Oregon and Washington: Summer 2025

The region’s outer coast generally hosts very few breeding ducks, yet the Weyco Settling Ponds on North Spit Coos Bay, Coos Co, traditionally buck that trend. One brood of Blue-winged Teal and four broods of Cinnamon Teal were noted there this year (Tim Rodenkirk et al.). A Least Tern was present at the Casey Pond in Walla Walla Co, 23–24 Jun (Bob and Georgene Bond), representing a ninth state record and a second for Walla Walla county. The first Walla Walla Co record was seen at the same exact location 4–5 Jul 2022. Oregon also scored a Least Tern, this one at Fern Ridge Reservoir 29 Jun (Hannah Lansverk, Ben Sonnenberg). Flocks totalling 52 Franklin’s Gull at Wannapum State Park, Kittitas Co 8 Jun (Liam Hutcheson, Jacob Miller), possibly the second highest count for Washington, came from an area seldom frequented by Franklin’s Gull. An Oregon state-first White-tailed Tropicbird shocked local birders when it was photographed flying north past Yaquina Head, Lincoln Co on the morning of 19 Jul (Chuck Philo). This may have been the same White-tailed Tropicbird that was distantly photographed flying around over a residential neighborhood in Santa Cruz, California 9 Jul.

Yellow-billed Loons showed well, with four individuals in Washington and one in far northwest Oregon. The rarest of these came from Washington’s eastside, when Benton Co’s first record was photographed by kayak in the Columbia River off Toothaker HMU 9 Jun (Jef Blake).

An American Golden-Plover at Casey Pond, Walla Walla Co 8–9 Jun (Mike Denny, MerryLynn Denny) was possibly only the second June record for eastern Washington. A county-first Hudsonian Godwit at Nisqually NWR, Thurston Co 11–16 Jun (Shep Thorp) was very rare for the Puget Sound. An agitated territorial Solitary Sandpiper at Gold Lake Bog, Lane Co 9–11 Jul (Miles Scheuering) may have been breeding there. Small numbers of territorial individuals have been detected there intermittently since 1981, though not since 2010. A rare eastside Red Knot was found on Double O Rd, Harney Co 8 Jun (Katie Sorenson, Peter Olsoy.) Southbound Semipalmated Sandpipers made a well-above-average showing; 13 at Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co 28 Jul (Alexander Sowers, Jack Samson, Louis Kreemer) was a rather high count for the coast, but large numbers of juveniles in particular were noted throughout the region.

Washington’s continuing state-first Lesser Nighthawk lingered at Getty’s Cove, Kittitas Co to 20 Jun. A male Costa’s Hummingbird at a private residence in Wenatchee, Chelan Co 1 Jun (Neil Paprocki) was a county-first. A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird visited feeders at Malheur NWR HQ, Harney Co 19–20 Jun (Nolan Clements, Miles Scheuering). Convincingly documented records in the region are not quite annual, though this species likely occurs annually in far eastern Oregon and potentially southeast Washington

One of the biggest surprises of the summer was Washington’s second Crested Auklet, seen twice from the West Point seawatch at Discovery Park, King Co 8 and 11 Jun (Matt Dufort, Spencer Hildie). The better-documented state’s first record on 30 June 2019 was also seen from West Point. Two Crested Auklets were reported in California in the second half of July 2025, which is notable given that the species has previously been detected only four times south of Canada. Lewis’s Woodpeckers were historically poorly documented, if not absent, as westside breeders north of Jackson Co. Recent fires on the west slope of the central Oregon Cascades have opened up suitable habitat for a few pairs to begin breeding there. At least one pair bred just west of Rainbow, Lane Co into July 2024, while this year a pair was found feeding young between Mt. Scott Fire Lookout and Millpond Park, Douglas Co 3 July 2025 (Matt Hunter), and at least two nesting pairs were found just downslope from Whitewater Creek Trailhead, Marion Co in July (Rog Gerig).

A singing Alder Flycatcher at Cassimer Bar, Okanogan Co 15–22 Jun (Mathew Danielson) was Washington’s sixth record. Four Least Flycatchers in Oregon, all on the eastside, was typical. Five individual Black Phoebes were found on the northern Olympic Peninsula 30 Jun–20 Jul, three in Clallam Co and two in Jefferson Co, continuing the northward expansion of this species. A very out-of-season Say’s Phoebe at Jewel Meadows Wildlife Area, Clatsop Co 29 June (Tina Toth) provided one of few, if any, late June records for the region’s coast.

The only Brown Thrasher of the summer showed up at Malheur NWR HQ, Harney Co 15–16 Jun (Henry Burton). A male Tricolored Blackbird also lingered at Malheur NWR HQ through at least 27 Jun. A handful of expected vagrant warblers passing through the region in June spilled into early July, reflecting the late spring that was noted throughout the west coast. A Black-and-white Warbler at Glaze Meadow, Deschutes Co 23 Jul (Frank Sterrett) was ambiguously timed, as southbound birds often show up in August while northbound stragglers can occur into early July. There was one Tennessee Warbler, in Harney Co in June. Oregon’s four eastside American Redstarts was typical, while its four westside American Redstarts was above average. Two female or immature American Redstarts were downstream from Robertson Bridge, Josephine Co 1 Jul (Josephine Tagestad); one was at North Spit Coos Bay, Coos Co 6 Jul; and one second-year male oversummered at Millicoma Marsh, Coos Co 8 Jul+ (Tim Rodenkirk), ultimately molting into a bright black-and-red adult plumage late in the month.

It was another good summer for Northern Parulas on the southern Oregon coast, with at least five in Curry and Coos Cos 9 Jun–28 Jul. Two male Northern Parulas at Lyons Ferry Park, Franklin Co 31 Jul+ (Mary Cantrell) was more unusual and provided Washington’s eastside with its only vagrant warblers of the spring. A singing male Bay-breasted Warbler at Wood River Day Use Area, Klamath Co 10 Jun (Elijah Hayes) was one of the rarest warblers of the spring. There were two Chestnut-sided Warblers in Oregon, including a late male in Coos Bay, Coos Co 2 Jul (Tim Rodenkirk). Seven Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in Oregon 1 Jun–1 Jul was a typical total, but surprisingly none were reported from Washington. The region’s lone Indigo Bunting summering at Mt. Pisgah, Lane Co made for a lackluster showing.

Report edited by Andrew Keaveney, 02 Dec 2025.