Running Tallies and Needs Lists

Columbia:

Code 1 Birds (58 of 60 species seen): I usually count on getting all of the code 1 birds in a county. This has usually been a good guide. In years where I am splitting time between counties, I've sometimes missed these birds... but it feels like the difficulty of Columbia County is going to inspire some focused efforts to at *least* get all of these. Hoping for all 60. These last two would put me at 147 for the year.

1. Common Nighthawk
2. Eastern Kingbird

Code 2 birds (48 of 55 species seen): Not hard to find in general, but there is usually at least one that escapes me. So, I figure 54 of these is a reasonable goal. Picking up 6 more of these plus the two code 1 birds would have me at 155 for the year. 

1. Rufous Hummingbird
2. American Coot
3. Caspian Tern
4. Swainson's Hawk
5. Barn Owl
6. Northern Pygmy-Owl
7. Canada Jay

Code 3 Birds (20 of 28 seen): I usually am able to track down 80 percent of the code 3 species. Here that would mean 22-23 of them. I'll round to 23, figuring that. . .if it earned a code 3 in Columbia, it must be fairly reliable. Just being seen annually in an under-birded county should indicate that Herculean efforts may not be necessary. I already have "enough" code 4/5 birds to cover any that I miss here, but I've still been on a pretty good pace. Three more, in addition to birds above, would put me at 158. 

1. Cinnamon Teal
2. Lesser Scaup
3. Turkey Vulture
4. American Three-toed Woodpecker
5. Grasshopper Sparrow
6. Lark Sparrow
7. Vesper Sparrow
8. Lincoln's Sparrow

Code 4 birds... because I need code 4 birds (58 birds): I'd need 13 of these to hit 150. I have some high hopes for the code 4's actually. "Not seen annually" might have more to do with how infrequently people bird in Columbia County, and less about the presence of these birds in the county. But how high are my hopes for these birds (and the similarly long list of code 5 birds)? Unlike so many previous years, where I've made some guesses, I just don't think I have enough information to make a refined guess. I'd be surprised if I fell short of 150, and I'd be surprised if I hit 175. So, split the difference, and guess 162? That would mean 25 higher coded birds... and maybe that does track. But that is a fuzzy fuzzy guess! Plus or minus ten, please.

1. Trumpeter Swan
2. Tundra Swan
3. Wood Duck
4. Blue-winged Teal
5. Northern Shoveler
6. Canvasback
7. Redhead
8. Barrow's Goldeneye
9. Ruddy Duck
10. Dusky Grouse
11. Common Poorwill
12. White-throated Swift
13. Least Sandpiper
14. Western Sandpiper
15. Wilson's Snipe
16. Solitary Sandpiper
17. Greater Yellowlegs
18. Bonaparte's Gull
19. Glaucous-winged Gull
20. Black-crowned Night-Heron
21. Flammulated Owl
22. Burrowing Owl
23. Great Gray Owl
24. Short-eared Owl
25. Boreal Owl
26. Black-backed Woodpecker
27. White-headed Woodpecker
28. Merlin
29. Prairie Falcon
30. Red-eyed Vireo
31. Loggerhead Shrike
32. Blue Jay
33. Bohemian Waxwing
34. Pygmy Nuthatch
35. American Pipit
36. Pine Grosbeak
37. Brewer's Sparrow
38. American Tree Sparrow
39. Yellow-headed Blackbird
40. Common Yellowthroat
41. American Redstart

Higher coded birds seen: (18 so far!) January: Cackling Goose (4), Short billed Gull (5), White-breasted Nuthatch (4), Virginia Rail (4), Long-eared Owl (4), Northern Saw-whet Owl (4) and Gadwall (4). February: White-throated Sparrow (4), Eared Grebe (4). March: Northern Pintail (4), Chukar (4), Clark's Nutcracker (4), Ferruginous Hawk (4), Barred Owl (5) May: American White Pelican (4), Spotted Sandpiper (4) June: Green-tailed Towhee (4), Nashville Warbler (4). 

Good start! In fact, if the year continues apace (and I end up with all of the code 1 birds, all but one code 2 birds, and 80 percent of the code 3 birds), I've already safely across the finish line of 150, 158 in fact. The next milestone, I suppose, is the year list record of 172. 14 more code 4 birds? Only with some successful attempts on some Ponderosa birds, and some crazy migration with a few shorebirds. Maybe! Although that record is going to get eclipsed by other birders this year before me! So, what about 175 for the year list, or even the life list? We shall see!

Columbia Running Tally: 

1. Cackling Goose (4)
2. Canada Goose (1)
3. Gadwall (4)
4. American Wigeon (2)
5. Mallard (1)
6. Northern Pintail (4)
7. Green-winged Teal (3)
8. Ring-necked Duck (2)
9. Bufflehead (2)
10. Common Goldeneye (2)
11. Hooded Merganser (1)
12. Common Merganser (1)
13. California Quail (1)
14. Wild Turkey (1)
15. Ruffed Grouse (2)
16. Gray Partridge (3)
17. Ring-necked Pheasant (1)
18. Chukar (4)
19. Pied-billed Grebe (2)
20. Horned Grebe (3)
21. Eared Grebe (4)
22. Western Grebe (3)
23. Rock Dove (1)
24. Eurasian Collared-Dove (2)
25. Mourning Dove (1)
26. Vaux's Swift (1)
27. Black-chinned Hummingbird (2)
28. Calliope Hummingbird (2)
29. Virginia Rail (4)
30. Killdeer (1)
31. Spotted Sandpiper (4)
32. Short-billed Gull (5)
33. Ring-billed Gull (1)
34. California Gull (1)
35. Herring Gull (2)
36. Double-crested Cormorant (2)
37. American White Pelican (4)
38. Great Blue Heron (1)
39. Osprey (2)
40. Golden Eagle (2)
41. Northern Harrier (1)
42. Sharp-shinned Hawk (2)
43. Cooper's Hawk (2)
44. American Goshawk (3)
45. Bald Eagle (2)
46. Red-tailed Hawk (1)
47. Rough-legged Hawk (1)
48. Ferruginous Hawk (4)
49. Western Screech-Owl (3)
50. Great Horned Owl (1)
51. Barred Owl (5)
52. Long-eared Owl (4)
53. Northern Saw-whet Owl (4)
54. Belted Kingfisher (1)
55. Lewis's Woodpecker (3)
56. Williamson's Sapsucker (3)
57. Red-naped Sapsucker (2)
58. Downy Woodpecker (2)
59. Hairy Woodpecker (2)
60. Northern Flicker (1)
61. Pileated Woodpecker (3)
62. Western Kingbird (1)
63. Olive-sided Flycatcher (2)
64. Western Wood-Pewee (1)
65. Willow Flycatcher (2)
66. Hammond's Flycatcher (2)
67. Dusky Flycatcher (1)
68. American Kestrel (1)
69. Western Flycatcher (3)
70. Say's Phoebe (1) 
71. Cassin's Vireo (2)
72. Warbling Vireo (2)
73. Northern Shrike (2)
74. Steller's Jay (1)
75. Clark's Nutcracker (4)
76. Black-billed Magpie (1)
77. American Crow (2)
78. Common Raven (1)
79. Black-capped Chickadee (1)
80. Mountain Chickadee (2)
81. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (3)
82. Horned Lark (1)
83. Bank Swallow (2)
84. Tree Swallow (3)
85. Violet-green Swallow (1)
86. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (2)
87. Barn Swallow (1)
88. Cliff Swallow (1)
89. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
90. Golden-crowned Kinglet (1)
91. Cedar Waxwing (1)
92. Red-breasted Nuthatch (1)
93. White-breasted Nuthatch (4)
94. Brown Creeper (2)
95. Rock Wren (1)
96. Canyon Wren (2)
97. Bewick's Wren (1)
98. Northern House Wren (1)
99. Pacific Wren (3)
100. Marsh Wren (3)
101. Gray Catbird (3)
102. European Starling (1)
103. American Dipper (2)
104. Western Bluebird (2)
105. Mountain Bluebird (2)
106. Townsend's Solitaire (2)
107. American Robin (1)
108. Varied Thrush (2)
109. Veery (3)
110. Swainson's Thrush (2)
111. Hermit Thrush (2)
112. House Sparrow (1)
113. Evening Grosbeak (3)
114. Gray-crowned Rosy Finch (3)
115. House Finch (1)
116. Cassin's Finch (1)
117. Red Crossbill (2)
118. Pine Siskin (1)
119. Lesser Goldfinch (2)
120. American Goldfinch (1)
121. Chipping Sparrow (1)
122. Fox Sparrow (2)
123. Dark-eyed Junco (1)
124. White-crowned Sparrow (2)
125. White-throated Sparrow (4)
126. Savannah Sparrow (2)
127. Song Sparrow (1)
128. Green-tailed Towhee (4)
129. Spotted Towhee (1)
130. Yellow-breasted Chat (3)
131. Western Meadowlark (1)
132. Bullock's Oriole (1)
133. Red-winged Blackbird (1)
134. Brown-headed Cowbird (2)
135. Brewer's Blackbird (1)
136. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
137. Nashville Warbler (4)
138. MacGillivray's Warbler (2)
139. Yellow Warbler (1)
140. Yellow-rumped Warbler (2)
141. Townsend's Warbler (2)
142. Wilson's Warbler (3)
143. Western Tanager (1)
144. Black-headed Grosbeak (2)
145. Lazuli Bunting (1)

Walla Walla

Code 1 (98 of 125 found): Okay, I have two counties to use as comparisons here. Ones that are rich with birds and that I neglected at the expense of a more difficult county that needed my attention. 77/78 in Kitsap last year... 110/114 in Clark the year before that. So, I'll assume that these will be much like Code 2s in a county getting a more serious effort. I will pencil myself in to miss one or two. It's a lot of birds... so I'll say two. 123 - my bold prediction for Walla Walla Code 1 birds!

As a separate tally... let's also keep track of the "normal" math - I'd expect to get all 125, were this a focused year with monthly trips, and no chasing. 

I finished May with 116 birds - the remaining 27 here would put me at 143 for the year.

1. Vaux's Swift
2. Black-chinned Hummingbird
3. Calliope Hummingbird
4. Dunlin
5. Least Sandpiper
6. Western Sandpiper
7. Long-billed Dowitcher
8. Wilson's Snipe
9. Leser Yellowlegs
10. Greater Yellowlegs
11. Sharp-shinned Hawk
12. Swainson's Hawk
13. Great Horned Owl
14. Hairy Woodpecker
15. Western Wood-Pewee
16. Willow Flycatcher
17. Western Flycatcher
18. Cassin's Vireo
19. Warbling Vireo
20. Black-capped Chickadee
21. Gray Catbird
22. Veery
23. Swainson's Thrush
24. Hermit Thrush
25. Pine Siskin
26. Fox Sparrow
27. Savannah Sparrow

Code 2 birds (10 of 63 found): Much like the Code 1 birds, if I'm not focused on these, it seems like they "become" code 3 birds - only in terms of my success in finding them during the year. About 80 percent. 

So, my prediction for the year: 50 of these birds, giving me a total of 173. 

And if I'd gone after this county solo, the prediction would be that I'd miss one or two. Let's say two. That would be 186 species. You'll see why I'm tallying this as well after we've gone through all of the birds!

1. Trumpeter Swan
2. Ruffed Grouse
3. Eared Grebe
4. Clark's Grebe
5. Common Nighthawk
6. White-throated Swift
7. Rufous Hummingbird
8. Virgina Rail
9. Barid's Sandpiper
10. Pectoral Sandpiper
11. Semipalmated Sandpiper
12. Solitary Sandpiper
13. Wilson's Phalarope
14. Bonaparte's Gull
15. Forster's Tern
16. Black-crowned Night-Heron
17. Turkey Vulture
18. Goden Eagle
19. American Goshawk
20. Rough-legged Hawk
21. Western Screech-Owl
22. Northern Pygmy-Owl
23. Long-eared Owl
24. Red-naped Sapsucker
25. Pileated Woodpecker
26. Merlin
27. Peregrine Falcon 
28. Prairie Falcon
29. Hammond's Flycatcher
30. Dusky Flycatcher
31. Say's Phoebe
32. Loggerhead Shrike
33. Northern Shrike
34. Mountain Chickadee
35. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
36. Golden-crowned Kinglet 
37. Brown Creeper
38. Canyon Wren
39. Pacific Wren
40. American Dipper
41. Mountain Bluebird
42. Townsend's Solitaire
43. Varied Thrush
44. Evening Grosbeak
45. Cassin's Finch
46. Red Crossbill
47. Grasshopper Sparrow
48. Lark Sparrow
49. Vesper Sparrow
50. Lincoln's Sparrow
51. Nashville Warbler
52. Wilson's Warbler

Code 3 birds (57 species): For Code 3 and higher, based again on Clark (15) and Kitsap (20) would be somewhere between the two. So, I'll say 17 more, giving me a predicted Walla Walla list of 190 species. That sounds a little high, but we shall see!

And again, a focused year - even with just monthly trips, and without chasing - would normally give me 80 percent of these. A conservative 45 species, for a total of 232. Add a simple dozen code 4 birds, I'm at 246. Actually, as crazy as that number looks, I think that tracks. When I look at the totals at the end of each year, the top three birders in the county are nearly always a big handful of birds above that mark. It may just be the most potential birds in *any* county that I've picked for these years. 

Here, at any rate, are the code 3's

1. Ross's Goose
2. Surf Scoter
3. Red-breasted Merganser
4. Dusky Grouse
5. Gray Partridge
6. Red-necked Grebe
7. Anna's Hummingbird
8. Sora
9. Sandhill Crane
10. Black-bellied Plover
11. Semipalmated Plover
12. Long-billed Curlew
13. Marbled Godwit
14. Stilt Sandpiper
15. Sanderling
16. Short-billed Dowitcher
17. Sabine's Gull
18. Short-billed Gull
19. Western Gull
20. Iceland Gull
21. Lesser Black-backed Gull
22. Glaucous gull
23. Black Tern
24. Common Tern
25. Pacific Loon
26. American Bittern
27. White-faced Ibis
28. Great Gray Owl
29. Short-eared Owl
30. Lewis's Woodpecker
31. Williamson's Sapsucker
32. Olive-sided Flycatcher
33. Least Flycatcher
34. Gray Flycatcher
35. Red-eyed Vireo
36. Canada Jay
37. Blue Jay
38. Bohemian Waxwing
39. White-breasted Nuthatch
40. Sage Thrasher
41. Pine Grosbeak
42. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
43. Purple Finch
44. Common Redpoll
45. Lapland Longspur
46. Brewer's Sparrow
47. American Tree Sparrow
48. Golden-crowned Sparrow
49. Harris's Sparrow
50. White-throated Sparrow
51. Swamp Sparrow
52. Green-tailed Towhee

Walla Walla County running tally for the year: 

1. Snow Goose (1)
2. Greater White-fronted Goose (2)
3. Cackling Goose (2)
4. Canada Goose (1)
5. Tundra Swan (1)
6. Wood Duck (1)
7. Blue-winged Teal (2)
8. Cinnamon Teal (1)
9. Northern Shoveler (1)
10. Gadwall (1)
11. Eurasian Wigeon (3)
12. American Wigeon (1)
13. Mallard (1)
14. Northern Pintail (1)
15. Green-winged Teal (1)
16. Canvasback (1)
17. Redhead (1)
18. Ring-necked Duck (1)
19. Greater Scaup (1)
20. Lesser Scaup (1)
21. Long-tailed Duck (4)
22. Bufflehead (1)
23. Common Goldeneye (1)
24. Barrow's Goldeneye (2)
25. Hooded Merganser (1)
26. Common Merganser (1)
27. Ruddy Duck (1)
28. California Quail (1)
29. Wild Turkey (1)
30. Ring-necked Pheasant (1)
31. Rock Pigeon (1)
32. Eurasian Collared Dove (1)
33. Mourning Dove (1)
34. American Coot (1)
35. Black-necked Stilt (1)
36. American Avocet (2)
37. Killdeer (1)
38. Red-necked Phalarope (2)
39. Spotted Sandpiper (1)
40. Franklin's Gull (3)
41. Ring-billed Gull (1)
42. American Herring Gull (1)
43. California Gullj (1)
44. Glaucous-winged Gull (1)
45. Caspian Tern (1)
46. Pied-billed Grebe (1)
47. Horned Grebe (1)
48. Western Grebe (1)
49. Common Loon (2)
50. Double-crested Cormorant (1)
51. Great Egret (1)
52. Great Blue Heron (1)
53. American White Pelican (1)
54. Osprey (1)
55. Cooper's Hawk (1)
56. Northern Harrier (1)
57. Bald Eagle (1)
58. Red-tailed Hawk (1)
59. Ferruginous Hawk (3)
60. American Barn Owl (2)
61. Northern Saw-whet Owl (2)
62. Belted Kingfisher (1)
63. Downy Woodpecker (1)
64. Northern Flicker (1)
65. American Kestrel (1)
66. Western Kingbird (1)
67. Eastern Kingbird (1)
68. Steller's Jay (1)
69. Black-billed Magpie (1)
70. American Crow (1)
71. Common Raven (1)
72. Horned Lark (1)
73. Bank Swallow (1)
74. Tree Swallow (1)
75. Violet-green Swallow (1)
76. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (1)
77. Barn Swallow (1)
78. Cliff Swallow (1)
79. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
80. Red-breasted Nuthatch (1)
81. Rock Wren (2)
82. Northern House Wren (1)
83. Marsh Wren (1)
84. Bewick's Wren (1)
85. European Starling (1)
86. Western Bluebird (1)
87. American Robin (1)
88. Cedar Waxwing (1)
89. House Sparrow (1)
90. American Pipit (2)
91. House Finch (1)
92. Lesser Goldfinch (1)
93. American Goldfinch (1)
94. Chipping Sparrow (1)
95. Lark Sparrow (2)
96. Dark-eyed Junco (1)
97. White-crowned Sparrow (1)
98. Song Sparrow (1)
99. Spotted Towhee (1)
100. Yellow-breasted Chat (1)
101. Yellow-headed Blackbird (1)
102. Western Meadowlark (1)
103. Bullock's Oriole (1)
104. Red-winged Blackbird (1)
105. Tricolored Blackbird (3)
106. Brown-headed Cowbird (1)
107. Brewer's Blackbird (1)
108. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
109. MacGillivray's Warbler (1)
110. Common Yellowthroat (3)
111. Yellow Warbler (1)
112. Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
113. Townsend's Warbler (1)
114. Western Tanager (1)
115. Black-headed Grosbeak (1)
116. Lazuli Bunting (1)