Subject: 4000 Violet-green Swallows near Woodland
Date: Sep 19 21:51:26 2003
From: Wayne C. Weber - contopus at telus.net


Tweeters,

On Monday, September 15, I birded the Dike Access Road area near
Woodland (Cowlitz Co.) for the first time. About 7 hours of birding in
this area produced 54 species of birds. The highlight for me was the
biggest flock, by far, of migrating VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS that I have
ever seen. Along Robinson Road, which crosses Dike Access Road about
half a mile from Interstate Highway 5 (Exit 22), the telephone wires
were lined with Violet-greens for about a city block when I arrived
about 8 AM. I estimated at least 3000 swallows in this huge flock.
Although I scanned carefully for species other than Violet-green, the
only other species I could find was about 20 BARN SWALLOWS.

A few minutes later, along Dike Road north of the junction with Dike
Access Road (across from Burke Island), I found a second flock of at
least 1000 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS on the telephone wires. So it appears
that at least 4000 Violet-greens spent the night in the Woodland area.
When I revisited Robinson Road about 3 PM, only about 100
Violet-greens were left.

It is not uncommon, during September, to see flocks of up to 200 or
300 Violet-green Swallows almost anywhere in the coastal or
mountainous parts of Washington or in southern B.C. However, this
concentration dwarfed the biggest flock of migrant Violet-greens that
I had ever seen before.

Also of interest near Woodland was a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH which
called persistently and was seen briefly in a grove of Oregon white
oaks near 612 Whalen Road. To the best of my knowledge, this species
is fairly common in Clark County, but scarce in western Washington
north of there, so this may be a fairly good bird for Cowlitz County.
However, the habitat looked perfect for White-breasted Nuthatches, and
I suspect that they are breeding in the area.

I'll post a complete list of birds seen in the Woodland area shortly--
there were quite a few other interesting sightings besides the
swallows and nuthatch.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net