Oregon and Washington: Spring 2025

Geese through Shorebirds

An Emperor Goose showed up with Cackling Goose at Nestucca Bay NWR, Tillamook Co 12–29 Mar (Jack Hurt). This could have been the same individual seen with northbound Cackling Geese in Arcata, California 8 Mar, or the singleton seen near Crescent City and Arcata, California in November and December 2024. These aforementioned individuals were the only ones reported south of Alaska since Mar 2024. A Tufted Duck found earlier in the winter lingered at Carrie Blake Park, Clallam Co to 21 Apr. Harney Co scored its first Harlequin Duck when a bright male showed up at The Narrows 16 May (Lisa Schmidt et al.). The only White-winged Dove of the spring was found at Borden Beck Wildlife Preserve, Deschutes Co 25 Mar+ (Alice Pence, Daniel Knapp).

A returning state-first Lesser Nighthawk graced Getty’s Cove, Kittitas Co 21 May+, where it was found roosting on the exact same branch on which the same observer first found it in 2024 (David Swayne). A Common Poorwill at Cherry Ridge Estates, Snohomish Co 27 May (Fiona Leonie) was very rare for western Washington, where there are only a handful of spring records. A Black Swift photographed over Highway 20 west of Picture Gorge, Wheeler Co 18 May (Bruce Pratt, Andrew Pratt) was the first Central Oregon record away from the Bend area. A Costa’s Hummingbird lingered in Eugene, Lane Co until 13 Apr, while another was at Klamath Falls, Klamath Co 31 Mar–11 May (Amy Hill). Oregon’s fifteenth Common Gallinule appeared at North Spit Coos Bay, Coos Co 15–16 May (Tim Rodenkirk) in the same location and nearly the same date as the county’s previous record.

Not quite annual in spring were two American Golden-Plovers: one was at Siletz Bay, Lincoln Co 25 May (Carmen Calzacorta) and another at The Narrows, Harney Co 26 May (Mary and Dave Bucy). Several Pacific Golden-Plovers were noted on the westside where regular, though at least six on the southern Oregon coast were more than normal. A Hudsonian Godwit that wintered in Tokeland, Pacific Co lingered through 21 Apr, while a single presumably northbound Bar-tailed Godwit was found in Grays Harbor Co 9–13 May (Allison Anholt). Both vagrant godwits have increased drastically in the region, though a successfully wintering Hudsonian Godwit was truly remarkable for a bird that has never before wintered in the western United States. Three westside Ruff were present this spring, including a lingering winterer in Oregon, a rather typical April bird at Grays Harbor, and a relatively late individual at Ridgefield NWR, Clark Co 18 May (Marc Breuniger, Mike Clarke). A single Stilt Sandpiper at Fern Ridge Reservoir, Lane Co 4 May joins five prior spring records for the state spanning 22 Apr to 28 May. Willapa Bay, Pacific Co hosted 190,000 Dunlin on 29 Apr (Allison Anholt); such numbers are probably regular, though this was among the highest official recent tallies for the state.

Puffins through Woodpeckers

A Horned Puffin was spotted during a seawatch at Carkeek Park, King Co 30 May (Ryan Merrill). A Little Gull was found roosting on a sandbar in the middle of Grays Harbor 13 May (Liam Hutcheson). An adult Laughing Gull was at Skipanon Spit, Clatsop Co 25 May (Tina Toth, David Bailey). Six Lesser Black-backed Gulls were noted; though they have been regular in select areas for years, one in Burns, Harney Co 20 May (Peter Olsoy, Katie Sorenson) was a county first. The Slaty-backed Gull wintering in the Tri-Cities area (Franklin and Benton Co) for the tenth winter in a row was last seen 2 Mar. An Arctic Tern at Sprague Lake, Adams Co 31 May (Micah Grove, Gavin Rolwes) was the only record for the region’s eastside this spring.

The exceptional winter for Yellow-billed Loons extended into spring, with eight reported in Washington—including two on the eastside—and one in Oregon. Though regular in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, they remain rare elsewhere. It was a strong spring for Murphy’s Petrels on repositioning cruises offshore both states, particularly off Washington where traditionally scarcely reported. A now-roughly-average total of two Manx Shearwaters were recorded from Oregon seawatches. Oregon’s 10th Glossy Ibis, photographed at Hotchkiss Lane, Harney Co 27 Apr (Clayton Crofton), was surprisingly the region’s first since 2017.

Broad-winged Hawk had a solid spring in Washington, with eight from Bahokus Peak, Clallam Co, and singles from Jefferson, Kitsap, and Chelan Cos. Oregon furnished no records. Wahkiakum Co’s first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker lingered on Puget Island through 24 Mar.

Flycatchers through Warblers

A Gray Flycatcher was noted in Yachats, Lincoln Co 2–3 May (Andrew Aldrich); the region’s coast gets them far less than annually. An Eastern Phoebe at Calispell Lake, Pend Oreille Co 28 May (Sue Trevathan, Sherry Bottoms) was documented at the same site where one was reported in 2022, and about five miles from another sighting in 2023. A less-than-annual coastal Eastern Kingbird was reported from Ecola SP, Clatsop Co 31 May (Samantha Roark). Curry Co’s first Vermillion Flycatcher lingered at Wahl Ranch, Curry Co to 21 March (Terry Wahl).

Oregon’s 11th White Wagtail lingered at Garibaldi Marina, Tillamook Co, to 1 Mar. Many northerly finches were largely absent this season, with just a handful of Redpolls and a single White-winged Crossbill in March; observers in Central Oregon did, however, report seeing above-average numbers of Evening Grosbeaks. The wintering Field Sparrow at Sauvie Island, Columbia Co, lingered to 15 Apr. Wahkiakum Co’s first Black-throated Sparrow was found at Skamokawa Fernhill Cemetery 30 May+ (Matt Kennedy).

An Orchard Oriole that wintered in Brookings, Curry Co remained through 25 Mar (Tim Rodenkirk), while a young male Baltimore Oriole was photographed at Malheur NWR Headquarters 16 May (Katie Sorenson, Peter Olsoy). A Great-tailed Grackle appeared at Steigerwald NWR, Clark Co 31 May+ (Cindy Merrill, Sarah Keeney), while another in Moses Lake, Grant Co has been present since Nov 2023. Great-tailed Grackle is still a review species in the state but will surely be removed soon as this species continues to expand its range northward.

A remarkably early Ovenbird was stalked around a garden in Yakima, Yakima Co 29 Apr (Karen Zook) until it unfortunately died in a window strike. This was Washington’s earliest record by two weeks. Harney Co was especially productive for eastern vagrants this spring, with several of the more expected rare warblers such as a single Black-and-white Warbler and two Tennessee Warblers. A singing male Tennessee Warblers in Eugene, Lane Co 24 Apr (Noah Strycker) was more noteworthy. A gorgeous male Cape May Warbler at Fields Oasis, Harney Co 24–26 May (Reya Coats, Sierra Downes, Aaron Katz, William Kirsch) was Oregon’s 17th, but the first at any desert trap in the region since 2012. Three Northern Parulas were in Harney Co, and a singing male Blackpoll Warbler was at Benson Pond, Harney Co 23–24 May (Peter Olsoy, Katie Sorenson). The undisputed highlight of the spring was a Grace’s Warbler at Malheur NWR Headquarters, Harney Co 30 May (Otto Mayer), a first for the region and northernmost world record. A Summer Tanager lingered in Brookings, Curry Co through 1 Apr; notably no spring vagrants showed up anywhere in the region. Right about average for the region were eight Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and four Indigo Buntings.

This report originally contained an erroneous report of a Black Vulture; it has since been removed.

Report processed by Andrew Keaveney, 10 Jul 2025.