Date: 7/30/26 3:19 pm From: Matt Bartels via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] County Year List Project at the half-way point for 2026
Hi Tweeters and Inland NW Birders -
It is a little late coming, but an updated version of the 2026 County Year List Project is up and available at Washington Birder. Almost all 39 counties sent in updates of the year list at the mid-way point [through the end of June]. Thanks, compilers for all your work, and thanks everyone who has contributed.
The mid-year check-in as a relatively stable time of year to compare across years — The end of June found us mostly done with spring migration, and still ahead of fall migration (except for some shorebirds).
Overall, it looks like this year is shaping up to be a bit better than usual when it comes to county year lists. Here’s how things look compared with recent years:
We’ve tallied 371 species statewide as of the mid-way point in 2026. That’s seven higher than our total at this point in 2025, and about six above our mid-year average total at this point [364.5].
In Western WA, our 329 total is exactly the same as last year’s at this point. That’s right in line with our average [329.0] of the past 15 years.
In Eastern WA, our 308 species tallied is four higher than last year at this point, tied for our highest mid-year total [tied w/ 2024 and 2013] and well above our usual EWA average.
18 counties are higher than they were at this point last year, 21 are lower. 31 Counties have a total within 10 species of the check-in at this point last year, a sign of the continued consistency of this effort.
King [258], Grays Harbor [252] and Walla Walla [250] are in the lead with the highest county totals. Looking at top counties based on the percentage of their overall life list that has been found so far this year, the top five counties are all in Eastern WA: Klickitat [75%, 237], Yakima [73.3%, 242], Okanogan [72.9%, 239], Asotin [71.7%, 215], and Walla Walla [70.8%, 250].
62 species have been seen in all 39 counties and 153 species have been found in 30 or more counties — that’s our core of wide-spread regulars.
If you'd like to take a look at where things stand, the list and many other interesting files are at the Washington Birder website:
