The cover of Birds of Washington

Guides Washington

Birds of Washington

The state's most-recorded birds, ranked from survey data, with when each is present through the year and a life list to keep.

  • Every species profiled with ID notes and habitat
  • A month-by-month presence chart for the whole year
  • Ranked by how consistently each turns up on survey routes
  • Backyard-feeder notes and where to look
  • A printable life list you can keep for years

Not on sale yet

It is built and in final review. We hold a product back rather than sell a draft; it goes on sale when its review clears.

A look inside

What the Washington pages actually look like

From the Washington edition

Some of what is actually in it

The 24 species in the Washington edition, in the order they are most consistently recorded. The first twelve:

  • American Robin
  • Common Raven
  • Song Sparrow
  • Black-headed Grosbeak
  • Western Tanager
  • Western Wood-Pewee
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • European Starling
  • Warbling Vireo
  • Barn Swallow
  • Swainson's Thrush

How the Washington year breaks down

Counted, not claimed

Of the 24 species, 9 are with you all year in Washington, 7 move only a short distance, and 8 leave the continent and come back.

Washington's fullest month is May, when 24 of them are reliably about; the quietest is January with 9. The presence chart shows every month for every species.

In the box

Exactly what you receive

Washington pages6 pages — every species profiled, with a month-by-month presence chart
FormatPDF, laid out for both Letter and A4
DeliveryAn instant download link, plus a link you can re-open for 72 hours
AccessYours to keep — no expiry, no account, no subscription
RefundsFull refund within 30 days, no questions

How it works

From checkout to the field

  1. Buy it

    Checkout takes a card and an email address — no account to create.

  2. Open it straight away

    The download link appears immediately and the Washington files are yours to keep.

  3. Use it through the year

    Print the Washington pages you want and take them outside; they are laid out with room to write on as the season moves.

Free and paid, side by side

The Washington pages here stay free. Here is what the edition adds.

The free Washington pagesBirds of Washington
What it coversThe month Washington is in, free and alwaysAll twelve Washington months, planned before they arrive
The speciesAll 24 Washington species, readable on screenThe same 24, as a printed presence chart and a life list you keep
Where you can read itOn a screen, wherever Washington has signalOn paper, in the field, with no signal at all
PriceFree, and staying that way$9.99 once — no renewal, no account

Before you buy

Who this is for

Made for

  • Beginners who want to know which Washington birds they are actually likely to see
  • Feeder watchers and walkers keeping a list
  • Anyone teaching a child to notice what is out there

Not for

  • Experienced birders after a full Washington state checklist — this is the consistently-seen species, not every rarity

Everything here describes typical timing across Washington, drawn from long-run records — weather, elevation and how close you are to water all move the real dates around. So the Washington pages say "usually early May" and never "May 4th", which is not hedging but the most the data can honestly carry.

Where it comes from

Compiled from

USGS Breeding Bird Survey · State fish & wildlife agencies. How each of these is used in the Washington edition, and which figures are measured rather than modeled, is set out in the methodology.

Questions

Before you decide

Is this specific to Washington, or a national guide with the name swapped in?

It is built from Washington's own data. The species list is the one recorded on Washington survey routes, ranked by how consistently each turns up — 24 species in this edition.

Where does the Washington species list come from?

It is drawn from the USGS Breeding Bird Survey routes that run through Washington, ranked by how consistently each species is recorded.

How accurate is the timing for Washington?

It describes typical timing across Washington drawn from long-run records, and because weather, elevation and habitat move real Washington dates around it says "usually early May" rather than "May 4th".

Is it worth paying when the Washington pages here are free?

The free Washington pages are the month you are in; this is the whole Washington year, planned before it arrives and printable, so you are not holding a screen in the garden.

Will it work for my part of Washington, or just the big cities?

It is written at state resolution — Washington as a whole, with regional notes where Washington genuinely differs end to end, and nothing behind it is recorded finely enough to honestly promise more than that.

What format is the Washington edition, and can I print it?

A PDF laid out for both Letter and A4, one page per sheet — printing it is the point, since the Washington pages are made to be carried outside.

What if the Washington guide is not what I expected?

Email hello@birchcompass.com within 30 days for a full refund on the Washington edition, and keep the files either way — asking for them back would be theatre.

Details

Format: PDF, laid out for Letter and A4. Delivery: an instant download link, plus a link you can re-open for 72 hours. Refunds: full refund within 30 days, no questions — email hello@birchcompass.com.

Prefer to read online first? The free Washington birds reference covers the same ground on screen.

The rest of the Washington shelf

Also for Washington