Subject: [Tweeters] Updated WA Birder cumulative county year list file available online
Date: Wed Nov 11 07:22:23 PST 2020
From: Matt Bartels - mattxyz at earthlink.net

Hi Tweeters and Inland NW Birders

The latest version of the 2020 county year list project is up online at Washington Birder. All counties have reported in with totals through the end of October. As ever, County Compilers would appreciate receiving reports of any birds seen that aren't noted yet on their county tallies.

The state year total is 390.
2019 we were at 381
2018 we were at 384
2017 we were at 392
2016 we were at 388
2015 we were at 391
2014 we were at 390
2013 we were at 394
2012 we were at 396 at this point.
This is tied for the 5th best year total at this point - about in the middle of the pack for the last 9 years.


Eastern WA has reported 319 species, ten better than last year's 309 at this point.
Western WA has reported 363 species, five better last year's total [359] at this point.

24 counties have higher year list totals than this point last year, 14 have lower totals, and one is exactly at the same point as last year [Walla Walla, at 260]
28 counties have totals within 10 of last year at this time - this is a bit lower on the 'consistency measure' than usual - a sign perhaps of altered birding patterns in covid days -;

34 counties have reach 200 or more species for the year, and only one county is below 175 for the year [Columbia, at 159] -;

79 species have been in seen in all 39 counties, 136 in all 19 Western WA counties, and 104 in all 20 Eastern WA counties.

Discussion: I don't know - to me this is shaping up to look like a pretty stable year at the county list levels - Signs of more local birding can be seen in the higher than normal totals being posted by King, Spokane, Pierce, & Benton counties - places with big cities and lots of birders who might be tending to stay closer to home. But Lewis and Pacific Co are also doing better than usual this year….And why has Yakima's total stayed relatively low? Lower than usual totals in some of the 'destination counties' can also perhaps be a sign of the influence covid has had on the year's birders - Clallam is well-lower than usual, with Neah Bay out of bounds. Some of the smaller counties perhaps have lower totals due to fewer traveling birders. Overall, though, I think the bird sightings are shaping up to be pretty similar in a lot of ways to other 'normal' years.


If you'd like to take a look at where things stand, the list and many other interesting files are at the Washington Birder website:

http://www.wabirder.com/ <http://www.wabirder.com/>


A direct link to the 2020 county yearlist & the list of county compilers, including a growing number of direct links to individual county year lists with more details and more frequent updates:

http://wabirder.com/county_yearlist.html <http://wabirder.com/county_yearlist.html>

Thanks to all the compilers and all those pitching in to sketch a picture of another year's birds in WA. Looking forward to seeing how 2020 wraps up!


Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA

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