Audubon count spots record Tri-City bird species

A record number of bird species were spotted during the Tri-Cities annual Christmas Bird Count.

During the count, named for the holiday but conducted Jan. 2, volunteers organized by the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society counted birds in a 15-mile diameter circle centered in the Columbia River just off Road 68 in Pasco.

Despite the cold weather, 80 volunteers contributed to the count.

A total of 118 species were spotted. The previous high was 110 species in 2012.

For the first time, a yellow-bellied sapsucker was confirmed in the Tri-Cities. It was seen on Arrowhead Avenue in Kennewick.

Another rare sighting was a Say’s phoebe near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Ten tundra swans were seen, with the flock apparently flying over Kennewick and Pasco.

Counters reported 60,000 birds. Information will be compiled into a national annual report with data to look for trends, including whether global climate change may be expanding ranges for some species.

For a complete report, go to www.birdsource.org and click on “Christmas count” at the bottom of the page. The Tri-Cities count code is “WATC.”

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Audubon count spots record Tri-City bird species."