Running Tally and Needs List

I've had years in which I've been able to keep careful track of every month in which I see a bird. I hope I'm able to do so here this year! This will at least be a record of the times when I first see a bird for the year. As a reminder: Code 1 means that it's hard to not find a bird. Code 2 means that it's not hard to find a bird. Code 3 means it's hard to find a bird, but they can be found every year. Code 4 means it's hard to find a bird, and some years you just don't. Code 5 means there have been fewer than 5 sightings.

Hopefully by year's end, I'll have 150 birds in Kitsap and 200 in Jefferson!

Jefferson County Needs List

Code 1 Birds (seen: 83 of 90): These are the birds that should be hard not to find. The remaining 7 of these should all show up by the end of the year. Add that to my 161, and the yearlist sits at 168.

1. Long-tailed Duck
2. Heermann's Gull
3. Ring-billed Gull
4. California Gull
5. Sooty Shearwater
6. Cedar Waxwing
7. Swainson's Thrush

Code 2 Birds (seen 54 of 76): One could miss these birds, but a good effort to find them is usually fruitful. I usually miss one or two in a focused county year. 76 of these, and I'd actually comfortably prognosticate that I might miss three this year. I'd assume one missed bird in any year; Add another two simply because I have no idea how I'm going to find Fort-tailed Storm-Petrel and Short-tailed Shearwater. Add another because I'm splitting time with Kitsap. That's four missed birds here, but I'll take one off accounting for luck and gumption. 19 more of these, and the code 1 birds above, and I'd be at 187.

Western Gull is back on here. . . I had a dark-mantled, black-primaried, clean-headed gull in February, but I've been reading more on IDs, and I'm going to raise the bar on this call. 

1. Black Scoter
2. Ruffed Grouse
3. Common Nighthawk
4. Semipalmated Plover
5. Surfbird
6. Short-billed Dowitcher
7. Long-billed Dowitcher
8. Red-necked Phalarope
9. Red Phalarope
10. Western Gull 
11. Parasitic Jaeger
12. Tufted Puffin
13. Black-legged Kittiwake
14. Common Tern
15. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
16. Short-tailed Shearwater
17. Brown Pelican
18. Merlin
19. Peregrine Falcon
20. Willow Flycatcher
21. Purple Martin
22. Hermit Warbler

Code 3 Birds (seen: 15 of 39):  The toughies! To reach this code, the bird needs to be expected annually but needs to be harder to find. This can be because of small windows when the bird can be seen. It can be because the populations are very small. The reclusive nature of a bird can help put it in here, as well as the remoteness of its populations. 80 percent is a good projection in a focused year. Given 39 birds here, that's... 31 or so. Plot twist though -  at least 5 of them are pelagic birds. Out at sea, seen annually by survey teams and/or cruises. I. . . am boatless! So, let's drop this to 27 of these 39 birds: 12 more, I'd hope. 187 + 12, and I've got 199. Pretty close!

1. Ring-necked Pheasant
2. Eared Grebe
3. Black Swift
4. Spotted Sandpiper
5. Wandering Tattler
6. Pomarine Jaeger
7. Cassin's Auklet
8. Herring Gull
9. Yellow-billed Loon
10. Black-footed Albatross
11. Leach's Storm-Petrel
12. Northern Fulmar
13. Buller's Shearwater
14. Pink-footed Shearwater
15. Barn Owl
16. Western Screech-Owl
17. Northern Shrike
18. Horned Lark
19. Western Bluebird
20. Townsend's Solitaire
21. Evening Grosbeak
22. Pine Grosbeak
23. White-throated Sparrow
24. Bullock's Oriole

The rest: I'm counting on about a dozen higher-coded birds for the year. A nice storm to push pelagic bird in could help. I've picked up four of these, but I think there are a handful of code 4/5 birds that may still be found with some effort. A summer backpacking trip includes some of these targets: Pine Grosbeak, Clark's Nutcracker, Golden Eagle, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch stand out as "less than annual" birds that have eBird pins littered throughout the Olympic Range. Add to this - there are some excellent birders in the Port Townsend area, so there's often some good breadcrumbs to follow in East Jefferson. I may very well miss it, but I am liking 200 as a goal!

Higher coded birds seen: Rock Sandpiper, Pygmy Nuthatch, Tundra Swan, California Scrub-Jay, Western Kingbird, Cinnamon Teal, Solitary Sandpiper 

And I missed the darn Snow Bunting. :) That would've helped a lot if I'd caught the one that sat for photos at North Beach in March. 

Still, 7 code 4's in 4 months seems to hint that I might find what I need, as long as I take care of the lower coded birds. 

Jefferson Birds running tally (Codes in parentheses, month first seen noted, other months. . . if I can keep up!)

1. Greater White-fronted Goose (3) Apr
2. Brant (1) Feb, Apr
3. Cackling Goose (3) Apr
4. Canada Goose (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
5. Trumpeter Swan (2) Feb, Mar
6. Tundra Swan (4) Feb
7. Wood Duck (2) Apr
8. Cinnamon Teal (4) Apr, May
9. Northern Shoveler (1) Jan, Feb, May
10. Gadwall (2) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
11. Eurasian Wigeon (3) Feb
12. American Wigeon (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
13. Mallard (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
14. Northern Pintail (1) Jan, Feb, May
15. Green-winged Teal (1) Jan, Feb, May
16. Ring-necked Duck (2) Feb, Apr, May
17. Greater Scaup (1) Jan
18. Lesser Scaup (2) Feb, Apr
19. Harlequin Duck (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
20. Surf Scoter (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
21. White-winged Scoter (1) May
22. Bufflehead (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
23. Common Goldeneye (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
24. Barrow's Goldeneye (2) Feb
25. Hooded Merganser (2) Jan, Feb, Apr
26. Common Merganser (1) Feb, Apr
27. Red-breasted Merganser (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
28. Ruddy Duck (1) Feb
29. Sooty Grouse (2) Apr
30. California Quail (2) Apr
31. Pied-billed Grebe (2) Feb, Apr
32. Horned Grebe (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
33. Red-necked Grebe (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
34. Western Grebe (1) Feb
35. Rock Pigeon (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
36. Band-Tailed Pigeon (2) Apr
37. Mourning Dove (2) Jan
38. Eurasian Collared-Dove (2) Jan
39. Anna's Hummingbird (2) Jan, Feb
40. Rufous Hummingbird (1) Apr
41. Virginia Rail (2) Apr
42. Sora (3) Apr
43. American Coot (1) Feb, Apr
44. Black Oystercatcher (2) Jan, Feb, Apr
45. Black-bellied Plover (2) Jan
46. Killdeer (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
47. Whimbrel (2) Apr
48. Marbled Godwit (2) Apr
49. Black Turnstone (1) Jan
50. Sanderling (1) Jan, Apr
51. Dunlin (1) Jan, Apr
52. Rock Sandpiper (4) Jan
53. Least Sandpiper (1) Apr, May
54. Western Sandpiper (1) Apr 
55. Wilson's Snipe (2) Jan, Apr
    
56. Solitary Sandpiper (4) Apr
57. Greater Yellowlegs (1) Feb, Apr, May
58. Lesser Yellowlegs (2) Apr
59. Common Murre (1) Jan, Feb
60. Pigeon Guillemot (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
61. Marbled Murrelet (2) Feb
62. Ancient Murrelet (2) Jan
63. Rhinoceros Auklet (1) Jan, Apr
64. Bonaparte's Gull (1) Apr
65. Short-billed Gull (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
66. Iceland Gull (2) Feb
67. Glaucous-winged Gull (1) Feb, Apr
68. Caspian Tern (1) Apr, May
69. Red-throated Loon (2) Feb
70. Pacific Loon (1) Jan, Apr
71. Common Loon (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
72. Brandt's Cormorant (1) Jan, Apr
73. Pelagic Cormorant (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
74. Double-crested Cormorant (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
75. Great Blue Heron (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
76. Turkey Vulture (2) Apr, May
77. Osprey (2) Apr
78. Northern Harrier (2) Feb
79. Sharp-shinned Hawk (2) Feb
80. Sharp-shinned Hawk (2) Apr
81. Bald Eagle (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
82. Red-tailed Hawk (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
83. Great Horned Owl (2) Feb
84. Northern Pygmy Owl (2) Apr
85. Barred Owl (2) Feb, Apr
86. Northern Saw-whet Owl (2) Mar
87. Belted Kingfisher (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
    
88. Red-breasted Sapsucker (2) Jan, Feb, Apr
89. Downy Woodpecker (1) Apr 
90. Hairy Woodpecker (2) Jan
91. Pileated Woodpecker (2) Apr
92. Northern Flicker (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
93. American Kestrel (3) Mar
94. Western Kingbird (4) Apr
95. Western Flycatcher (1) Apr, May
96. Hutton's Vireo (2) Mar, Apr
97. Cassin's Vireo (3) Apr
98. Warbling Vireo (3) May
99. Canada Jay (2) Apr
100. Steller's Jay (1) Mar, Apr
101. California Scrub-Jay (4) Feb
102. American Crow (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
103. Common Raven (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
104. Black-capped Chickadee (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
105. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (1) Jan, Feb
106. Tree Swallow (2) Apr
107. Violet-green Swallow (2) Apr, May
108. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (2) Apr, May
109. Barn Swallow (2) Apr, May
110. Cliff Swallow (1) Apr, May
111. Bushtit (2) Apr
112. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1) Feb, Apr
113. Golden-crowned Kinglet (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
114. Red-breasted Nuthatch (1) Jan, Feb
115. Pygmy Nuthatch (5) Feb
116. Brown Creeper (2) Jan
117. House Wren (3) Apr, May
118. Bewick's Wren (2) Jan, Feb, Apr
119. Pacific Wren (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
120. Marsh Wren (2) Jan, Feb, Apr
121. European Starling (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
122. American Dipper (2) Apr
123. Hermit Thrush (2) Apr
124. American Robin (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
125. Varied Thrush (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
126. House Sparrow (1) Jan, Feb, Apr
127. American Pipit (2) Apr, May
128. House Finch (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
129. Purple Finch (2) Feb, Apr, May
130. Pine Siskin (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
131. American Goldfinch (1) Jan, Apr, May
132. Chipping Sparrow (3) Apr
133. Fox Sparrow (2) Jan, Feb, Apr
134. Dark-eyed Junco (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
135. White-crowned Sparrow (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
136. Golden-crowned Sparrow (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
137. Savannah Sparrow (1) Apr, May
138. Song Sparrow (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
139. Lincoln's Sparrow (3) Jan, Feb, Apr
140. Spotted Towhee (1) Jan, Feb, Apr, May
141. Western Meadowlark (3) Jan
142. Red-winged Blackbird (1) Jan, Apr, May
143. Brown-headed Cowbird (1) Apr
144. Brewer's Blackbird (1) Apr, May
145. Orange-crowned Warbler (1) Apr, May
146. MacGillivray's Warbler (3) May
147. Common Yellowthroat (2) Apr, May
148. Yellow Warbler (3) May
149. Yellow-rumped Warbler (1) Jan, Apr, May
150. Black-throated Gray Warbler (1) Apr, May
151. Townsend's Warbler (1) Apr
152. Wilson's Warbler (1) Apr, May
153. Western Tanager (1) May
154. Black-headed Grosbeak (2) May

Kitsap County needs list

Code 1 birds (seen 69 of 78): There's 78 of these. Not quite as many as Jefferson, but still enough to put me halfway to the Kitsap year list goal of 150. I'd like to push the life list to 175 or close here, so I am going to drop asterisks (*) next to species that I need for my life list in the county. As I patch together 150 birds for the year, those should get a little higher priority. 

With my May trip done, I have 131 birds for the year - these 6 would put me at 139, and the life list to 154. 

1. Least Sandpiper*
2. Western Sandpiper*
3. Spotted Sandpiper*
4. Heermann's Gull
5. California Gull
6. Pacific Loon

Code 2 birds (seen 41 of 69): 70 birds! Okay, 69 if we take Ring-necked Pheasant off of there. And more than a couple of these are missing from my life list for Kitsap. As I plan my trips through Kitsap on the way to Jefferson, it seems like these birds are going to be a big part of the planning. The rest of the code 2 birds added to the code 1 birds above, and the birds I've already seen, adds up to 167 - so the year goal shouldn't be too hard!

After my May trip, there's still a lot of birds left, but it feels whittled down. The added lifers would bring me to 171, so I'd only need a handful of code 3 and higher birds to get my life list to 175. This actually feels reachable!

1. Cackling Goose*
2. Black Scoter
3. Ruddy Duck*
4. California Quail*
5. Ring-necked Pheasant (no longer considered countable in most of Western Washington)
6. Band-tailed Pigeon 
7. Virginia Rail
8. American Coot*
9. Black-bellied Plover
10. Surfbird*
11. Red-necked Phalarope
12. Parasitic Jaeger
13. Marbled Murrelet
14. Common Tern
15. Red-throated Loon*
16. Northern Harrier*
17. Cooper's Hawk*
18. Great Horned Owl*
19. Red-breasted Sapsucker*
20. Pileated Woodpecker
21. Merlin*
22. Peregrine Falcon
23. Olive-sided Flycatcher*
24. Willow Flycatcher
25. Northern Rough-winged Swallow*
26. Hermit Thrush*
27. Red Crossbill*
28. Lincoln's Sparrow*
29. Bullock's Oriole*

Code 3 birds: (seen 15 of 52) Assuming I pick up all of the birds above, I'd need just 4 of the starred birds below to pull the life list up to 175. Even if I miss that goal this year, there'll be a future year involving Clallam County - easy opportunity to catch more birds as I pass through!

For January, I got four of these, three of them new on my life list - Western Gull , California Scrub Jay, and Wilson's Snipe. February brought one more - Trumpeter Swan, and a code 5 bird, Black Phoebe! March was productive: Canvasback (3), Sooty Grouse (4), and Redhead (5). As was April: American Kestrel (3), Townsend's Solitaire (3), and Black Oystercatcher (4). May redefined "productive"... Cinnamon Teal (3), Blue-winged Teal (3), Pectoral Sandpiper (3), Long-billed Dowitcher (3), Western Kingbird (3), Hammond's Flycatcher (3)

1. Snow Goose*
2. Greater White-fronted Goose
3. Tundra Swan*
4. Gadwall
5. Mountain Quail*
6. Ruffed Grouse*
7. Eared Grebe*
8. Clark's Grebe*
9. Common Nighthawk*
10. Black Swift*
11. Sora*
12. Semipalmated Plover*
13. Whimbrel*
14. Ruddy Turnstone*
15. Rock Sandpiper*
16. Barid's Sandpiper*
17. Semipalmated Sandpiper*
18. Short-billed Dowitcher*
19. Lesser Yellowlegs
20. Ancient Murrelet
21. Herring Gull*
22. Iceland Gull*
23. Brown Pelican*
24. Green Heron*
25. Barn Owl*
26. Northern Pygmy-Owl*
27. Cassin's Vireo*
28. Northern Shrike*
29. House Wren*
30. American Dipper*
31. Mountain Bluebird*
32. Evening Grosbeak*
33. Chipping Sparrow*
34. White-throated Sparrow* 
35. Western Meadowlark*
36. Nashville Warbler*
37. Lazuli Bunting*

Kitsap County running tally: 

1. Brant (2) Apr
2. Canada Goose (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
3. Trumpeter Swan (3) Feb, Mar
4. Northern Shoveler (2) Feb
5. Eurasian Wigeon (2) Jan
6. American Wigeon (1) Jan, Feb, Mar
7. Mallard (1) Jan, Feb, Mar
8. Northern Pintail (2) Jan, Feb
9. Green-winged Teal (1) Jan, Mar
10. Canvasback (3) Mar
11. Redhead (5) Mar
12. Ring-necked Duck (2) Jan, Mar
13. Greater Scaup (1) Jan
14. Lesser Scaup (2) Jan
15. Harlequin Duck (2) Mar
16. Surf Scoter (1) Jan, Feb, Mar
17. White-winged Scoter (1) Jan, Mar
18. Long-tailed Duck (2) Apr
19. Bufflehead (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
20. Common Goldeneye (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
21. Barrow's Goldeneye (2) Jan, Mar, Apr
22. Hooded Merganser (2) Jan, Mar, Apr
23. Common Merganser (2) Jan, Mar, Apr
24. Red-breasted Merganser (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
25. Sooty Grouse (4) Mar, Apr
26. Pied-billed Grebe (2) Jan, Mar
27. Horned Grebe (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
28. Red-necked Grebe (1) Jan, Apr
29. Western Grebe (1) Jan
30. Rock Pigeon (1) Jan, Mar
31. Eurasian Collared-Dove (2) Feb, Apr
32. Anna's Hummingbird (1) Mar
33. Black Oystercatcher (4) Apr
34. Killdeer (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
35. Black Turnstone (2) Jan
36. Sanderling (1) Jan
37. Dunlin (1) Jan, Mar
38. Wilson's Snipe (3) Jan
39. Greater Yellowlegs (2) Jan, Mar, Apr
40. Pigeon Guillemot (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
41. Rhinoceros Auklet (1) Apr
42. Common Murre (1) Feb
43. Bonaparte's Gull (1) Jan, Apr
44. Short-billed Gull (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
45. Ring-billed Gull (1) Jan
46. Western Gull (3) Jan
47. Glaucous-winged Gull (1) Jan
48. Common Loon (1) Jan, Apr
49. Brandt's Cormorant (1) Jan
50. Pelagic Cormorant (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
51. Double-crested Cormorant (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
52. Great Blue Heron (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
53. Turkey Vulture (2) Apr
54. Bald Eagle (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
55. Red-tailed Hawk (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
56. Barred Owl (1) Feb
57. Northern Saw-whet Owl (2) Feb
58. Belted Kingfisher (1) Jan, Feb, Mar
59. Northern Flicker (1) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
60. Downy Woodpecker (1) Mar
61. Hairy Woodpecker (2) Mar
62. American Kestrel (3) Apr
63. Black Phoebe (5) Feb
64. Hutton's Vireo (2) Mar, Apr
65. Steller's Jay (1) Feb
66. California Scrub-Jay (3) Jan, Apr
67. American Crow (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
68. Common Raven (3) Jan, Mar, Apr
69. Black-capped Chickadee (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
70. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (1) Feb, Mar, Apr
71. Tree Swallow (2) Apr
72. Bushtit (1) Apr
73. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1) Jan, Apr
74. Golden-crowned Kinglet (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
75. Red-breasted Nuthatch (1) Mar, Apr
76. Brown Creeper (2) Mar, Apr
77. Bewick's Wren (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
78. Pacific Wren (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
79. Marsh Wren (2) Apr
80. European Starling (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
81. Townsend's Solitaire (3) Apr
82. American Robin (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
83. Varied Thrush (1) Jan, Mar
84. House Sparrow (1) Jan, Mar
85. House Finch (1) Jan, Apr
86. Purple Finch (1) Apr
87. Pine Siskin (1) Apr
88. Fox Sparrow (1) Jan
89. Dark-eyed Junco (1) Jan, Apr
90. White-crowned Sparrow (1) Apr
91. Golden-crowned Sparrow (1) Apr
92. Song Sparrow (1) Jan, Apr
93. Spotted Towhee (1) Jan, Apr
94. Red-winged Blackbird (1) Jan, Mar, Apr
95. Brewer's Blackbird (2) Feb, Mar
96. Orange-crowned Warbler (1) Apr
97. Common Yellowthroat (1) Apr
98. Yellow-rumped Warbler (1) Jan, Apr