Oregon and Washington: Spring 2023

Geese through Shorebirds
A “Black” Brant at Manns Ponds, Umatilla Co, OR 26 Mar–7 Apr was a county first (Audrey Addison). A male “Eurasian” Green-winged Teal photographed at Malheur NWR HQ, Harney Co, OR 10–22 April (Henry Burton, Oliver Burton) provided a less-than-annual east side sighting. There were no Tufted Ducks in the region although a male Tufted Duck x scaup hybrid joined a scaup flock on the Columbia River in Portland, Multnomah Co, OR 15 Apr (Andrew Aldrich). A continuing second state record Common Eider lingered in Bandon, Coos Co, OR to 9 Apr. Exceptional for eastern Oregon, a female-type Harlequin Duck was in Boardman, Morrow Co 16–17 Mar (Trent Bray).

Washington’s second Common Crane lingered with Sandhill Cranes along Wakefield Rd., Grays Harbor Co to 12 Apr. A Snowy Plover photographed at the sewage pond in Roosevelt, Klickitat Co, WA 15 Apr (Bill Tweit) may have been a first for the greater Columbia River Gorge region. Annual in Washington, a single basic plumage Bar-tailed Godwit graced Fir Island, Skagit Co 23–24 May (Joel Brady-Power, Robert Kuntz). Meanwhile, single Hudsonian Godwits at Brady Loop, Grays Harbor Co, WA 5–6 May (Dick Holcomb, Jennifer Kauffman, Shelley Evans) and Three Crabs, Clallam Co, WA 11–13 May (Bob Boekelheide) passed through during the expected timing. A Ruff at Baskett Slough N.W.R., Polk Co, OR 8–15 Apr (Kristen Lacey) may have been the same one last seen wintering there in February given similarities in size and structure. However, April is also a good time for northbound migrant Ruffs as illustrated by the singles at Bond Road, Lane Co, OR 9–10 Apr (Nic P.) and at Marys River Mitigation Bank wetland, Benton Co, OR 12 Apr (Hendrik Herlyn). Three Stilt Sandpipers in the region 20–28 May made for a solid showing.

Terns through Petrels

Oregon’s 13th Least Tern stopped at Denman Pond, Jackson Co 29 May (Gloria Beerman). An impressive 2200 Common Terns were found on a pelagic just off Westport, Grays Harbor Co, WA 13 May (Westport Pelagics). A Black-headed Gull molting into alternate plumage popped up at several spots along the sound in Seattle, King Co, WA 7–10 Apr (Carl Haynie). This may have been a continuing bird from last year. An adult Laughing Gull was on Sand Island in Grays Harbor Estuary, WA 17–18 May (Zak Pohlen, Cal Gesmundo) and one visited Cannon Beach, Clatsop Co, OR 24–26 May (Diana Byrne), while an immature showed up in Tokeland, Pacific Co, WA 18 Mar (Rowan Young-McMurchie) and stayed well beyond the end of the period. The region had four Lesser Black-backed Gulls, all in March and mostly on the eastside. An adult Slaty-backed Gull showed up at a shopping plaza in Vancouver, Clark Co, WA 6 Mar (Andrew Aldrich), while the long-staying individual in Richland, Benton Co, WA lingered to at least 9 Mar.

A Yellow-billed Loon lingered in Winchester Bay, Douglas Co, WA to 20 May, while one in Grays Harbor, WA disappeared by 26 Apr. Expected numbers of Hawaiian and Murphy’s Petrels were found on repo cruises in April and May. Several Manx Shearwaters were detected in the region, notably with several in the Puget Sound.

Kites through Snow Bunting

Further north than normal were White-tailed Kites at Chehalis, Lewis Co, WA 2–5 May (Keith Brady) and Samish Flats, Skagit Co, WA 6 May (Shruti JP Mehta, Raghav Mehta). Several Acorn Woodpeckers remained out of range locally in the Portland area, while further flung records came from Weston, Umatilla Co, OR; Leavenworth, Chelan Co, WA; Cle Elum, Kittitas Co, WA; and Bremerton and Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, WA. A Least Flycatcher singing on Mt. Pisgah, Lane Co, OR 29 May+ was the only westside report for the season (Noah Strycker), though several were on the eastside as expected. Coos Co, OR’s first Gray Flycatcher was on North Spit Coos Bay 9 May (Tim Rodenkirk). A stunning male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher showed up in Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co, WA 1–2 May (m.ob.). Rare on the coast were two Eastern Kingbirds on the early date of 20 May at Wahl Ranch, Cape Blanco (Terry Wahl). Though the impressive eastside Hutton’s Vireo invasion largely sputtered out already, a singleton was on the west edge of Bend, Deschutes Co, OR 10 Apr (Roger Robb).

An amazing Canyon Wren singing at Neahkahnie Mt, Tillamook Co, OR 22 May+ (Cameron Cox) provides a first record for anywhere on the Pacific Northwest coast. A Gray Catbird wintered in the West Haven-Sylvan Neighborhood, Washington Co, OR to the surprisingly late day of 21 Apr after not being seen at all in Feb. Grays Harbor Co, WA recorded a Sage Thrasher on Brady Loop 9 May (John Raymond). Dozens of Mountain Bluebirds showed up all over the westside in early spring, with a high count of 20 at Powell Butte, Multnomah Co, WA 13 Apr (Tara Lemezis). In addition to wintering Bramblings lingering in Port Angeles, WA to 18 Mar and at Cape Disappointment to 8 Apr, was one in Sauk Valley, Skagit Co, WA 26 Mar–4 Apr (Ryan Merrill). Very late Snow Buntings surprised observers at Nehalem Bay 6–8 May (Rae Snyder) and Cannon Beach 25–27 May (Diana Byrne).

Longspurs through Warblers

An eye popping alternate plumaged Smith’s Longspur appeared at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Pierce Co 8 May (Timothy Leque), Washington’s third. This species has traditionally been found in the fall, and this appears to be only the second spring record for the west coast. Oregon’s first overwintering Field Sparrow continued in Monmouth, Polk Co until 2 May. Among a few reports in the region was a county-first Clay-colored Sparrow at Rocky Point, Klamath Co, OR 13 May (Devon Johnstone, Jay Withgott). An Orchard Oriole stayed in Florence, OR until 13 Apr. Four Common Grackles in the region were a bit above normal, most notably with one in Neah Bay, WA 12 May (Jason Vassallo).

Both Nevada and coastal and desert parts of California had an early spring showing of particularly unusual vagrants, yet in Oregon a fairly normal cast was found. This included an expected handful of rare “eastern” warblers, Summer Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Indigo Buntings. Most vagrants were found in Oregon, especially at well-covered desert traps in Harney Co. A Summer Tanager was at Ona Beach, Lincoln Co, WA 27 Apr (Jeff Nordstrom). Impressive east winds in the early morning of 14 May produced a fallout on the Oregon coast between Coos Bay and Lincoln Co. Dozens of dead passerines and thousands of insects were found washed ashore at North Spit Coos Bay, and 450 Western Tanagers passed through one vantage point that morning (Tim Rodenkirk). At least 200 Wilson’s Warblers flew ashore at Boiler Bay (Alan Mauer) and over 1400 warblers (mostly Townsend’s and Wilson’s) migrated up the ridge from the coast at S. Immonen Rd., Lincoln Co, WA (Phil Pickering).

Report edited by Andrew Keaveney, 3 Jun 2026.