026 - put it on your calendars right now. We need you!

Many thanks to those who submitted lists on May 10, 2025, particularly those that went the extra mile to explore out-of-the-way places:

Liam Hutcheson, Bud Taliaferro, Denny Van Horn, Tom Backe, Dave LeRoux, Iris Winslow, Scott Gremel, Marie Grad, Libby Burtner, Tom Snetsinger, Judy Mullally, Dave Swinford, Karen Holtrop + 1, Sue Nattinger, Coleman Byrnes, Skip Perkins, Carolyn Perkins, John Mendoza, Isaac Oberly, Katja Bridwell, Dow Lambert, Ken Wiersema, Kathy Cooper, Rick Rodlend, Steve Ford, Leah Mowery +1, Heidi Pedersen, Noel Sturgeon, David Melin, Steve Koehler, Sharle Osbourne, Kate Buenau +2, Mary Dufrain, Susan Savage, Bob Blush, Dan Morrow, Anonymous +2, Karen Cwirla, Ann Harris, JA H, Tonia Signor, Ben Hannah, Jane Nicholas, Hope Anderson, Carolyn Wilcox, Abigail Seevers, Dee Renee Ericks, Amos Almy, Kristen Johansen, Lisa Rutkowski, Sam Hunter, Barb Blackie, Quinn McMahon, Kathy McCoy, Matt McCoy, Eric Rivas, Rhonda Coats, Robin Corcoran, Roger Hoffman, Sandy Pringle (count-week cruise ship), Kathy Bush, Otis Bush, Lisa Engeseth, Mikayla Gullace, Ann Skillman, Deborah Turner, Vince Thrutchley, Adam Krey, Gary Bullock, Bob Boekelheide

2024 Clallam County Birdathon REPORT

by Bob Boekelheide

The OPAS Clallam County Birdathon occurred this year on Saturday, May 11, in conjunction with World Migratory Bird Day. A dedicated group of at least 81 people in 64 parties went birding in Clallam County, providing a wonderful snapshot of spring migrants and nesting birds. In total, we recorded 183 species and 13,853 individual birds. Click here to see the count results.

 Our species count was slightly ahead of our 30-year average of 179 species, but below the record total of 203 species set in 2012. Unfortunately, the individual bird total was the second lowest since 1995, well below our 30-year average of about 22,778 birds.

 Why fewer birds? I believe the answer is partly because we did not do an adequate job counting the most abundant species, which usually contribute about half of all the birds on our counts. The 10 most abundant species this year, in order, were Glaucous-winged/Olympic Gull (1240 individuals), Pelagic Cormorant (656), Mallard (453), American Robin (423), Rhinoceros Auklet (394), Pigeon Guillemot (339), Turkey Vulture (325), Violet-green Swallow (304), American Goldfinch (260), and Common Murre (256). These 10 species made up about one-third of all the birds we counted. There were undoubtedly thousands more gulls, murres, auklets, swallows, and robins out there that didn’t get counted. It takes a different mindset to count large groups of birds, requiring more concentration and awareness.    

In years when we exceed 25,000 birds, it’s because someone took the trouble to do things like 1) observe Tatoosh Island at dusk for flocks of Common Murres, or 2) count Rhinoceros Auklet flocks assembled off Dungeness and Protection Island, or 3) count several gull roosts at spits and river mouths, or 4) tally robins singing during the dawn chorus, particularly on backroads in the Olympic foothills. But we can’t do everything, can we?     

Very few species set record or near-record high counts this year, compared with the last 31 years of our Birdathon. Species with high counts this year included Turkey Vulture, Chipping Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak, and Purple Finch. The high count of Turkey Vultures is largely due to Mike Charest, who tallied 165 vultures passing Bahokus Peak near Neah Bay. Both Chipping Sparrows and Purple Finches continue their long-term increases in the Olympic lowlands. This year was only the sixth time in 30 years that we have recorded Pine Grosbeak during Birdathon, thanks to Michael Barry covering Hurricane Ridge.   

Observers tallied 12 “count week” species, which means they were seen either three days before or three days after the count, but not on count day. Unusual count-week birds included Long-tailed Jaeger, Wandering Tattler, and Common and Arctic Tern, all seen by birders onboard the Sapphire Princess cruise ship, 60 miles offshore on 5/10. The same day Jordan Gunn recorded two American White Pelicans and a Cassin’s Finch while at Bahokus Peak. Other count-week birds included Barrow’s Goldeneye, Red Phalarope, Cassin’s Auklet, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Cassin’s Vireo, and California Scrub-Jay, all species that likely occur somewhere in Clallam County in mid-May, but we missed them on count day.

Other than count week rarities, very few “rare” birds showed up this year on count day. Unusual species included migrating Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks passing by Bahokus Peak, seen by Mike Charest. Sue Nattinger discovered an American Goshawk by Freshwater Bay. Michael Barry found an American Three-toed Woodpecker at Hurricane Ridge.  

Some glaring misses this year included Long-tailed Duck, Ruddy Duck, Virginia Rail, Wilson’s Snipe, Western Screech-Owl, and Great Horned Owl. Once again, all of these species probably occurred somewhere in Clallam County on count day, but we honestly missed them. Showing how easily we could have missed other species, we only recorded one individual of 17 other species, from Eurasian Wigeon to Horned Lark. Species with particularly low counts this year included Vaux’s Swift, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Barn Swallow, American Robin, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brewer’s Blackbird. Otherwise, every species recorded on count day can typically be found somewhere in Clallam County during mid-May. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look and a little bit of luck.

Of all the species tallied on Birdathon day, it is interesting to note which ones recorded the highest numbers within different taxonomic groups. These are the species that make up a sizable portion of the avifauna of Clallam County in mid-May:

Most abundant goose: Canada Goose
Most abundant dabbling duck: Mallard
Most abundant diving duck: Surf Scoter
Most abundant grebe: Red-necked Grebe
Most abundant pigeon or dove: Band-tailed Pigeon
Most abundant hummingbird: Anna’s Hummingbird
Most abundant plover: Black-bellied Plover
Most abundant sandpiper: Dunlin
Most abundant alcid: Rhinoceros Auklet
Most abundant gull: Glaucous-winged/Olympic Gull
Most abundant loon: Pacific Loon
Most abundant cormorant: Pelagic Cormorant
Most abundant diurnal raptor: Bald Eagle
Most abundant owl: Barred Owl
Most abundant woodpecker: Northern Flicker
Most abundant flycatcher: Western Flycatcher
Most abundant vireo: Warbling Vireo
Most abundant corvid: American Crow
Most abundant chickadee: Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Most abundant swallow: Violet-green Swallow
Most abundant wren: Pacific Wren
Most abundant thrush: American Robin
Most abundant finch: American Goldfinch
Most abundant sparrow: Dark-eyed Junco
Most abundant icterid: Red-winged Blackbird
Most abundant warbler: Wilson’s Warbler

Kudos to our counters, particularly those that went the extra mile to explore out-of-the-way places, such as Scott Horton and Joel Brady-Power boating offshore at the west end of Clallam County, Michael Barry reconnoitering Hurricane Ridge, Mike Charest reporting his sightings at Neah Bay, and Skip Perkins and Gary Bullock scouring a multitude of locations in eastern Clallam County.

Many thanks to everyone reporting birds in Clallam County during Birdathon:  

Steve Koehler, Adrianne Akmajian, Alexandra Shumway, Judith White, Janet and Jock Slater, Peter Mann, Sheryl Bates, Edward Leonard, Skip and Caroline Perkins, Susan Savage and Bob Blush, Bob and Enid Phreaner, Sue Nattinger, Coleman Byrnes, Kathy Finholm, Mike Charest, Jean Siesener, Ida Domazlicky, Jane Nicholas, Penny Soares, Karen Holtrop, Pamela Jennings, Bill Baker, Ken Wiersema, Dow Lambert, Marie Grad, Daniel Siminski, Rhonda Coats, Audrey and Jim Gift, Laura Davis, Kate, Peter, and Annette Buenau, John Gatchet, Kristen Johansen, Abby Christensen, Katya Bridwell, Ann Skillman, Steve Ford, Colleen Ostrye, Rosanna Munoz, Libby Burtner, Iris Winslow, Brenda Grall, Scott Horton, Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, Pauline Sterin, David Brown, Adam Krey, David Swinford, Pam Danner, Heidi Pedersen, James Grove, Nicholas Cottrell, Christa D, Ian Short, Windy Light, Vince Thrutchley, Mary Dufrain, Kathy and Otis Bush, Michael Barry, Joyce Volmut, Joel Brady-Power, Bob Boekelheide, Liam Hutcheson, Jason Vassallo, Rich Hoyer, Ed Corey, Bill Shelmerdine and at least 10 others on the Sapphire Princess, and two Anonymous eBirders.

We now enter the dog days of summer. By mid-July nearly all songbirds around here have finished their nesting seasons -- chicks have fledged, males stop singing, and territories have been abandoned. After nesting, nearly all birds at this latitude molt their feathers, so they retreat to special areas to change their plumages and avoid detection. Our local woods become eerily quiet.

As a result, our summer birding efforts move from forests to the coasts, where shorebirds returning from the Arctic and the interior of North America fuel up at local mudflats and marshes. It’s time for shorebirds! Also don’t forget the most unappreciated migration occurring right here on our doorstep: thousands of California Gulls passing by from inland nesting colonies on their way to California and Mexico. Check BirdCast often, the great new bird migration prediction tool from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, then test their predictions by going birding. See you out there!            

Remember the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.”  Nearly all nesting songbirds rely on insects to feed their chicks, yet we continue to slaughter insects through the use of insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids. Studies have shown that neonicotinoids, which affect nearly all non-target species of insects like bees and butterflies, have caused the greatest losses, even more than habitat loss and climate change. Neonicotinoids have been largely banned in Europe, yet they continue to be used extensively in the United States, particularly as a seed coating that becomes systemic in the plants. Do your part by using organic foods and encouraging regulations that limit the overuse of neonicotinoids.         

If you are interested in local bird sightings, check out eBird at https://ebird.org/explore, then under "Explore Regions" enter Clallam or Jefferson County.  Please join eBird and add your own sightings, as well.