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Thursday, July 4, 2019
This month has gotten off to a slow start. On Monday we drove home from Albany, Oregon, to finish off our annual Yosemite trip. I picked up Turkey Vulture, Brewer's Blackbird, American Crow, and Feral Pigeon on the drive, and when we got home, I added Bewick's Wren in our yard. After Monday I had 5 species for July.
On Tuesday it was drizzly and I had a lunch appointment, but I drove over to north Seattle to look for a new bird for the year, at a place where they were known to have nested. The young birds had reportedly just fledged and were in the neighborhood. I parked and walked around in the heavy mist and light drizzle, and after about 20 minutes I finally saw and heard a MERLIN, the species I was looking for. I took one picture before the drizzle got too heavy, and it is terrible because of the bright sky behind the bird. Here is my only shot of a Merlin this year so far.
I didn't see anything else for July that day. The Merlin brought my July total to 6. It also brought my 2019 King county list to 137. Since it was also new for the year, my total for 2019 rose by one to 281 species. The bird was about a block outside of my Five Mile Radius circle, so it wasn't able to be added to my 5MR list.
Yesterday, July 3, I stayed home and caught up with stuff, except to go get my car serviced in the afternoon. I saw Dark-eyed Junco and American Goldfinch in our yard, and that brought July to 8 species.
Today, July 4, I finally did some actual birding (other than the Merlin twitch). I went down to Juanita Bay Park and walked around a bit. I played Golden-crowned Kinglet near the parking lot, and eventually attracted one. Here are three pictures of the Golden-crowned Kinglet.
There were some Barn Swallows swooping over the grass, and I saw American Robins a number of times. On the east boardwalk I saw House Finch and Cedar Waxwing for my July list. Out at the end of the east boardwalk I had a good view of an Osprey sitting on a pole. Here is the Osprey.
There were Mallards, Gadwalls, Wood Ducks, and a couple of American Coots near the end of the boardwalk, so they all went on my July list. Here is a picture of a female Wood Duck.
This is another female Wood Duck.
In the late winter and spring, male Wood Ducks are very colorful, but here is one in its non-breeding plumage.
Later I saw three juvenile Wood Ducks and got this picture of one of them.
The dark line through the eye sets it apart from the adult Wood Ducks.
There were Red-winged Blackbirds around, of course, as well as a Great Blue Heron and 2 or 3 Bald Eagles. A Caspian Tern flew around offshore, and a Belted Kingfisher flew through and perched in a distant tree. There were a few Tree Swallows in the air, and a distant Pied-billed Grebe called loudly a couple of times. Next I walked over to the west boardwalk, but the only new bird I got for July over there was Northern Flicker. I did get some pictures of Cedar Waxwings, though.
I headed for home after about an hour and a half, and as I pulled into our driveway there was a male American Goldfinch at our finch feeder, and I got this picture from my car.
This afternoon and evening we had a Fourth of July party/picnic here, and while eating dinner outside on the driveway, I added Bushtit, Anna's Hummingbird, and Black-capped Chickadee to my July list. Altogether, today I added 21 more species to my July list, to give me 29 species now for July. As I said at the top, I'm getting off to a slow start this month.
Friday, July 5, 2019
I went over to the Snoqualmie Valley this morning. I stopped on the way at the Redmond Watershed Preserve to see if the Hooded Mergansers that I saw there last month were still around. They were, so that one went on my July list. Here's a picture of a female Hooded Merganser.
Here she is with two of her three youngsters.
I picked up Canada Goose as I drove down the west side of the valley. While driving across the valley, I added Song Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and European Starling. Then there was a Violet-green Swallow on a wire. All of those were new for July for me. At the house in Carnation with feeders, there was a male Black-headed Grosbeak at one of the feeders, so that one went on the list, too. I drove to the bridge over the Tolt River, just south of Carnation, to look for American Dipper. I had heard that the pair there was raising a second brood of young ones, using the same nest I had photographed a couple of months ago. At first I didn't see any dippers or any activity around the nest, but then an American Dipper flew in to the nest with some food and fed a nestling. The adult dipper flew off up the river, but it soon came back.
Here's a picture of the nest under the bridge.
The dipper foraged around in the water, and then among the rocks on the shore, and it came up with a beak full of food items.
It moved right toward me and I took more pictures. I never was able to figure out what it had in its beak.
It flew up to the nest, and I managed to get one poor picture in the very low light. The picture is crap, but you can get an idea of the size of the nest, at least. You can see the yellow mouth of one of the youngsters, begging for more food.
While I was waiting for the dipper to come back, I noticed a number of Cedar Waxwings flying around over the water, acting like swallows, hawking insects. They would land on the beach and in the trees across the river. I can never resist taking pictures of Cedar Waxwings, so here are three of them.
I didn't need that one, but I did need Common Merganser, and a female swam upriver with three young ones following. Here is a picture of the female Common Merganser and two of her brood.
There was also a Spotted Sandpiper on the beach upstream, so that one went on my July list. After that I stopped at the Carnation Market and got a ham and salami sandwich, then stopped at the house with feeders again. Nothing was going on there, so I went on up to the Stillwater Access to the Snoqualmie Valley Wildlife Area. I walked along the trail that runs along the old railway route, and it was very quiet. I heard Common Yellowthroats a number of times, but never saw one. I played Marsh Wren songs, but couldn't attract one. Eventually I got a quick view of a Red-breasted Sapsucker, which I needed. I heard Swainson's Thrush in several places, but I never saw one of them. I played Brown Creeper calls, and one flew in. Here are two pictures of a Brown Creeper.
I drove by the feeder house again, and this time I saw a couple of Band-tailed Pigeons for my July list. After that I ate my sandwich and some chips at the Fay Road Access parking lot, but I didn't see anything interesting there. I drove up through Duvall to W. Snoqualmie River Rd NE. I drove up that dead end road, but I didn't see anything of interest until I got to the end of the road, at the dairy there. I picked up Eurasian Collared-Dove there. Here is a picture of one on a wire.
As I headed back down the road, there were several of them in a tree. One of them was puffed up and cooing, presumably trying to impress a female Eurasian Collared-Dove.
There was also what I think was a juvenile Eurasian Collared-Dove in that tree. The bird didn’t have the usual black "collar" on the back of the neck.
I stopped across the river from the tree with the Great Blue Heron nests that I've been watching. All the nests were empty except one, which still had one almost fully grown nestling in it. I love the hair do on this guy.
While I was sitting there taking pictures, there was a swallow swooping over the river, and I identified it as a Northern Rough-winged Swallow, which I needed still for July. A Downy Woodpecker flew across the road, too, and after I got a quick look at it, it flew back to the tree it was in originally. That was another July bird.
As I drove back to the main road, the Western Kingbird was on the wire in front of the Halal butcher place, in the same place it has been for the last two or three years. Western Kingbirds are quite uncommon around here, so it's nice when one shows up there every year. Here's a shot of the Western Kingbird from an interesting perspective.
I added 21 more species to my July list today, and now I have 50 species this month. Last year I had 60 after five days in July, so I'm not that far behind, despite my slow start this year.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Today I drove north, up to Skagit county. My first stop was Fox Road, near the little town of Clear Lake, northeast of Mount Vernon. I had four main target species, all difficult ones to get, and all ones that are much more easily heard than seen. Upon arrival, I saw a small bird perched in the grass. I got an excellent look at it through my binoculars for 20 or 30 seconds, and I decided that it could only be a Rock Wren. That would be very unusual for that location and habitat, but that's what I believe it was. It went back down into the grass, and I pulled up and played a Rock Wren song on my phone. The bird popped right back up and looked at me, but then it disappeared again, and I couldn't ever get it back. I wish I could have gotten a picture, but I saw it really well, and I'm calling it a Rock Wren, despite the unlikelihood of that. The only other possibility would be House Wren, but that would be unusual there, too. I'm fairly familiar with both of those species, and this one looked like a Rock Wren to me, not a House Wren.
As I drove on slowly, I saw a Wilson's Snipe on a post. That was one of my four target species. I was afraid I would spook the bird if I got out of the car, so I took a couple of pictures through the windshield. They came out poorly, of course, and when I opened the door, the bird did indeed fly off. Here are two shots of the Wilson's Snipe, taken through the windshield.
I got out at that spot and played various bird calls. I got one response from a Sora, and that was another of my target species. Later I heard other Sora calls in the distance. I never could get a response from a Virginia Rail, and I didn't hear an American Bittern, either. Those were my other two targets, which I had seen there a couple of months ago.
As I walked along the road, I saw a little bird and got four pretty good pictures of it. I decided it must have been a juvenile Common Yellowthroat, although I kept trying to make it into an Orange-crowned Warbler. Here are the four pictures of the cute little juvenile Common Yellowthroat, which I didn't need for July.
I saw a bird fly into a tree, and I got a distant picture of it.
I think it was a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird, which I needed for July. Just in case I was wrong, I was glad to see a pair of adult Brown-headed Cowbirds later in the day.
I drove to the end of the road, which wasn't very far, and I heard a Swainson's Thrush, which I didn't actually need, but I was still glad to hear. I also saw a Fox Sparrow, which was an excellent July bird. Fox Sparrow is quite unusual for July anywhere on the east side of the Cascades, but I got a good look at it.
As I made my way back down the road, which is a dead end, I stopped again and played Virginia Rail calls. A small bird showed up, and it turned out to be a Marsh Wren, another good July bird for me. I think it was a juvenile. Here is the juvenile Marsh Wren, begging for food, I think.
Here is another shot of the juvenile Marsh Wren.
Next I backtracked to Wylie Slough, stopping at Subway to pick up a tuna sandwich. It was very quiet at Wylie Slough, and the tide was high in the lagoon, so there weren't any shorebirds. I did see a couple of Black Phoebes, the rarity that nested there this year. Here is a Black Phoebe, another July bird.
I walked out on the dike trail, but I didn't see anything I needed for July. I did see a couple of Cedar Waxwings, though, and I can't resist taking pictures of that sleek looking species.
I moved on to Hayton Reserve, but the tide there was way too far out, and there wasn't anything around. There were three other birders there, and we chatted a little, and then I noticed a large raptor flying around in the distance. We all looked at it, and it landed at one point. I moved closer, and when it took off again, I got a quick look at its head, and it was a Peregrine Falcon, an excellent July bird for me. I think it was a juvenile because it had a light colored terminal band on its tail and was more brown than gray or bluish. I mentioned I was looking for Northern Harrier, and one of the other birders pointed out a bird flying high above us, and it was indeed my first Northern Harrier of July. On my way out to the highway, I stopped and checked out the Bald Eagle nest there. There were two almost fully-grown eagles in the nest. I presume they haven't fledged yet, but they must be close. Here's a picture of the two large "baby" Bald Eagles.
It was lunch time by then, and I drove to the house on Valentine Road that has feeders. I ate my lunch in my car, while watching for birds. The feeders were all empty, though, except the big suet feeder, so there wasn't much action. I saw 2 or 3 Downy Woodpeckers, but I missed Hairy Woodpecker, which I had been hoping for. The only bird I got for my July list was Red-breasted Nuthatch.
I didn't have anywhere else I wanted to go up in Skagit county, so I headed back toward home. I stopped in Everett at the sewage ponds, to look for ducks. Ducks are hard to find in the summer, but I had done extremely well there in June, so I gave it a shot today. I did very well again, and I picked up Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Greater Scaup, and Ring-necked Duck. Considering how few ducks were there, that was a great variety. There were lots of Mallards, some Gadwalls, a female Wood Duck with ducklings, and a pair of Hooded Mergansers, too, but I already had those species for July.
I drove on to the end of the unpaved road, and I added Killdeer to my July list. Here's a Killdeer.
There was a cute little Spotted Sandpiper foraging around, too. I already had that one this month, but I took pictures of the Spotted Sandpiper.
The habitat looked good for it, so I played Virginia Rail a few places, and I got a response at one spot. That was my last July bird of the day.
It had seemed like a very slow birding day, which is expected in the birding doldrums of July, but I ended up adding 19 more species to my July list. Now I have 69 species in July, which is actually slightly ahead of last year, despite my slow start this month. I added 3 species to my 2019 Skagit county list, to bring that list to 121 species. It was the first time I have ever seen a Rock Wren on this side of the mountains, and that raised my overall Skagit county list to 153 species. Virginia Rail added one more to my 2019 Snohomish county list, and now I have 122 species in Snohomish county this year.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
My plan today was to go over to my California Scrub-Jay site near the University of Washington to see if any were around. Sunday is a good time to do that because of parking. When I got there, I parked and walked around. I played scrub-jay calls, but got no responses and saw none. I decided that maybe the population there had moved on, and I got in my car to head toward home. As I drove off, though, after about half a block, I saw a California Scrub-Jay near the top of a tree. I dumped my car in the first place I could, and walked back and took pictures. Here are three pictures of my July California Scrub-Jay.
The bird never seemed to pay any attention to the jay calls I was playing, but it stuck around and flew from one tree to another a couple of times. California Scrub-Jays are uncommon around here, but the small population of them in that particular area has served me well for the last couple of years.
On my way home I stopped at Magnuson Park, in northeast Seattle, on Lake Washington. I was hoping to see a Cooper's Hawk there. I saw them at their nest site there in May and June, and I knew that the young ones had fledged, but were still hanging around. I walked a little and I drove through the park, but I never saw a Cooper's Hawk today. I did see a couple of Spotted Towhees, though, and I still needed that one for July. Here are three pictures of a Spotted Towhee that was calling almost constantly.
There was a juvenile Spotted Towhee there also. You can see it is the same species, but the colors are completely different. Here are three pictures of a juvenile Spotted Towhee.
I checked out the Cliff Swallow nest site, and I was glad to find that they were still around. That was another July bird. I drove past the owl nest boxes, like I always do, hoping to see an owl. I knew that there were young Barn Owls in the two nest boxes, but I didn't expect to see anything during the day. The parents hunt and feed the young at night. I thought I saw some movement in one of the nest boxes, though, so I parked and watched it. Yes, there was something moving around in there. I could see parts of what was maybe a wing, but then while I was watching through my camera, I got a quick view of the face of a BARN OWL, presumably a nestling, since the parents usually roost outside the nest box in the daytime, as I understand it. This was my first Barn Owl of the year.
I pulled forward a little and continued my watch. In a minute or two, I got an even better view of a Barn Owl in the nest box.
Here is a closer crop of that last picture.
That was it for my birding today. Here are the numbers. I added 4 more to July, and now I have 73 species in July. The Barn Owl was not only a year-bird, it was the first time I have seen one in Washington State. That gives me 282 species this year, 138 for King county this year, 190 in King county since 2012, and 287 species in Washington. To top it off, Magnuson Park is within five miles of home, so Barn Owl was also new for my 5MR list, which now stands at 98 species this year. That's a lot of numbers.
Monday, July 8, 2019
My birding adventure for today was a trip to Whidbey Island, which involves a ferry ride from Mukilteo. I caught the 9:30 ferry, which is early for me. From the ferry car deck, before we left the terminal, I added Marbled Murrelet to my July list. Here's a much closer shot of a Marbled Murrelet than I usually get.
At the Whidbey Island end of the ferry run, I got this picture of another July bird, Pigeon Guillemot.
Here's the Pigeon Guillemot flapping its wings.
I also added Double-crested Cormorant and Glaucous-winged Gull before I got off the ferry. After a stop at Pickles deli to get a tuna salad sandwich for later, I drove straight to Crockett Lake. I was mainly looking for shorebirds there. I easily got Least Sandpiper, and then Western Sandpiper. I kept looking, and I saw one that I was convinced was a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, my first of the year. I didn't think I would be able to recognize a Semipalmated Sandpiper at that distance, but I surprised myself. It is a bird I have only been able to recognize for a couple of years - they look very much like Western Sandpipers, with some minor differences. This one was lighter colored than a Western Sandpiper, with very little red on its back, and the bill was shorter than that of a Western Sandpiper. Later I saw another one, and I'll show pictures later in the report. I didn't see either of the dowitchers or either of the yellowlegs, which I had been hoping for. More on that later, too.
The Purple Martins were around the nest boxes just offshore, so that one went on my July list. All three local cormorant species were on the old remnant of pier on the sound side, as usual, and I added Pelagic Cormorant and Brandt's Cormorant to my list. There were also some Heermann's Gulls on the rock jetty at the Keystone ferry terminal, so that one also went on my list. As I was pulling out of the parking area, I saw a Rhinoceros Auklet in the ferry inlet. That was a great July bird, and I got this picture of it.
Little did I know that later I would see tons of Rhino Auklets, probably 200 to 300 of them in various places.
From there I drove to Libbey Beach, where I saw most of the Rhino Auklets and one lone Common Loon in breeding plumage. The loon was a very good one for my July list, and it was the only loon I saw today. I moved on to Hastie Lake county park (which is actually on the shore of Puget Sound, at the end of Hastie Lake Road. I haven't ever seen Hastie Lake, but it must be inland.) I saw Surf Scoters there, and then I saw 8 or 10 Harlequin Ducks on a rock to the south. Both of those species were July birds. I ate my lunch there, and moved on up to West Beach county park, but I didn't see anything at all there, except more Rhinoceros Auklets. I've never seen so many Rhino Auklets before - I probably saw more of them today than the total that I had seen in my life before today.
I stopped at Dugualla Bay and looked at the wetlands next to the lagoon for shorebirds. There were some little peeps, and there was also a dowitcher. I got pictures, and I think it was a Short-billed Dowitcher, which is a great one for July, especially this early in the month. Here's a picture of the Short-billed Dowitcher, with another shorebird in the foreground.
One of the little shorebirds there was another Semipalmated Sandpiper, I think. Here it is, the closer bird.
Here's a shot of a Western Sandpiper for comparison. The one on the left is the Western Sandpiper, and the one on the right is the Semipalmated Sandpiper, I think.
Note the red on the back of the Western Sandpiper, and the longer bill.
From there I drove off the north end of Whidbey Island, over the Deception Pass bridge. I stopped at Rosario Beach State Park to look for Black Oystercatcher. I lugged my scope to a place I could scan the nearby rocks from, and I found one Black Oystercatcher, too distant for a picture. That was another excellent July bird. While I was at Rosario Beach, I got this picture of a White-crowned Sparrow, a species I already had this month.
After that I headed toward home, but I stopped at Channel Drive, north of the town of La Conner. At the end of Channel Drive, there is a slough that is tidal, and when the tide is low enough, and it’s the right time of year, there are shorebirds there. The fall southward migration of shorebirds has just barely started, and I wasn't sure the tide was low enough, but I checked it out. At first I didn't see anything, and the water seemed too high, but then I saw a little group of 8 or 10 shorebirds in shallow water, some distance away. I got out my scope, and I hit the jackpot. There were Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and one dowitcher. I took very distant pictures to confirm my yellowlegs identifications and determine which dowitcher species it was, if possible. The next three pictures show both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and the dowitcher. The Lesser Yellowlegs are about the same size as the brownish dowitcher with the long bill, and the Great Yellowlegs are significantly larger.
Here's a distant shot of what I'm calling a Long-billed Dowitcher (the brown bird in the rear).
I continued on toward home, but I made one more stop at the house on Valentine Road that has feeders. I didn't see anything I needed there, but at the corner of Valentine Road and Dodge Valley Road, there is a house with a couple of bird feeders, right out by the road. There were a number of birds there. Here's a male Black-headed Grosbeak, which I didn't actually need for July.
I was pleased to see Purple Finches there, too. That was a very good July bird. Here is a female Purple Finch.
That's a male Purple Finch in the background, and here is a picture of one of the two male Purple Finches that were there.
There were House Finches there, too, but I already had that one this month. House Finches are similar in appearance to Purple Finches. Here is a male House Finch for comparison.
Here's a picture of (from left to right) a male Purple Finch, a female House Finch, and what I think is a juvenile House Finch.
Here is a shot of the juvenile finch on the right.
I got this picture of a Red-tailed Hawk that seems to have a very long, very hooked bill.
That was just up the road from the feeders, and as I went back down the road toward home, I stopped again at the feeder place, and looked under the feeders on the ground. I spotted what I was hoping to see, a Mourning Dove, one I needed for my July list. I've seen Mourning Doves around that house before, and I knew they like to feed on the ground under feeders, so I was looking for one. Here's the Mourning Dove.
So, that was a long and successful day of birding. I put over 150 miles on my car and I was out for almost 8 hours. It paid off with 22 more birds for my July list, and now I have 95 species in July. I started this month very slowly, but now I'm doing great. July is still the worst month for birding around here, though, and things will slow down a lot now, unless I decided to make a trip across the mountains to the east side.
Semipalmated Sandpiper was new for the year, and now I have 283 species in 2019. It was also my first ever Semipalmated Sandpiper in Island county (Whidbey island), and now I have 97 species in Island county.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
I had a lunch appointment up in Everett today, so I decided to go look for Eastern Kingbird on Fobes Road, west of the town of Snohomish and just east of Everett. I parked and walked out onto the dike trail. When I got to the river, I played the song of Eastern Kingbird, and one flew in almost right away. Here are three pictures of my July Eastern Kingbird.
Eastern Kingbirds are pretty rare in this area, but there is a population of them that breeds in that particular place, and I go there each year for them. They will be heading south for the winter, soon.
I had gotten the kingbird so quickly that I had time to spare. I drove to the Everett boat launch area, looking for gulls. Gulls roost there in a high tide, and I was looking for two particular species. I immediately got Ring-billed Gull for my July list, and here's a picture.
I looked further, and there were some California Gulls there, too. Here is a picture of a couple of California Gulls for my July list.
There are several Osprey nests on pilings in the harbor area, and I took some distant pictures. In this next picture, I hadn't even seen the youngsters in the nest when I took the picture, but you can see two of them, although they are just lumps of color in the distant picture.
There was another nest a little closer, and I got this picture showing one of the chicks in the nest, with the adult in attendance.
There were at least two chicks in that nest, and this next picture shows both of the ones I could see.
I didn't need Osprey for July, but pictures of nestlings are always desired. It has been a great nesting season this year.
I added 3 more species to my July list today, and now I have 98 species this month. The possibilities are diminishing, but I'll get out there some more and see what I can find.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
The Union Bay Natural Area was my birding venue today. Known to birders as the Montlake Fill, it is located near the University of Washington in northeast Seattle. I had read of a Cooper's Hawk nest there, and that's one I would like to get for July. I put up a post on Tweeters, asking for directions to the nest. I only got one response, and as it turned out, the directions were ambiguous enough that I never found the nest.
There were two other good species I had a shot at, though, and they were actually my main focus today. There was supposed to be a female Cinnamon Teal with ducklings on the Main Pond, so I went there first. I didn't see any ducklings, but I think I did see a couple of female Cinnamon Teal. Here is a picture of them - one of them is the duck on the shore, and the other one is the duck in the water with its head tucked in.
The light blue color on the wing is the tip-off. That bird had to be either a female Cinnamon Teal or a female Blue-winged Teal, to have that shade of blue on its wing like that. The facial pattern determined the identification as Cinnamon Teal. The one in the water has the whitish eye-crescents of a female Cinnamon Teal, too, so I think they were both the same species. The bird on the shore flapped its wings, and that cinched it. The pattern of colors under the wings also indicated it had to be one of those two teal species.
Another duck swam slowly across the pond in front of me, and I got this picture of it.
I believe that one was a male Cinnamon Teal in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage.
So, with Cinnamon Teal added to my July list, I moved on. The weather was kind of iffy - I got sprinkled on a couple of times, but I just covered my camera and binoculars and went on. Where Ravenna Creek flows into the lake, I spotted my other target species for my July list. Here is a distant picture of a Green Heron, a species I hadn't seen for two or three months.
That was very satisfying, and I headed back toward my car. I looked some more for the Cooper's Hawk nest, but never could find it. On my way home I stopped at Magnuson Park, hoping to see one of the Cooper's Hawks that had nested there this year, but I didn't see anything there of interest.
So, I got two more species today for my July list, and now I have a round 100 species in July. Last year I didn't get to 100 species in July until July 16, when I had 101 after that day. I'm well ahead of last year, but if I don't make a trip over the mountains, I'm still going to be hard pressed to match last year's July total of 114 species. Cinnamon Teal was new for King county for me this year, and now I have 139 species in King county in 2019.
July is really a slow month for birding around here, and there just aren't that many more for me to get locally. I'll keep plugging away at it, though, one species at a time. I figure I could maybe get 10 more species by doing a long day trip over the mountains, or maybe 15 on an overnight trip, but I don't know if I want to go over there again so soon. I've birded over there three times already so far this year, and going back to the same old places, looking for the same old birds, in the hotter summer weather, doesn't really appeal to me. Some of the birds will have already left on their southern migration, too, so the numbers would be down. There are still three full weeks left in this month, though, and we'll see if the urge grabs me.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
A friend was coming over today at 11, so I didn't have much time for birding. I slipped over to Marymoor Park for an hour, though, in the hopes of finding something. The two species I thought I had the best shot at were Ring-necked Pheasant and Chestnut-backed Chickadee, but I had a list of 8 other species that were theoretically possible, although not very likely. I would have been happy to add two more to my July list today.
I paid my buck for parking and went to the community gardens, because that's where the male Ring-necked Pheasant has been hanging out a lot recently. Pheasants are quite uncommon around here, but this one showed up a few months ago, and it is remarkably tame and wanders around the park. I had missed it the last few times I had been to Marymoor, but today I saw it as soon as I got out of the car at the gardens. It was on a pile of wood chips, and it just stood there and looked at me while I took pictures. Here is my July Ring-necked Pheasant.
Here's a close up of his colorful head.
That was a quick one, and I moved on to walk along the slough in the dog park. I didn't need it, but here's a picture of a Song Sparrow.
I saw a bird across the slough in a tree, and it was interesting. It turned out to be a recently fledged robin. It was a long distance away and the light was terrible, but I took this picture of the immature American Robin.
I knew that young robins have dark spots on their breasts, but I hadn't realized that they also have spots on their back, but only for a few weeks after they fledge.
At the weir there was a Spotted Sandpiper, another one I already had this month. Here's a picture of the Spotted Sandpiper anyway.
As I was heading back toward my car, I saw a yellow bird fly over the path and land in the trees that are between the two channels of the slough. I got a look at it, but it flew off before I could get a picture. I was pretty sure it was either a female Western Tanager or a female Bullock's Oriole, but it didn't seem quite right for either one. I waited around, and after about ten minutes, it once again flew to the trees in the middle of the slough. This time I got pictures of it. I have decided that it was a juvenile Bullock's Oriole. There was another one near where it landed the second time, and that convinced me it was a juvenile, rather than an adult female. Here is the second juvenile Bullock's Oriole.
That was an excellent July bird, but it got even better. When the first one flew back to the middle of the slough, it landed next to another bird of interest. Here is a picture of the first juvenile Bullock's Oriole and a flycatcher.
Here are two more pictures of the flycatcher.
After consulting my field guides, I decided to call that one a Willow Flycatcher. I needed that one for July also. Meanwhile, from time to time as I was walking, I was hearing a Pileated Woodpecker call in the distance, and that was still another July bird for me.
I was almost out of time, but I stopped on my way out of the park at the office area, and played Chestnut-backed Chickadee calls. They are usually responsive, but I didn't see one today. I did attract a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, though, so I took pictures. Here are three close ups of a cute little Black-capped Chickadee.
After that I rushed home, and I was only a couple minutes late for my 11:00 appointment. Later while eating lunch on the front porch, I saw my July Chestnut-backed Chickadee at our feeder. It would come in and grab a seed, and getting a picture was difficult. Here is the best I could do of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
Here's a juvenile European Starling at the feeder.
A female Downy Woodpecker came in a couple of times, and I got this picture of her.
So, this morning I thought that if I got two more species for July today, in the brief time I had available, I would be happy. Well, I got 5 species, so I'm quite pleased. Now I have 105 species in July. Willow Flycatcher was new for King county for me this year, and now I have 140 species in 2019 in King county.
I plan to go looking for more tomorrow.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Before I even had breakfast today, I added Steller's Jay to my July list, in our back yard. We have had a pair of Steller's Jays around our yard for a couple of years, but back in June, a neighbor's cat had caught and killed one of them, and we hadn't seen the other one since then. I was happy to see it show up today, but I still feel sad that its mate is gone. I wish people would keep their cats indoors.
I had a lunch appointment again today (That's three this week. You would almost think I had a life outside of birding.), but I went down to Juanita Bay Park first. I was looking for an American Wigeon (a duck species) that was reportedly spending the summer there. American Wigeons should be inland in the Rockies or up in Canada or Alaska at this time, breeding, and this was the only report I have seen of one spending the summer here this year. Last year one spent the summer just over the hill in Woodinville, and I got it in July and August, I think, but I hadn't expected to get one for July this year.
Anyway, I walked out onto the causeway to get a good view of the bay, but I didn't see any wigeons. A Caspian Tern was flying around, looking for fish, and I got some pictures, although I didn't need that species for any lists at this time. My pictures aren't very sharp, since the bird was moving, but I think the form and colors are interesting anyway. Here are three pictures of today's Caspian Tern at Juanita Bay.
That was all I got for my long (for me) walk out onto the causeway. Next I went to the fire station road, on the east side of Juanita Bay Park. I played Hairy Woodpecker calls because I have seen them there, and a woodpecker showed up, maybe or maybe not in response to my playback. At first I thought it might be my Hairy Woodpecker, but eventually I decided it was a juvenile Red-breasted Sapsucker, a species I already had. I did get some pictures of it, though. This has been a big year for nesting birds and juveniles, for me, and I don't recall ever seeing a juvenile Red-breasted Sapsucker before. This one was starting to get his adult plumage already, and looks pretty ragged while in transition.
I continued down the little road, which is really only a wide path, playing bird songs. A little flock of Bushtits showed up, and I tried for pictures. Bushtits are difficult to photograph because they usually are constantly in motion, but a couple of them snuggled together on a branch long enough for me to get the following three pictures. I think they were juvenile Bushtits, because of how fluffy they were.
To get the pictures I had to shoot through a little opening in the foliage, which was moving with the wind, and I had to get the camera to focus on the birds, not the surrounding greenery.
Are they little cuties, or what? I didn't need them for any lists, but pictures of Bushtits are always welcome.
Right in the middle of trying to shoot the Bushtits, I got a response to the particular bird song I was playing. A Black-throated Gray Warbler flew in to check me out, and that was a great July bird. I wasn't able to get a picture because it didn't stick around, and I went back to the Bushtits. To illustrate how surprised and pleased I was to get the Black-throated Gray Warbler there, it was new for my Juanita Park list, which I have been keeping since I started birding in 1998 or 1999. Now I have a nice round 100 species at Juanita Bay Park, over the years.
I had two species for my July list at that point, but I still hadn't seen the American Wigeon. I had seen that there were ducks on the beach at the north side of Juanita Bay, which is where Juanita Beach Park is located. (Juanita BAY Park is on the south side of the bay, and that's where I usually bird.) I had a little time, so I stopped at Juanita Beach Park and walked to the beach. There on the sand, resting with Mallards and Gadwalls was the female American Wigeon that is spending the summer here. Here she is.
So, that gave me 3 species today for July, which surprised me greatly, and now I have 108. I had 114 last year, and even though I have 19 more days in July, I doubt I can get to 114 this year without going over the mountains or getting very lucky. We will see.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
I started my birding today at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, which is located on Puget Sound, about a half hour from where I live. I was looking for a Common Murre that has been seen there fairly recently, but I didn't find it. There were a lot of Rhinoceros Auklets out on the water, and a pair of what I think were Marbled Murrelets. Marbled Murrelet was new for me in King county, since I started keeping track of Washington county lists in 2012.
I stopped at Kayu Kayu Ac Park, but didn't see anything new there. I drove on up into Edmonds and went to Yost Park. I parked near the east side of the park, which I hadn't ever done before, and walked the trails a bit. I really wanted Pacific Wren, but I couldn't call one up. I did see Hairy Woodpecker a couple of times, and that was a good July bird. Here are three pictures of a Hairy Woodpecker.
I think that last picture is actually a different Hairy Woodpecker than the first two pictures. I continued on, playing Pacific Wren much of the time. I tried a couple of other species, too, including Wilson's Warbler when I got to a place I had seen Wilson's Warbler before. It paid off and I actually ended up seeing two male Wilson's Warblers that hung around for some pictures. There was a little water in the creek there, and think this one had been bathing. He looks kind of wet to me. Male Wilson's Warbler.
Wilson's Warbler was an excellent July bird for me. There were a couple of Song Sparrows chasing each other around, and I got this picture of what looks to me like a wet Song Sparrow.
I think this next picture is a wet juvenile Spotted Towhee that is molting into its adult plumage.
I didn't need either of those last two birds, and I didn't need Swainson's Thrush either, but one was calling repeatedly, and I took its picture.
I headed back toward my car, continuing to play Pacific Wren songs, but all I saw was a Hairy Woodpecker again.
That was it for me today. I added 2 species to my July list today, and now I have 110 species this month. I keep creeping up on it, but I still think that matching last year's total of 114 in July is going to be tough unless I go over the mountains. My King county life list (since 2012) is now 191 species with the Marbled Murrelet today. My 2019 King county list is now 141 species.
It's getting harder and harder to figure out where to go and what to look for, but I'll think of something, I'm sure.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Today my search for birds took me out to the Snoqualmie Valley. I drove around the area near Sikes Lake, mainly looking for Common Raven, although there were other possibilities. On NE 100th St, I saw a flycatcher on a wire, but it flew off before I could determine what it was. I thought it might be a Western Wood-Pewee, which I needed still for July, but flycatchers are tough, and I didn't get a good enough look at it or a picture. On NE 80th St, I saw an American Kestrel on a wire. I stopped and got a good look at it through the windshield, but it flew off before I could get a picture. I watched it hunting, but it flew off out of sight. That was a great July bird; kestrels are uncommon around here any time, and especially in the summer. A little farther along NE 80th St, I got this picture of a male American Goldfinch, which I already had for July, of course.
Along Ames Lake-Carnation Rod, I saw another flycatcher on a wire. This time it stayed there when I stopped and got out, and I got some pictures. I was hoping it was a Western Wood-Pewee, which I needed, but I decided it was a Willow Flycatcher, which is actually a "better" bird, but one I already had. Here is the flycatcher I think was a Willow Flycatcher.
The white eye ring and the short primary projection are the reasons I think it was a Willow Flycatcher (for my future reference).
I stopped at Chinook Bend, but I didn't see anything there. My next stop was the house in Carnation with feeders. I didn't really expect anything there, but I always stop there. I got these next two pictures of a recently fledged White-crowned Sparrow.
Those streaks on its breast will be gone in a few weeks. I don't recall ever seeing a White-crowned Sparrow with a streaked breast before. It was with an adult White-crowned Sparrow, and you can see the differences.
The youngster won't get the black and white crown stripes for a year or so, but it will lose the breast streaks in a few weeks. Next I went to the bridge over the Tolt River, south of Carnation, to check out the America Dipper nest there. I've shown pictures of it before, and the dippers are currently working on their second brood this year. I never saw an adult dipper today, but here is an American Dipper nestling, looking out of the nest, waiting to be fed.
From a different angle, I could see into the nest hole better, and the one with its head wasn't alone.
Here is a closer crop of that image, showing three American Dipper nestlings, if you look closely.
There were a number of Cedar Waxwings catching insects over the river, but I didn't bother taking pictures of them. I hung around for ten or fifteen minutes, but I didn't see any adult dippers, so I moved on. I walked a little in Tolt-MacDonald Park, which is adjacent to the river there. I played the songs of two or three species, but I didn’t get any responses. I did see another flycatcher, though, and I could tell this one was a Western Wood-Pewee, one I needed still for July. I even got mediocre pictures of the Western Wood-Pewee.
After that I stopped at the Carnation Market and got a ham and salami sandwich. I ate the sandwich in the shade, in the parking area of the Stillwater access to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area. After I ate I walked on the dike trail and played various bird calls. I didn't attract anything, and the only pictures I took were of more Cedar Waxwings. Here is a sleek looking Cedar Waxwing.
Next I drove up to Duvall and drove up W. Snoqualmie River Road NE. I didn't get anything I needed there, but there were more Cedar Waxwings around. Here is one on a tree at the Christmas tree farm.
Another one flew in and joined that one, and here is a picture of the two Cedar Waxwings.
I just can't resist taking pictures of Cedar Waxwings, because I find them so attractive and interesting. On my way home, I drove up W. Snoqualmie Valley Rd NE looking for ravens, but I didn't find any.
I just keep adding more birds to my July list. I guess I have been overly cautious in my estimates, because I didn't think I would get even this many locally this month. My two new species for July today brings me to 112 species for this month. That compares to 114 last year in all of July, and I didn't think I would reach that number this year. Now I think I should be able to beat last year, but I still have my work cut out for me. I still have 17 days left in July, which seems like it ought to be plenty of time. I have hopes of getting at least one more, and maybe as many as three more species tomorrow, if I'm really lucky. I hope I haven't jinxed myself by writing that. Now I will probably get skunked tomorrow.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Today I drove up to a couple of birding sites near the towns of Snoqualmie and North Bend. My first stop was Snoqualmie Point Park, just off I-90. Next to the park is a parking area for the west trailhead of the popular Rattlesnake Ridge trail. As I was climbing up into the foothills of the Cascades, it started to rain. I hadn't been figuring on that. It was only a light rain, but it was too much to go out in, looking for birds. I drove around the parking lots for a while, attempting to attract birds by playing bird calls out of the partially open window of my car. I didn't attract any birds, and rain kept coming in the window. Finally, after about 15 minutes of that nonsense, the rain let up enough for me to get out. I played the song of Warbling Vireo, my main target there, but at first, all I attracted was a Swainson's Thrush, a good bird, but not one I needed. Here is a picture of the Swainson's Thrush in a tree, looking at me.
The bird came down into the parking lot, and I got this picture of it.
It was already wet, but it found a puddle and proceeded to take a little bath. Here is the Swainson's Thrush bathing.
I kept playing the song of Warbling Vireo, and eventually one flew in. It wouldn't sit still for pictures, but I kept trying. At one point there were actually two of them. I finally did get one picture of a rather wet-looking Warbling Vireo, an excellent July bird.
I tried for Pacific Wren in several places, but never got any response, except for this male Spotted Towhee that came right up to me.
I gave that up and moved on to my second birding site, which was Three Forks Park. It was only two or three miles away, across the valley, but it looked like it hadn't even rained there. I parked in the parking lot for the off-leash dog park and walked to the trail, through the dog park. My main target there was Red-eyed Vireo, an uncommon bird that I knew nested in that park. As soon as I got to the trail, I heard one singing away. I played the song on my phone, and a Red-eyed Vireo flew right over my head into some bushes. It took a few passes, but eventually it landed in a spot where I could get pictures. Here are three pictures of my July Red-eyed Vireo.
Check out that red eye that gives the species its name.
I walked a little, looking for Rufous Hummingbird or Lazuli Bunting, both of which I have seen there before. Not today, though. I also kept looking up at the swallows overhead, hoping to find a swift in with them, but that didn't happen either. I did hear a Common Raven calling in the distance, though, and that was a third July bird for me today. On the way back to the car, I heard a kingfisher call, and I saw it fly across a pond and perch on a dead branch. Here is a distant picture of a Belted Kingfisher, which I already had this month.
I had to head for home then, to get home in time for lunch. I hit rain again in Bellevue, but it was very light by the time I got home, and it soon stopped. I added 3 more species to my July list, and now I have 115 species this month. Last July I had 114, and I didn’t think I would be able to catch up with that total, but I was overly conservative in my estimates. The month is only half over, and I don't know what I'll do for birding now. I still might go over the mountains, but it depends on the weather forecasts and how I feel. There isn't much I can go looking for on this side of the mountains, but there are a few species still that I could look for. We will see.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Today I was going to go over to Marymoor Park to look for 3 or 4 possible species, but I felt lethargic and I didn't feel like walking. I stayed home instead. I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, though, so I left a little early and stopped by Gardner Bay, adjacent to the public boat launch and Marina Park, on the Everett waterfront. It was an extreme low tide, and I stopped at the North View Area and looked out across the exposed mud and sand. There were two or three hundred "peeps" in one area, and I looked at them with my scope. Later I looked it up and scaled the distance on Google Maps, and the birds were almost a half mile away, which was just about at the limit of my scope range for birds no bigger than sparrows. Almost all of them were Least Sandpipers and Western Sandpipers, but eventually I found 3 Semipalmated Plovers, one I needed for July. They are just now starting to come through here on their migration south, and I hadn't really expected to see any, since they are pretty uncommon. Against all odds, I had another July bird for my list.
There was no chance at all of pictures, at that distance, so I drove around to the big parking lot by the boat launch area. I parked and watched one of the Osprey nests that I had seen there last week. Here is a view of the bay, and the pilings that the nest is one are in the middle of the picture.
Later I calculated that the nest was about 150 yards away, so my pictures of the nest aren't very good, but I think they are worth showing, anyway. Here is an adult Osprey and a couple of nestlings in the nest.
Here is a closer crop.
As the nestlings moved around, I could see that there were actually three of them in the nest, as this next picture shows.
I just kept taking pictures.
There was another adult Osprey sitting on the next pole, and I think it was keeping guard on the nest.
There are a lot of Bald Eagles around the bay, and eagles will go after Osprey chicks if they aren't protected. Here are a couple more pictures of the adult and nestling Ospreys.
Eventually the adult Osprey flew off and left the three nestlings in the nest alone. The guard adult was still at its post, though. Here is the nest with the three chicks.
After a short time, the adult came back, carrying something. It didn't look like a fish, and I can't tell what it was from the picture.
I don't think it was food, because there wasn't any sign of anyone eating. Here is one last picture of the adult Osprey and a couple of the nestlings.
That's it. I didn't really do any birding to speak of, and those are all the pictures I got today. Semipalmated Plover gave me 116 species for July. That was also a new species for me in Snohomish county since I started keeping county lists in 2012. Now I have 171 lifetime species in Snohomish county. I also now have 123 species in Snohomish county this year.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
I haven't gone birding since Tuesday. First we had a couple of rainy days, and then I wasn't feeling great, and today I decided to spend my energy doing some work around the yard. I have to admit that I am kind of enjoying my little break from almost-daily birding. While I didn't go birding today, I did get some pictures from our front porch. It was a very nice day, and after I did my yard work, I sat on the porch and read. I ate my lunch out there, and watched our feeder and birdbath for birds. I didn't get anything I needed for any lists, and all the following pictures were taken from my chair on the porch this afternoon.
Here is an adult Dark-eyed Junco (on the left) and a juvenile Dark-eyed Junco (on the right).
Here's a closer look at the juvenile Dark-eyed Junco.
It's already starting to molt out of its juvenile plumage.
Here are two female or juvenile House Sparrows. I suspect they are juveniles.
Here's a female House Finch.
The House Finches tend to be protective of the feeder and chase smaller birds away. Here's a picture of a Black-capped Chickadee (top left) that is watching for a chance to get a seed, while a female House Finch holds the fort.
Few birds went to the water today, but this Dark-eyed Junco got thoroughly wet.
He splashed up a storm.
Here's the very wet Dark-eyed Junco after his bath.
A flock of Bushtits came to the feeder. I don't recall ever seeing Bushtits at our seed feeder before, but they stuck around for a few minutes today, chowing down.
Most birds don't share the feeder perch very well, but the little Bushtits were very cooperative with each other. Here are seven of the little cuties feeding at one time.
The Bushtits started to leave, and here's a funny picture with a couple of the Bushtits eying a female House Finch that is about to take over.
Here's a Dark-eyed Junco at the birdbath for a drink.
A Spotted Towhee flew in to the feeder for a few seeds.
An American Crow flew into the birch tree, and the light was good, so I took some pictures.
Finally, here is a male House Sparrow in the birdbath. I thought he was going to bathe, but he flew off right away.
So, my July total stayed at 116 species today. I have 283 species for the year so far. I have more yard work to get done, and I don't know when I'll go birding again.
Monday, July 22, 2019
I didn't do any birding yesterday, choosing to do some yard work instead. Today I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, and since that is about 80% of the way to Tulalip Bay, I went on up there before lunch. I was hoping for Black-bellied Plover, a species that will be common there soon, and the first ones are just coming back now. I didn't see any today, though, sorry to say. While I was on the northeast side of the bay, I did see a Yellow Warbler, though, and that was an excellent July bird. Yellow Warbler is fairly common in Western Washington in the summer, but this was the first one I have seen this year on this side of the mountains. Here is the Yellow Warbler.
It had some kind of insect in its bill, which you can see better in the next pictures.
In the next two pictures you can see the red streaks on its breast, which indicate that it is a male Yellow Warbler.
After that I drove around to the southwest side of the bay to see if I could see anything from there. I still didn't see any Black-bellied Plovers, but there were some gulls and terns on the spit. I looked through them and picked out one Mew Gull, another new July species. Mew Gulls disappeared from around here a few months ago, and they are just now starting to come back. They breed inland in northwest Canada and Alaska. I hadn't seen one since April.
There was a Belted Kingfisher sitting on some Purple Martin nest gourds, and I got these two pictures.
I kept waiting for it to turn toward me for better light on its head, and finally it did so.
There was also a Bald Eagle watching the bay from a tree on the point.
That was all I had time for this morning, and after my lunch appointment I went home and did a little more yard work. I added two more species to my July list today, and now I have 118 species in July. I'll keep trying to find Black-bellied Plover. It was my first Yellow Warbler ever in Snohomish county, and now I have 172 species in Snohomish county since I started keeping county lists in 2012. I also saw some California Gulls, and that one was new for Snohomish county this year, along with the Yellow Warbler. Now I have 125 species in Snohomish county in 2019. Also, I reported the wrong total for the year in my last report; I actually have 283 species so far in 2019. I don't know when I'll get out birding again. I have a lot of deferred maintenance in the yard to take care of.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
I got some yard work done the last couple of days, and today I finally went out birding again. I drove north to Mukilteo and caught the ferry to Whidbey Island. I had gone to Whidbey a couple of weeks ago, and I did very well, but since then two species have returned to Deer Lagoon - American White Pelican and Bonaparte's Gull. I needed those two, and there was also a chance of Yellow-rumped Warbler or California Quail there. I also hoped maybe there would be Black-bellied Plovers or other good shorebirds at Crockett Lake.
As the ferry pulled in to the dock at Clinton, there were some scoters in a group. I thought that one of them was a White-winged Scoter, which I needed for July, but when I looked at my pictures, they were all Surf Scoters. Here's a picture of three male and two female Surf Scoters, which I didn't need.
My first stop on Whidbey was Deer Lagoon. Before I even got out of the car, I saw a flock of American White Pelicans flying around over the lagoon, and I had my first July bird of the day. I got this distant picture as the last one was landing.
Here's a picture of some of the pelicans from another angle.
There were some Bonaparte's Gulls in the water near the pelicans, and I had my second July bird of the day.
In the breeding season (spring and early summer), Bonaparte's Gulls have black heads, and some of the ones in that picture haven't yet molted into non-breeding plumage.
There was a group of Greater Yellowlegs feeding in the shallows, and although I didn't need that one, I took pictures.
In that last picture, you can see a variation in their plumage. They are molting from their breeding plumage to their winter plumage, as they migrate south for the winter, and some are further along than others.
There was a female Mallard with some small ducklings. It seems late in the season for such small ducklings, but maybe they are the second brood this year.
I didn't see or hear any California Quail, although I know they live there. On my way back to my car, I kept an eye on the tree tops because I knew that Yellow-rumped Warblers had been reported there, and I needed that one for July. I spotted one, and it very cooperatively perched on a dead branch and showed its bright yellow rump to me.
Yellow-rumped Warbler was not only a July bird, it was what I call a repeater. Repeaters are species that I have seen in every month so far this year. One of the little games I play with myself is to try to see as many species as possible in every month of the year. At the end of June I had seen 72 species in every month so far this year, and Yellow-rumped Warbler gave me 69 repeaters through the first 7 months. Last year I had only 64 repeater species at the end of July, so I'm ahead of last year in this game.
Next I drove to Crockett Lake, but I stopped at the parking area on the sound, at the east end of the lake. I saw a bird far out, so I got my scope on it. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but then I noticed another one closer, and they appeared to be the same. I got pictures of the closer one, and I decided it was a juvenile Pigeon Guillemot. I don't recall ever seeing a juvenile Pigeon Guillemot before, but here are a couple of pictures of one.
I drove slowly along Crockett Lake and stopped a number of times, but I didn't see any interesting shorebirds. I used the rest room at the parking area next to the ferry landing, and as I drove back out to the highway, I spotted a duck on a rock. It looked like a Common Goldeneye. I took some distant pictures, parked my car illegally, and walked closer to get a good close picture of what did indeed turn out to be a female Common Goldeneye.
I hadn't seen a Common Goldeneye since April, and they aren't due to come back from their breeding grounds up north until the end of October, so it was a total surprise to me. That was July bird number 4 for me today. I was cookin'.
I moved on up the coast and stopped at the Hastie Lake access to Puget Sound and ate my lunch. I didn't see anything I needed there or at either of the next two stops along West Beach Road. As I pulled out of the last overlook, I saw a large group of California Quail scamper across the road ahead of me. There were at least two families, and the youngsters were about half grown. I wasn't quick enough to get pictures, other than this blurry picture of the last male California Quail.
That was not only July bird number 5 for the day, it was another repeater - that is, I have seen California Quail in every month this year.
I headed for home after that, via Fidalgo Island and Skagit county. I stopped at the house on the corner of Valentine Road and Dodge Valley Road, to check out the feeders there. I got this picture of a male Purple Finch.
There were House Finches there, too, and this is a picture of a male House Finch for comparison to the Purple Finch.
Two species of doves were there, too, so I took pictures. Here is a Mourning Dove.
Here's a Eurasian Collared-Dove.
After that I made one more stop - at Hayton Reserve. The tide was too far out for there to be any birds in the big bay, which was all mud and sand. I stopped and looked with my scope at the slough on the entrance road, though, and I saw 4 or 5 Green-winged Teal, which was July bird number 6 for me today!
That was it for me today. I put about 150 miles on my car and was out there about 7 hours, including driving and ferry time. The 6 species I added to July today bring me to 124 species for July. Earlier in the month I was worried that I would not match 2018's total of 114 species, and now I have blown that total out of the water. I didn't even go over the mountains, which could have added another 10 or 12 species. I had two repeaters today, and now I have 70 for the year so far. Tomorrow I plan to go up to Tulalip Bay, to try for Black-bellied Plover again.
Friday, July 26, 2019
As planned, I drove up to Tulalip Bay this morning, looking for Black-bellied Plovers. I struck out. Yesterday another birder had seen 32 of them at the same time of day and tide situation, but today they were nowhere to be seen. They move around, and I missed them today. Maybe I'll try again.
From there I went to the Everett Sewage Ponds, hoping to find a Northern Pintail, but had no luck at that, either. They have been pretty much gone for a couple of months, but they are due to start returning in a week or two. I could possibly catch up with one this month, still, but it isn't very likely. In a ditch along the road, there was a family of Wood Ducks. Here's a picture of the female Wood Duck and four of her offspring (well, parts of four offspring - I can count 5 eyes, the mom and four youngsters).
The female adult is the one in the middle of the picture. There were two more young ones in the water, so she was pretty successful in raising her brood. The young ones are nearly full grown now.
Here's a picture of a Greater Yellowlegs sitting down.
I had more time before my lunch appointment, so I went to the bay on the Everett waterfront next to the public boat launch. I wanted to check on the Osprey nest I showed pictures of last week. First I stopped at the two lookout points north of there, and I took this picture of an Osprey sitting a different nest.
I didn't see any young in that nest. I think it was either unused this year, or the young ones have already fledged. There are at least 4 or 5 Osprey nests around that bay.
The parking area for the boat launch was fuller than I have ever seen it, but I found a place to park where I could watch the Osprey nest I saw last week. There was an adult Osprey on the nest, and it was working on the nest, moving sticks around.
Like last week, there was another adult Osprey standing guard on a nearby piling.
The adult that was in the nest flew off and landed on another piling, on the other side of the nest. Here's a picture that shows the nest in the middle, and the two adults on each side. They are on the two multiple pilings at the sides of the picture.
The bird that had been on the nest flew down to the shallow water and stood there, getting wet.
It stretched its wings once, still standing in the water.
The youngsters in the nest didn't show themselves much today; I guess they were mostly resting. One did stand up once, and it looks to me like they are getting pretty big.
That was one of the nestlings, not an adult. The one that had been in the water flew to a piling and seemed to be drying its wings.
It stood there that way for several minutes, and stretched out its wings at least once.
So, I didn't get any new birds today for any lists, but I gave it a go, and I got some pictures. I have 124 species in July and 283 so far this year.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
It was drizzling this morning, but it looked like it was going to clear, so I headed out to look for birds. My first stop was Juanita Beach Park. I hoped to see the out-of-season Western Grebe that was reported there earlier this week, but I couldn't find it. I moved on over to the fire station road in Juanita Bay Park. I didn't see much, but there was a flock of Bushtits flitting around, so I took pictures. Bushtits don't sit still for long, but I kept trying, and they stuck around. Here are some Bushtit pictures.
While I was taking pictures of the Bushtits, a female Anna's Hummingbird landed and posed for me.
After that I drove around to 108th St and tried for Pacific Wren, but I couldn't attract one. I drove over to Marymoor Park, hoping maybe to see one or both of the two local swift species, but I had no luck at that, either. I noticed that the "new" Osprey nest had a couple of youngsters in it, along with one of the adult Ospreys. There is a nest platform nearby, and it has had a nest on it for several years, but this year a pair of Ospreys built a second nest on a lighting fixture nearby. I saw it earlier in the year, but I never saw any young ones in it until today. I know I just showed a bunch of Osprey pictures yesterday, but they are beautiful birds and this is a different nest. Here are some Osprey pictures.
There were at least two nestlings in the nest, along with the adult Osprey, and I kept trying to get a picture of all three of them in profile, but this was the best I could do, with the adult turned away from the camera.
The adult flapped its wings once.
The adult osprey was calling loudly some of the time.
Here's one last picture of the adult Osprey and one of the nestlings.
I next went to the Redmond Retention Ponds. I was hoping to see Solitary Sandpiper or other shorebirds. The only shorebird I saw was one Killdeer, though. There is more water in the ponds than last year, and more vegetation on the shores, too. It was good for shorebirds last August, but it doesn't look like it is going to be as good this year, based on what I saw today. I got this picture of a Savannah Sparrow there.
I stopped once more, at the Redmond Watershed Preserve, and I walked in the woods and played Pacific Wren songs. I didn't attract any Pacific Wrens, and I didn't see any birds at all.
That was it for today. I didn't get anything for any lists, but I got a few pictures, and I gave it a try.
Monday, July 29, 2019
I had a lunch appointment up in Everett again today, so I went back to Tulalip Bay to try again for Black-bellied Plover. I still couldn't find any, and I didn't get anything else. I stopped at Port Gardner Bay, where the tide was way out, but there weren't any shorebirds there, either. I drove around to the parking area for the boat launch to look at the Osprey nest I have been following. When I got there, it looked like the adult Osprey in the nest was eating something, presumably a fish.
I think all three nestlings were still in the nest, although I never saw more than two of them at the same time. The other adult was sitting on a nearby piling, as usual, but it soon took off. It came back with a fish and landed on another nearby piling. Here is the Osprey with a fish.
Here's a shot that shows the fish better.
I've been hoping to see one of the adults bring a fish to the nest, but I guess this fish was the adult's meal.
Back at the nest, the adult there had finished its meal, and it looked around for a while.
The nestlings are getting pretty big, as you can see in this next picture.
It looks to me like the nestlings (or, at least this one) are getting about as big as the adults. In this next picture you can see the spots on the wings and back of the nestling, while the adult has plain brown wings and back.
The other two nestlings are sitting down in the nest, out of sight from my angle.
So, nothing new for me today, and only these six Osprey pictures. I doubt I'll get any more species for July at this point, and I might not even go out birding again this month. We will see. I have 124 species for July, and 70 of them are repeaters - that is, I have seen those 70 species in each and every month so far this year. I have 283 species for 2019 so far.
In comparison, in July of 2018 I had only 114 species, and only 64 of them were repeaters. I had only 281 species for 2018 at the end of July last year, so I am running ahead of last year in all three of those categories.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Today I finished off July by going down to Juanita Bay Park. I walked out onto the east boardwalk, and I played Pacific Wren songs because I had seen a report of one being seen there recently. I had no luck with that. It was very quiet, and the only bird I saw before I got to the lake was this female Anna's Hummingbird.
There were various water birds on the lake, and I took pictures. Here's a female Mallard with some fairly small ducklings.
Here's a picture of a juvenile American Coot. There were several adult coots around, too.
A Pied-billed Grebe flew in and I took this picture.
Here's one of the Mallard ducklings.
There were a number of Wood Ducks sitting and swimming around. Here's a juvenile Wood Duck.
Here’s a picture of a couple of adult female Wood Ducks. They seemed to be showing interest in the water lilies.
Here's one of those female Wood Ducks that seemed to be eating something in or on the water lily flower. I don't know if she was eating part of the flower or if she was eating bugs that were in the flower.
I didn't see or hear anything I needed, so I went back to my car and drove over to the fire station road. There had been a couple of reports of a singing Hutton's Vireo there, so I played the song. A bird flew in, and I got one good, but brief, look at it, and I wasn’t able to get a picture. I never got another good look at it, and I ended up deciding that it was indeed a Hutton's Vireo. Hutton's Vireos are uncommon, and I haven't seen all that many of them, but I couldn't think of anything else it could have been. It was the first Hutton's Vireo I have seen in Washington State this year.
I didn't see anything else I needed there, but I did get this picture of a Black-headed Grosbeak. I thought at the time that it was an adult female, but after looking it up, I think it might have been a juvenile male.
The only bird I got for any list today was the Hutton's Vireo, and it hit three lists. It raised my July total to 125 species, it increased my 2019 King county list to 142 species, and I now have 99 species in my 5 Mile Radius circle. My 2019 total remains at 283 species, and I have 70 repeaters at the end of July. Tomorrow is a new month, and my August list will start fresh.