Hello 2024!
Fresh off of a year here I tried to dig out 150 species in four counties in Washington State, it took a few days to get my feet underneath me and really come up with a plan. Eventually, I'd like to have done a 150 year in every county in the state. 16 down, 23 to go! But where to go?
Prior to last year, I'd just focused on individual counties (minus an "off" year in which I did Yakima and Snohomish. There is something about that focus that I really like. Getting to completely explore a county, not missing relatively easy birds. The whole reason I'd chosen these "big" years is to feel like I'd really *done* a place. I am glad that I took on 2023 the way that I did. It got four counties done in a year, and as an absolutely enjoyable year. But. . . I mean. . . Clark County stands out. I did get some birding done there, and easily found 150 species for the year. But that is such a small slice of what people can find during a year! I am going to make return trips to bring my life list to 175 in all of those counties, and Clark is not an underbirded county by any means. But still, it as a good threshold test. I wanted to get back to a more focused plan.
So, let's try two counties!
There were a few candidates, but my counties of choice this year, Jefferson and Kitsap, on out over other options. They're closer than some. And in a year here my daughter is wrapping up high school, I don't want to be going too far afield. Balance has been a big part of these years, so in addition to that, I'll be making roughly monthly trips. And. . . gosh I thought of doing it differently, but I'm going to continue to not build my birding around chases. I may see if that changes once my daughter heads off to college in the fall, but for now, balance.
Kitsap
Kitsap is one of King County's neighboring counties. It's still a bit of a haul to get there, as the entire county line between them is out in Puget Sound! Ferries and freeways are the paths to this close-but-not-too-close county.
Back when I had started all of this, specifically with my Mason County Blog in '15, I actually passed through Kitsap with some frequency! I initially thought I could kind of pick up some Kitsap birds on the way in and out of Mason (my county fidelity in a given year has almost always gotten in the way of these plans!). In that vein, I'd asked a Kitsap County birder about a few species and areas. I got some helpful hints, and also got the question, "Why are you birding the wasteland of Mason County, when you could be birding in Kitsap?"
This was largely meant to be tongue in cheek, but I'd since adopted a tongue-in-cheek disrespect for Kitsap County. I'd joked with a birding friend of mine that I could make Kitsap County my last 150 county, and blog it. . . unflatteringly. Just go for the lowest hanging fruit: The need to drive almost an hour just to get to the neighboring county, only to find miles upon miles of inaccessible shoreline. Highways lined with Scotch Broom, and vast areas dotted with ORV trails offering the same flora. I'd even noticed lists of the least livable cities in the state listing more than a couple spots from Kitsap County.
But goodness. . . it's time to pull the tongue out of the cheek and try to shine a good light on the place. I've got a deep-seeded belief that all places are lovely in their own way. I'm a fan of second-guessing quick-glance assessments. Honestly, it's something that extends to people as well. I can't stand by this belief that people are more beautiful and more worthwhile than their rough exteriors might imply. . . and not apply that same belief to a place.
So, I am unhesitatingly expecting to enjoy my Kitsap birding this year. I still recognize that it's a place that is far from under-birded. It's also fairly small, and some of the more interesting birding spots are quite inaccessible to the public. My birding in Kitsap may not be as energetic for those reasons - I'll try for our 150 and try to get around to the good spots, but the goal will not be to squeeze every last bird out of the county this year!
That said, I do aim to hit it with fresh eyes and come away with a better take on the county than the nonsense above might indicate.
Jefferson County
This one has me intrigued. It's over 1800 square miles in area, so. . . 4-5 Kitsaps. This had me worried initially, but as I've looked closer and talked to some of the local birders, I have come to realize: for birding purposes, Jefferson is smaller than that number might imply! The Olympic Mountains cut right through the middle of the county - a great area to visit in summer, but a lot of good birds might be found without hiking every trail in the national park! There's also the Pacific Coast on the far west end of the county. I've gathered that it may be productive in fall migration, but not as important to hit early in the year.
This leaves "East Jefferson" - a lot of very accessible shoreline and a few dashes of farmland and forest. There's even some well-birded marshland mixed into this manageable area. So, the year can start at a reasonable pace, and at shorter distance. Later in the summer and fall, it can take me to mountain trails, the Pacific Ocean, and mossy rainforests. I am down for this.
Number-wise, this becomes interesting. In a one-county year, I've found I can make some pretty good guesses about how many species I'll find in a year. This is based *only* on my skill and effort, but: I can usually find all or nearly all of the Code 1 birds in the county (Jefferson has 90). I almost always miss one or two Code 2 birds (Jefferson has 76, so. . . let's say 74 + 90 = 164). I'm usually hitting about 80 percent of the Code 3 birds. (Jefferson has 39 of these, so. . . maybe 31 or so. 164+31 = 195). On top of that, I usually pick up a dozen or so higher coded birds during the year. So. . . seeing 200 species for the year in Jefferson is not out of the question!
To be fair, some of these birds are going to be tougher than their codes might imply. Let's take. . . Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels! Sure. . . they're at a code 2, but I've never seen one in my life, and they're largely seen from boats a little farther offshore. So, this takes some of those 200 birds down a notch, or even off the list. But I think it's still just barely in reach. My favorite kind of goal. :)
Twofers
I'm really hoping this works. By "works", I mean that I can reach goals, experience balance, get to know a place, etc. As I try to hit these last counties, there are some I'd be inclined to do as solo years (San Juan, Ferry, Pacific). Others at a glance, make for some interesting pairs:
Skagit and Whatcom: Could be a 2 x 200 year!
Grays Harbor and Clallam: This. . . it'd be the stupidest year. 250 in both? Maybe??
Grant and Okanogan: As with all of the other counties I've listed in these pairs, I've got these counties to 150 (okay, Grays Harbor is at 148...) for my life list, and 200 could be done in each.
Spokane and Lincoln: There's a good handful of birders that seem to find an amazing number of species in *both* of these counties on an annual basis. It's continuous-ish habitat. These would make for a difficult 2 x 200 year. My prediction, if I attempt them: I'll come close and miss.
Adams and Whitman. So. . . much. . .wheat. . .and also some amazing migration birding. There's some amazing birders that have been hitting these counties in the last ten years or so. 175 in each feels doable.
Stevens and Pend Oreille: 175 could be tough to do in both. They're such huge counties, and they have some amazing habitat, but there are definitely some rough patches in the lists here. Things like... cormorants and Rock Pigeons, and Greater Yellowlegs become difficult. Very excited for this year, and I just can't imagine making *separate* trips up to the far corner for separate years. If I'm up there, I'm staying and doing some birding. It's *six* hours to Sullivan Lake from my home!
Franklin and Benton: 150 years. No problem. 175. . . I might hit that mark one of them. These counties are strange because there's like . . . two birds listed as code 1, and the rest are all code 3. This is complete hyperbole, but. . . it's *like* that. Apparently, you can find a Brown Creeper every year if you go to that one tree.
Walla Walla and Columbia: Columbia is going to be one of the toughest counties. I'm almost scared to pair it with another county, but I am banking on the idea that Walla Walla is going to be that easy. The county record in Columbia is 17. My crystal-ball math above tells me I could get about... 150 in Columbia. Hopefully good luck and sheer panic'll get me over the mark.
Asotin and Garfield: Sure. I just want my Garfield County crow. Is that too much to ask? "Only" five hours to Clarkston from Renton. The Blue Mountains really have me intrigued - can't wait to do this year. Garfield may be every bit as tough as Columbia.
And that's it. I have no idea how the years will fall out. I could go blind in between now and then or get mauled by a cougar. But this is feeling like some county birding that could keep me occupied for a while. . . but not TOO long. Just need this twofer plan to "work" - but I've got a good feeling about it.
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