Douglas County Birding

Well, here we go again!

I am a Washington state birder. Any other details aside, this will stick. For about fifteen years now, I've been learning about birds, and using them as an excuse to explore this beautiful state. There are a lot of ways people approach birding, but I've found an approach that has always felt like a good fit: 

Pick a county. Bird it for a year.

I actually started with a larger plan, in my original 39 counties year back in 2011. In that year, I turned 39, and tried to see 39 species of birds in each of the 39 counties of the state in a year. Unfortunately (?) I fell in love with all of them along the way! I have since taken my county totals to 100 in every county. A fellow birder congratulated me on the accomplishment, and warned me "It'll take you just as long to get to 150 in every county."

How to find 150 species of birds in every county: 

1) Get thee to Garfield County. 

Well, or to Columbia. . .or Wahkiakum. . .the point is, there are some counties that are a little smaller, and a little less diverse in terms of habitat. Getting to these counties numerous times is simply essential. Timing those trips to catch the most birds, and maybe even following up on rare sightings. . . all of these things help. 

2) Go to the good spots.

In any county, there are simply spots that are well placed to attract a lot of different birds. Rarities are turned up at these spots, in part because of the habitat, in part because they are birded more. It's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, but still - some spots are just more productive than others!

3) Be efficient

It helps to focus the list, use sites like eBird to figure out what birds you need, and when you might find them. Combining trips to multiple counties in one swoop can save a lot of gas! I've made trips to the Columbia Basin during shorebird season, and had a lot of luck circling the basin to shorebird hotspots in different counties.

Or. . . 

I've taken a path that is going to be a little slower. Washington Birder is a lovely site that tracks birding lists and statistics, and it's the site I can blame for the approach. In addition to tracking a person's life list in a county, the previous year's totals are published for people seeing over 150 birds in a given county during a year. 

So I did it in Thurston. . . and then Island. . . 

150 species in a county for a year is a nice goal. Sure. The Big Day record for Grays Harbor and Yakima Counties are over 150, but for mere mortals, it is usually going to mean multiple trips, different seasons, different habitats etc. As I experienced this in several different counties, I realized how much joy there was in watching a year pass in a place. I realized how many undiscovered corners there are for people willing to go beyond The Good Spots. 

In these years, I also found diners. . .

beautiful places. . .

. . .and folks willing to take me in. I've enjoyed these years deeply. 

So, that's likely to just be how I go out with this. I'd love to have "150" years in every county in the state. A fair number of them are done now (King, Thurston, Island, Kittitas, Mason, Chelan, Yakima, Snohomish, Lewis, and Pierce). For the moment. . . let's just not do the math on how old I'd be if I did one of these every year. Although I have done the combo platter once now, tackling Yakima and Snohomish in a single year. There will certainly be some other years that warrant some kind of a bundle-and-save plan.

2021 in Douglas County

I'm doing it. Regardless of what is going on in 2090 (or whatever that works out to), I want to get over to Douglas County. I'd love to step through all of the logic of why I'm doing it. There really is some. But all of that would fit better if I simply weave it into the story as we go. 

But if we can step away from logic for a moment, I can say that something about the Labor Day fires cemented the decision. Douglas County had some terrible fires tear through the county in September of 2020. So much was destroyed. There was loss. 

We all lost some things in 2020. To add this to the year was unimaginable. How do people recover from something like this? How do businesses recover? How does the land recover?

I imagine there are some answers like, "slowly", "with any help they can get", and "however they can" that will be part of the real answers. 

That's all a bit heady, and I have to be clear - I'd picked Douglas County for other reasons before the fires hit. The fires won't be the only story. Neither will the birds, or maps, or breakfasts, or apples. But I'm sure all of those will find their way into a good year. 

Cheers, 

Tim