There are worse names for birds, but perhaps none so inaccurate. I have seen these pretty little dudes nearly every year of my adult life, and never once have I seen them take down so much as a limping doe. False. Advertising.

88) Killdeer

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Another glorious day at Finley NWR, with 22 species of birds in about 3.5 hours. The highlight, other than the gorgeous blue bunting, was watching a hairy woodpecker feed his mate in the nest. That's going to be one of the best bird moments of my year, for sure.

84) Ring-necked Duck
85) Common Yellow throat
86) Black-headed Grosbeak
87) Lazuli Bunting

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Rock pigeons' (unearned) bad rap has poisoned the word pigeon a little. But pigeons, rock and otherwise, are great birds. From British Columbia to Peru, this is the Pacific coast's signature native pigeon, and I love them.

83) Band-tailed Pigeon

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And speaking of swallows. That will do it for the everyday ones. I hope to still see bank and maybe cliff, but I'll have to go looking for those.

82) Violet-green Swallow

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One swallow does not a summer make. But now all the swallows are here, flitting around eating a ridiculous number of mosquitoes and other insects, and making the world just noticeably more beautiful and comfortable for all of us. Swallows rock, and these common, gorgeous ones are my favorite.

81) Barn Swallow

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Grainy proof of probably my best ever experience with one of my favorite Northwest birds. This one flew around us and sat in perfect light, calling and pecking and generally being great.

80) Pileated Woodpecker

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Just a glorious day at Finley National Wildlife Refuge. 26 species total, 5 new for the year, and more than that, the unforgettable experience of seeing both osprey and juvenile bald eagles successfully dive for fish. What a treat.

75) Cinnamon Teal
76) American Wigeon
77) Black Phoebe
78) Tree Swallow
79) Marsh Wren

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A beautiful little gem of a bird that is sadly in decline all around the Northwest. It should never take this long to see my first of the year, even with my lackluster birding effort.

74) Rufous Hummingbird

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