[Tweeters] 2024 Wrap: Washington County Year List Project

[Matt Bartels via Tweeters]

Time to report on our 18th year of recruiting compilers from every county to track the sightings in WA. The idea behind the project [at Washington Birder] is to get behind the fun of individual county listing to compile a ‘community’ list — rather than just birds seen by a single individual, we attempt to pull together birds seen by anyone over the course of the year. It provides one perspective on the birds of Washington in 2024 - Today, most of the reporting comes via eBird, but compilers also look beyond eBird sometimes to find reports from birders more broadly.

Some 2024 results:
Overall this year, our totals were just about equal to our 18 year average.
393 species were reported statewide. That’s just one below our average[394.2],  and one below the previous totals for 2023 and 2022.
326 species for Eastern Washington. That’s three below last year, and two higher than our average [324.4]
370 species for Western Washington. That’s also one above last year, and five higher than the overall average [365.4].

Record high county totals were recorded for five counties: Jefferson [258], Pacific [260], Benton [245 - tied w/ 2021] Grant [265] and Whitman [249].
Twenty counties reported higher totals than last year, 17 came in lower than last year, and two were tied [Cowlitz and Lincoln,. 28 counties tallied more species than their 18-year average, 10 reported lower than average totals.

Species:
92 species were seen in all 39 counties, 178 were seen in 30 or more counties, 232 in 20 or more counties. That’s consistent with recent  years, a sign of the 250-260 species that make up the relatively ‘stable abundant’ portion of the state list. Of those ‘39ers’ [species seen in all 39 counties, this included 16 ducks/geese, 5 flycatchers, 5 swallows, 8 soarrows, and 7 warblers [try to guess those before looking maybe?]

At the other end of the spectrum, 33 species were reported in only one county this year.  
The only species missed in 2024 that are not a Washington Bird Records Committee review-list species were Ruff, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Elegant Tern, Mottled Petrel and Tennessee Warbler. About 37 WBRC review-list species were reported in the state this year.

In addition to the year list at the link [http://wabirder.com/county_yearlist.html <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://wabirder.com/county_yearlist.html__;!!JYXjzlvb!llpUqVpn9XrEk2w-okT9i5TsuY7nWiHP0PTm-IgrvnxUjt_yDbPVKhd0EGQTz74aiR3x6_VgJfj5Iovrd45oGfTFGb_s$>] , I've included a simple sheet that compiles the annual county totals for each county from 2007-2024 -- if you'd like to see how any county has trended over the years, this is the sheet to study.

2025 compiling is underway, and I encourage you to look up the compiler for counties you bird in and send along unusual sightings — most compilers are checking eBird reports already, but eBird still misses a good bit and we appreciate the help making sure we hear about these sightings. You can find a list of the compilers at the above link

If anyone would like to be a compiler for Grays Harbor County this year, please reach out and I’ll tell you more.

Thanks to all the compilers who track each county, and here's to a fun and surprising 2025. If you notice anything not noted on the 2024 list, let us know and  make a resolution to report your sightings to the compiler this year .

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA
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