Oregon and Washington: Winter 2024–2025

Geese through Owls

Oregon’s fourth Tundra Bean-Goose wintered in Baker City, Baker Co 6 Dec–3 Jan (Aaron Beerman), while a Whooper Swan popped into Sumas Prairie, Whatcom Co 11 Dec+ after first being found across the border in Canada. The Whooper Swan may have been a returning individual that wintered in nearby Skagit Co the previous winter. Oregon enjoyed two drake Baikal Teal on the westside: one at Howell Park on Sauvie Island, Multnomah Co 18 Jan (Gerry Ellis), and a different individual at Amazon Prairie Mitigation Bank, Lane Co 25-26 Jan (Rachael Friese). Photo analysis points to these being different individuals—remarkable for a species that until now has only been found and shot by hunters in the state. Both of the teal were found in muddy flooded fields amongst well-mixed groups of Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail. Both locations iced over after discovery, possibly contributing to the teals disappearances; speculation that the Sauvie bird was hunted remains unsubstantiated. More regular waterfowl such as Eurasian Wigeon seemingly wintered in typical concentrations. Tufted Duck’s apparent decline as a western U.S. vagrant has caught the attention of local birders; Washington, for example, went all of 2023 and 2024 without a single record. Oregon had a single female in Portland, Multnomah Co 21–22 Feb (Andrew Aldrich), and Washington had a female in Sequim, Clallam Co 8 Jan+ (John and Linda Mendoza) and a male alongside a remarkable three Tufted Duck x Scaup sp. in Woodland Bottoms, Cowlitz Co 3 Jan (Adrian Hinkle, Em Scattaregia, Jay Withgott).

A late American Golden-Plover lingered at Cape Disappointment, Pacific Co 23 Nov to 9 Dec (ph.; Matt Dufort, Spencer Hildie). There are a few recent December records in our region, a new phenomenon that could in part reflect better photo documentation of late-season golden-plovers. Mountain Plovers show up in Oregon a few times a decade, usually on coastal beaches. One spent a few days at Umpqua Beach, Douglas Co 10–13 Dec (Matt Hunter). Despite the flashier vagrants this winter, a Hudsonian Godwit at Tokeland, Pacific Co 9 Feb+ (Patricia Damron) was perhaps the biggest stunner of the season. This may be the northernmost winter record, and is certainly the first winter record in the Western U.S. Closing out the rare shorebirds was a single Ruff through most of the season at Baskett Slough, Polk Co.

Loons were not to be outdone by the waterfowl and shorebirds, with two Arctic Loons being the highlight. One was in Port Angeles, Clallam Co 28 Dec–30 Jan (Steve Hampton) while another showed up at Fort Stevens State Park, Clatsop Co 5–19 Jan (Tina Toth). Yellow-billed Loons had a remarkable showing, too, with Oregon’s 5+ on the westside and two on the eastside particularly impressive. A single pelagic off Newport 7 Dec yielded a Short-tailed Albatross and two Mottled Petrels (Oregon Pelagic Tours). A freshly-dead Brown Booby turned up on Sunset Beach, Clatsop Co 18 Dec (Owen Schmidt). Up to three Brandt’s Cormorants materialized along the Columbia River in Portland, Multnomah Co 28 Dec+ (Darren Ferris, Anne Tucker). Several out-of-range owls were reported, including approximately 12 westside Great Gray Owls and approximately six out-of-range eastside Great Gray Owls. A few low-elevation Northern Hawk-Owls and low-elevation eastside Boreal Owls were also reported.

Flycatchers through Warblers

A Vermillion Flycatcher located during the Port Orford CBC at Cape Blanco gave Curry Co its first record 14 Dec+ (Terry Wahl). An Ash-throated Flycatcher surprisingly popped up in Monta Vista near Tacoma, Pierce Co 16 Jan (Alex Young). Birders at Kamiak Butte, Whitman Co counted 248 Red-breasted Nuthatches at Kamiak Butte 28 Jan (RJ Baltierra, Nathaniel Cooley); the species is usually ubiquitous in much of the region, but winter counts this high are unusual. Once a few-times-a-decade rarity for winter in our region, Gray Catbirds are now showing up several times during winter; two in Pierce Co, one in Whitman Co, and one in Baker Co were likely true winterers with mid-December dates or later. Oregon’s 7th Wood Thrush shocked birders at Heceta Head, Lane Co 1 Jan–22 Feb (Rachael Friese, Vjera Thompson).

As if the aforementioned rarities were not remarkable enough, two Asian passerines also graced the Oregon coast. A Red-flanked Bluetail at Westlake County Park, Lane Co 13 Jan (Joe Roemer) was unfortunately not identified until weeks later, and could not be refound during follow-ups at the end of February. It continues the new trend of near-annual sightings south of Alaska, this being the 15th ABA record south of Alaska since 2011 (prior to that there was a single 1989 record). For chasers, a White Wagtail at Kilchis Point, Tillamook Co 14 Dec (Cliff Cordy) proved equally frustrating until it reappeared at Garibaldi Marina 20 Jan+.

Oregon’s second Field Sparrow stayed through the period at Rentenaar Rd., Columbia Co. Field Sparrow is another increasing vagrant to our region. A stunning Song x Swamp Sparrow was photographed at Brady Loop, Grays Harbor Co 27 Jan–3 Feb (Liam Hutchenson, Jason Zoelle). The season’s only two Rusty Blackbirds were restricted to northern Washington, while the only Common Grackle lingered out east in Malheur Co, Oregon.

The warbler section of our report is tough to write, as many eastern “vagrants” are found wintering in coastal towns nowadays. There are too many sightings to list them all, yet the phenomenon is one that is still relatively novel for Pacific Northwest birders. A Black-and-white Warbler and Tennessee Warblers were reported from the southern Oregon coast. Rarer on the eastside was a Northern Waterthrush at Lake Ewauna, Klamath Co 15 Dec–8 Feb (Wes Stone). Most notable on the southern Oregon coast were singles of Virginia Warbler in Brookings 6 Dec (Tim Rodenkirk), Cape May Warbler in Brookings 13 Jan (Tim Rodenkirk), and Black-throated Green Warbler in North Bend 29 Dec–17 Jan (Tim Rodenkirk). A late migrant Scarlet Tanager, Oregon’s first in over eight years, was in Newport, Lincoln Co 7–9 Dec (William Kirsch).

Birders reported an unusual abundance of Townsend’s Warblers this winter, something that the authors also noted. Up to 80 at Yaquina Bay State Park, Lincoln Co 9 Dec (Darlene Betat, Skip Russell) was an exceptional tally for December, for example. Anecdotally, there were also many in coastal California into Baja, but typical numbers in more interior areas. Rare wintering “western” warblers, tanagers, and orioles were a bit scarcer this winter than in some recent ones, though a MacGillivray’s Warbler in Ashland 29 Jan (Nathan Trimble) was of note.

Report processed by Andrew Keaveney, 03 Jun 2025.