Hi Tweeters & Inland NW Birders -

I've just completed the latest update to the excel version of the WA
County Checklist , based on the Fall 2007 issue of WA Birder.

This newest version of the excel-based county-by-county checklist of
Washington birds is available online. The excel file can be found
at: <http://www.wos.org/CountyList.htm>www.wos.org/CountyList.htm
(thanks WOS & Michael Hobbs for hosting).

This version is based on the latest issue of Washington Birder [vol.
15 #3]. In addition to several county firsts, I've updated two bird
names based on the 48th supplement to the AOU checklist (where Bean
Goose became Taiga Bean-Goose, and the genus name for Belted
Kingfisher was changed from Ceryle to Megaceryle). I opted not to
change the list order to adopt the new [old] raptor location for
Turkey Vulture yet, under the assumption that if I wait a bit longer
there will be more list-order changes that make a new ordering more
substantial. Finally, the recent Bell's Vireo sighting occurred after
the latest issue of Washington Birder was published - look for it to
be added in future updates.

If you are looking for a quick reference for how common a given
species is in any county, this excel file can be handy. Further, if
you are interested in keeping track of your county lists, this file
works as a checklist for each county and the state as a whole. There
are now 3 different sort orders available - the 'old order' [the way
most books are still organized], 'newer order' [the short-lived order
that hasn't shown up in the field guides yet], and the 'newest order'
[AOU47-compliant]. As needed, the list can be sorted back & forth
between any of these.

Thanks again to the Knittle's for making this data available in
Washington Birder, and thanks to those who have sent questions,
comments or suggestions. Let me know if you have any problems working
with the sheet or ideas for changes.

Finally, for anyone already using the old file who wants instructions
on how to transfer your information from that one to this new one,
read on (for everyone else, I'd recommend skipping the dry
instructions that follow).

Short version: Use the the same tax order to sort both your old file
and the new one. Add blank lines the where new species will be
inserted. Copy color-coded cells portion of old file, and paste
"values" only into the new file [using paste-special].

Longer Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Download newest file from webpage [save under a different name
than your own file]

2. Open both the new file and your old one.

3. Make sure both old and new files are sorted according to the same
taxonomic order . To do this, select the entire file and click
'sort' from the 'Data' menu. Check the box for Header Row, then
select the desired sort order in the top box, with the default
setting of Ascending selected.

4. On your[old] file, insert blank rows [using the 'rows' option on
the Insert menu] where new species will be added. For example, to
make space for Whooper Swan, insert a row beneath Tundra Swan and
above Wood Duck. [Note that no new species have been added to the
list between this update and the Summer 2007 checklist].

Those changes will leave your data ready for transfer.

6. On your [old] file, highlight all of the cells that have the color
coding in them and press control-C to copy this section [or use the
'copy' option from the Edit menu]. In the present file (once you've
added the blank rows for the new state species) this would be all the
cells from F4 to AR500.

7. Click on the F4 box of the new file, and then choose 'paste
special' from the edit menu. In the dialogue box that opens, select
'values' under the paste section [instead of 'all']. It is important
to paste only the values -- otherwise you will bring over all the old
color codes too!

All your data should be pasted into the new file.


8. Do some double checking to ensure the formulas are adding up to
the same numbers they did in the old file. Also check to be sure you
haven't brought over the old color codes [check a county first like
the Clallam County Rose-breasted Grosbeak].

That should do it. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions --

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA