November 2019

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Friday, November 1, 2019

Today is my 75th birthday, and I celebrated it by going birding. Go figure.

Before I get into today's report, I wanted to show a couple of pictures I like from yesterday. I stopped at Tambark Park pond, hoping to find Cinnamon Teal, but had no luck at that. I did see a female Belted Kingfisher in the nice morning light, so I took these next two pictures.

That was yesterday, and today was a new month. Before I left home this morning, I started my November list off with Dark-eyed Junco, in our yard. After that I went over to Marymoor Park. At the rowing club pond, I played Green Heron calls, but got no response. There were some Hooded Mergansers on the pond, and I took this picture of a male Hooded Merganser.

A female Hooded Merganser caught a fish and I took this picture of her with her fish.

Here she is, swallowing it down.

There were some Gadwalls, too, and here is a male Gadwall.

There was also a Great Blue Heron there. I drove around to the main part of the park and picked up American Crow and European Starling on the way. There were two or three flocks of geese around, and I got Canada Goose and Cackling Goose. On one of the soccer fields I saw a couple of Killdeer and some gulls. Here is a California Gull.

Here is a Glaucous-winged Gull.

I drove through the park, looking for Northern Shrike, but I missed that one. I saw a couple of Steller's Jays and a number of American Robins. After that, I drove through the community gardens, looking for the pheasant that hangs out there, but couldn’t find it today. I walked a little and checked out the little birds. Most of them were juncos, but I saw a few White-crowned Sparrows as well. There was a small feeder at one garden, and birds were flying in to it constantly, so I took pictures. Here is a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

Here are two pictures of Black-capped Chickadees at the feeder.

A Song Sparrow visited the feeder, too.

A Spotted Towhee came in once, but I didn't get a picture. Here is a Dark-eyed Junco at the feeder.

Next I parked and walked along the slough. I saw Mallards and Green-winged Teal, and then I saw a group of at least 6 Wilson's Snipe. Here are three of the snipe.

Here are a couple more pictures of Wilson's Snipe.

I drove out of the park to the east, but on the way I went up on the viewing mound. All I got for my list up there was a single male Anna's Hummingbird. On my way home, I stopped by the Redmond Retention ponds. I was hoping for some ducks, but the only ducks were female Northern Shovelers. As I went back to my car, I spotted a bird at the top of a bare tree. It turned out to be a Merlin, a really excellent bird for November. It sat there, posing in the sun, while I moved around to various angles and photographed it. Here are my best to shots of the Merlin.

After that, I went home for lunch. After lunch, I went down to Juanita Bay Park and walked on the fire station road. It was very quiet, but I managed to call in a Ruby-crowned Kinglet with playback.

While I was trying to get a picture of the kinglet, I saw a Bewick's Wren on a tree trunk, so that one went on my November list as well. I played Virginia Rail and at least three of them responded immediately. Since I count "heard only" birds, that species went on my list, too. As I was leaving, I heard a Northern Flicker call a couple of times, and that was my last species of the day.

I ended up with 29 species, which isn't a very big day, but I was only out there for about 3 hours this morning and a half hour this afternoon, including driving times, so I'm satisfied. Of my 29 species today, 24 of them were repeaters. We have had a real stretch of great weather, and it promises to continue.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Today I went up to Skagit county, about an hour north of home. As I was getting off the freeway, I added Feral Pigeon to my November list. Next were Trumpeter Swan, Eurasian Collared-Dove, and Northern Harrier - all seen while driving to Wylie Slough via the back way. At Wylie Slough I added Golden-crowned Kinglet, and then I saw a Common Yellowthroat flitting near the water. That really surprised me, because I thought all the yellowthroats had migrated away for the winter by now. I never found one in October, for example. Anyway, here is the surprise Common Yellowthroat today.

I missed Black Phoebe there, and since they are rare around here, I'll have to go back to get that one, which is a repeater. There was one around all last year, and it somehow found a mate and they actually fledged a couple of youngsters. As I said, Black Phoebe is rare in Western Washington, and Wylie Sough is the only place I'm aware of to find them anywhere near here.

Some Snow Geese flew overhead, so that one went on my list. I moved on to Hayton Reserve and I joined some other birders on the dike. The tide was in, and there were birds around. There were shorebirds roosting in the creek outlet, and here are a couple of pictures.

Those are Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers, and there is one small bird - third from the left in front. I looked with my scope, and it was a Western Sandpiper. Here is a heavily cropped picture of the little Western Sandpiper between a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers.

From the dike I got a good scope look at a Peregrine Falcon. Near the falcon were some Black-bellied Plovers and some Dunlin. There were some ducks around, and I added Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, and Bufflehead to my November list.

While driving, I added Red-winged Blackbird to my list, and I got this picture of a White-crowned Sparrow, a species I had seen yesterday.

At the house with feeders at the corner of Dodge Valley Road and Valentine Road, I added House Finch and House Sparrow. I didn't see Purple Finch or Mourning Dove, both of which I usually see there. As compensation, though, I saw a single male California Quail briefly. That was a pleasant surprise, a repeater that I have a hard time finding most months.

I moved up the street to the house they call Rancho Valentine, where there are feeders, including a large suet feeder. I was hoping for woodpeckers, but I only added Downy Woodpecker to my list. Here is a female Downy Woodpecker.

A couple of Northern Flickers came to the suet a couple of times, and I got this picture of a male Northern Flicker.

I added Red-breasted Nuthatch and Mourning Dove there, too.

I drove up to the Samish Flats, hoping to find Short-eared Owl, but I dipped on that one today. I did see a Rough-legged Hawk, though, my secondary target up there. Here is a Rough-legged Hawk, an uncommon bird around here.

I knew the bird would fly soon, so I set up to get a picture of it as it took off. It was flying out of the frame, and the picture is rather blurry, but here is the Rough-legged Hawk taking off.

That was near the East 90, and I saw Brewer's Blackbirds in that area, too, for my list. Then I spotted a female American Kestrel, and I got pictures.

I followed her as she hunted, and she kept returning to overhead wires. Here is the female American Kestrel with a bug she caught.

After she ate the bug, she posed for me.

I like this last picture because it shows her pretty tail feathers.

I went up to the lookout on Samish Island to look for sea birds, Long-tailed Duck in particular. I found two Long-tailed Ducks, the first ones I have seen since May. I also got my secondary target species there, White-winged Scoter. I kept looking with my scope and found Surf Scoters, a single Red-necked Grebe, and a single Western Grebe, too, so those all went on my November list.

After that I headed toward home, but kept looking for birds along the way. Here is a huge Bald Eagle nest near Edison, with two eagles standing guard over it.

It seems very early for Bald Eagles to be nesting; I thought they didn't start until January. Maybe these two were just staking out their claim for that nest. I saw another eagle approach the nest tree, and the ones at the nest called out and the one above the nest chased the other one and interacted with it in the air when it caught up with it.

I stopped at the two feeder houses on Valentine Road and got this picture of a Chestnut-backed Chickadee and a Red-breasted Nuthatch at the suet feeder.

Here is a Red-breasted Nuthatch on its own.

I stopped once more at Wylie Slough, hoping to find a Black Phoebe, but all I got was a Golden-crowned Sparrow for my November list. I did see a Merlin near there, which is a great bird, but I had just seen one yesterday, so it didn't go on my list today.

It was a good day of birding, with great weather. I missed some species, as always, but I got some good ones and had two surprises - Common Yellowthroat and California Quail. I got about 53 species today, in my 5 hours of birding (not counting the two hours round trip of driving time), but only 34 of those species were new for November. I had seen the other 19 species yesterday already. Now I have 63 species in November. I got 17 more repeaters today, and now I have 41 repeaters this month.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Today I went over to Puget Sound, to look for saltwater birds. My first stop was Kayu Kayu Ac Park in Richmond Beach. There were a number of female Red-breasted Mergansers around, some Horned Grebes, at least one Pigeon Guillemot, a group of Harlequin Ducks, and a single Barrows Goldeneye to the north, near the dock. There was also a Belted Kingfisher perched closer, and a Double-crested Cormorant flew in as I watched. I needed all of those species this month.

I headed up to Edmonds, and stopped at the little park in Woodway where I find Brown Creeper and Pacific Wren usually. I played Pacific Wren songs, and attracted this cute little guy.

It was tough getting pictures in the deep shade of the forest, and they are a bit soft as a result. I played Brown Creeper songs, and one flew in and climbed up a series of tree trunks, while I tried for pictures. It didn't stop for long, though, as it moved up the tree trunks. Check out how well it blends in to the background.

On a darker tree trunk, it is almost invisible, except when it moves, especially in the dim light of the woods.

Next I stopped at the Edmonds Marsh and tried for Marsh Wren, but I couldn’t attract one with playback. I moved on to Sunset Avenue and got out my scope. I got the other two cormorant species, Brandt's Cormorant and Pelagic Cormorant. There was a Common Murre out there, and then I saw a Rhinoceros Auklet. To the north I spotted a pair of Common Goldeneyes and then a male Black Scoter. No opportunity for pictures, since they all were distant.

I drove up to Ocean Avenue and saw a Common Loon, again too distant for a picture. After that I stopped at the Edmonds fishing pier, mainly hoping to see Black Turnstone or Surfbird on the breakwater, but the tide was very high and there weren't any birds to see on the breakwater. They feed on the seaweed and little creatures on the rocks at lower tides. I did add Heermann's Gull there, my last species of the day.

There was a Common Murre offshore, but it was diving for food all the time I was there. It would only be on the surface for a few seconds, and then would dive again for a minute or more. This next picture is what you get when you are a half second too late with the shutter button. This a Common Murre diving.

I was patient, though, and eventually got some usable pictures. It was a little breezy, though, and that produced waves. Waves are a problem when you are almost at water level because the birds disappear and then reappear as they go up and down in the waves. Here is the Common Murre in a wave trough, with only its head and neck showing.

Finally I got a picture that shows the whole Common Murre.

That was it for today. I stopped by the house in Lake Forest Park where I often see Band-tailed Pigeons, but none were in evidence today. I added 17 species to my November list, and now I have 80 species in November. Only 5 of the species today were repeaters (most of the saltwater birds migrate north in the summer, so I missed them in the summer months), and now I have 46 repeaters this month.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Today I had an early lunch appointment up in Everett, so I didn't do much birding. I did go up a little early, though, and I stopped at the Everett sewage treatment plant ponds. I needed some ducks, and I got Lesser Scaup (repeater), Ruddy Duck (repeater), and Canvasback for my November list. I also added American Coot (repeater). Notably, there were dozens of Black-bellied Plovers and Dunlin sitting on the concrete edges and flying around from time to time, but I had already gotten those two shorebird species up in Skagit county this month. I missed on Eared Grebe, which migrates through here. Maybe they are all through here by now, on their way south.

I went over to the boat launch area on Gardner Bay and picked up a couple of gull species I needed. Here is a Mew Gull. Note the thin, chisel-like bill.

Here is another medium size gull, and the bill is the key to this species, too. This is a Ring-billed Gull (repeater), and you can see how it gets its name.

I already had it this month, but here is a third medium size gull, California Gull.

California Gulls are a bit larger than the other two species, and the bill is larger and has the red and black spots on it.

After lunch I drove to Mukilteo, and at Edgewater Beach Park I saw some Bonaparte's Gulls offshore, and also a couple of Marbled Murrelets. Those were both excellent November species that I might have missed this month.

I added 8 more species today to November, an excellent result considering how little time I spent on it. Now I have 88 species in November, a great start. Four of the species today were repeaters, and now I have 50 repeaters this month already.

Monday, November 5, 2019

It was somewhat foggy this morning, so I delayed my departure from home a bit and got down to Juanita Beach Park as the fog was lifting. The light was still poor, but at least I could see the birds on the water. There were three Trumpeter Swans there, as had been reported. Here are a couple of pictures of Trumpeter Swans, a species I already ahd this month.

In that second picture, you can see how much bigger the swan is than the Bufflehead on the right.

Wood Ducks are always around there, and I needed that one for November. I also got Ring-necked Duck and Pied-billed Grebe. All three of those species were repeaters. There were some American Wigeons and American Coots in a raft, and I searched through them and found a male Eurasian Wigeon, another species I needed. Here is the male Eurasian Wigeon.

Here are a couple of pictures that show the male Eurasian Wigeon and also a pair of American Wigeons. The male American Wigeons have green on their heads and the female American Wigeon has a plain head.

The lighting was challenging for those pictures because of the fog. After that I went around the bay to Juanita Bay Park, to the fire station road. I didn't get anything there, but then I moved across the road to the main part of Juanita Bay Park, and the sun was finally coming out. Out at the lake the light was beautiful and there were lots of ducks around. I didn't get anything else I needed for any lists, but I took some pictures. Here is a male Green-winged Teal.

Here is a male Northern Shoveler in eclipse, or non-breeding, plumage. Some of the males are now changing to their breeding plumage, but this one hasn’t molted yet.

See what I mean about the light? The iridescent green heads of the male Mallards really shone in the sun. Here is a pair of Mallards.

Here's a shot of a Pied-billed Grebe.

There were some Wood Ducks around, too, and the males were really striking in the sunshine.

Here is a pair of Wood Ducks.

Male Gadwalls have very intricate patterns on them.

Here is a pair of Gadwalls.

Here's a shot of the little bay at Juanita Bay Park, looking good in the fall sunshine.

On my way back to the car I stopped to rest on a bench and noticed a Red-tailed Hawk perched nearby.

I moved around to get the sun more fully behind me and more fall color in the background. The hawk matched the fall color scheme nicely.

So, I added 4 more species to my November list and now I have 92 species in November. I got 3 more repeaters today, to give me 53 repeaters now.

I'm well ahead of last November's pace, when I only had 58 species and 35 repeaters after November 5. Of course, now things will slow down a lot, with so many fewer species left to get. The weather has been excellent this year in November so far, and I've been taking advantage of that. The next three days are supposed to be dry, but fog is forecast, so we'll see what I can find out there when it clears.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

I went over to Marymoor Park today. I didn't find a Green Heron at the rowing club pond, but I got pictures of a Belted Kingfisher, a species I already had this month.

It was calling from time to time, and when it called, it raised its tail.

I drove through the park, looking for Northern Shrike, Greater White-fronted Goose, and Western Meadowlark. The only one of those three I found was a group of four Western Meadowlarks. I couldn’t get close enough for decent pictures, but here are two mediocre pictures, just to record the species.

I went up on the viewing mound and also through the community gardens, but I didn't find anything. I walked along the slough and at least saw a few birds, even if I didn't need most of them. Here are a couple of Golden-crowned Sparrows in winter plumage.

Here is a Golden-crowned Sparrow that is still transitioning from summer to winter plumage.

In the summer, the yellow on the crown would be brighter and the black stripes on each side of it would be blacker. Pretty soon it will look like the two above.

There were at least nine Wilson's Snipe feeding along the slough. Here are two of them.

Here is another picture of a Wilson's Snipe.

There was a small group of Canada Geese in and next to the slough, and with them were four juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese, a species I needed. Here are three of the juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese.

Here are two of them, with one of them flapping its wings.

Here is one juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose making its way out of the slough.

Here is one final picture of two juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese.

I walked around a bit, trying for Fox Sparrow, but all I got was this Spotted Towhee.

There weren't many birds around today, and all I got were two more for my November list. Now I have 94 species in November.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

I drove up to Skagit county today, about an hour north of home. My first stop was actually in north Snohomish county, just south of Stanwood. I had seen reports of Short-eared Owls on Boe Road, and I needed that excellent species. I might have been to Boe Road before, but I didn't really remember it. I drove to the end of the road, which was at the edge of great habitat for Short-eared Owl. Upon arrival there, I heard and saw a couple of Western Meadowlarks, a good species, but one I had seen yesterday at Marymoor Park. There were also a couple of Savannah Sparrows in the same tree as the meadowlarks, and I needed that one for November. Here is a Savannah Sparrow.

I saw a kestrel, which I already had this month, and then I saw a Merlin. Merlin is a really tough bird for me to find, and this was the third one I had seen in a week. Here are a couple of pictures of the handsome Merlin, which is a small falcon.

The habitat looked good for Marsh Wren, so I played Marsh Wren songs. I didn't attract one. I looked across the fields, and just as I was about to leave I saw a bird way out there, sitting on a stump. I got my scope out, and it was a Short-eared Owl, the species I was looking for there. Here are a couple of very distant pictures of the Short-eared Owl, which was only the second one I have seen this year.

That was pretty exciting, and I moved on up into Skagit county. At Wylie Slough I looked for Black Phoebe, one of my main targets for today. It is a repeater that is rare in this area, and this was my second try for it this month. I never found one. While I was looking, I flushed a Green Heron, though. It flew up from almost right at my feet, and I got a good look at it as it flew off. That was a great November bird. Now I can stop looking for them at Marymoor Park this month. That was the first time I have ever seen a Green Heron in Skagit county. [ 11/10/19 - Today I saw an American Bittern at Wylie Slough, and I decided that the bird I saw on November 9 was actually a bittern, not a Green Heron. ] I heard Snow Geese flying high overhead, and I took this picture.

As I left Wylie Slough, I stopped and took this picture of Mount Baker.

I stopped briefly at Hayton Reserve, mainly to see if the very rare Gyrfalcon reported there was around, but it wasn't. As I left I saw another Merlin, though. That was my 4th Merlin in a week, after only seeing three of them all year up to this month. Here is a poor picture of that Merlin.

I stopped at both houses with feeders on Valentine Road, hoping to find a Purple Finch and maybe a woodpecker I needed. I didn't get either one, or anything else I needed. I did get this picture of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, though.

I had brought stuff for lunch from home, and I ate it as I drove to my next stop, which was Washington Park, in Anacortes. I was looking for the repeater Black Oystercatcher, a tough species to find. As I approached the park, a Cooper's Hawk flew across the road in front of me. I was able to identify it from its color, shape, size and the length of its tail. That was a good November bird. I didn't get any oystercatchers there, and I moved on to my second site for oystercatcher, Rosario Beach State Park. I didn't find any there, either, so I drove across the bridge to Whidbey Island to try my third and last Black Oystercatcher site. I hadn't ever seen one there that I can remember, but other people report them, so I gave it a try. There is only one rock to check that they could be on, and by golly, today there were at least 13 of them on that rock. Here is a picture that shows bits of 12 Black Oystercatchers.

The tide was pretty high, and I guess they roost there, waiting for the tide to go out, so they can feed on the seaweed and animals below high tide line on rocky shores. Here is another picture of Black Oystercatchers.

Here is one more closer crop, showing three of the Black Oystercatchers.

That was a great one to get, but I added to the fun by spotting a Red-throated Loon offshore a bit. That was another good November bird. I was running out of time and I was an hour and a half from home at that point, so I headed back the way I had come. I stopped again at the feeder houses on Valentine Road. I didn't see Hairy Woodpecker or Pileated Woodpecker, which I needed, but I got this picture of a male Downy Woodpecker.

A Brown Creeper came to the suet feeder. I don't recall ever seeing a Brown Creeper come to a feeder before, and I got a couple of pictures.

I took a lot of pictures of female House Finches at the other feeder place, hoping to find a female Purple Finch, but I decided after seeing my pictures that all I saw were House Finches.

As I crossed onto Fir Island, back on the Skagit Flats, there was a large flock of swans. I pulled over and got out my scope to check them out. Almost all of them were Trumpeter Swans, which I had seen earlier this month in several places, but I finally spotted one Tundra Swan in with them. I'm sure there were more Tundra Swans, but I only needed one, and I needed to get on the road. That was another excellent November bird.

A quick stop at Hayton Reserve got me this picture of a couple of juvenile Snow Geese, but nothing I needed.

I tried for the Black Phoebe one more time at Wylie Slough, but I dipped again. After that I headed for home and got home about 4:30, after a long day of driving.

I got several of my target species for the day and two or three unexpected ones. Short-eared Owl was the best bird, but Black Oystercatcher was also excellent, especially since it was a repeater. I added 7 species to my November list, and now I have 101 in November. Black Oystercatcher was the only repeater I got today, and now I have 54 repeaters this month. At Rosario Beach I had seen a Rhinoceros Auklet, which I didn't need for November, but it was the first time I had ever seen that species in Skagit county. With the Green Heron from this morning, it brought me to 153 species in Skagit county this year and 167 species in Skagit county since I started keeping county lists in 2012. [ As noted above, I later decided that the Green Heron I counted was actually an American Bittern, so I'm removing Green Heron from my November and Skagit county lists. ] The Short-eared Owl was my first one in Snohomish county this year, and now I have 139 species in Snohomish county this year.

This first week of November has been a busy birding week for me, and having 101 species is a great start for the month. Our good weather is supposed to continue, with only a small possibility of a few showers in the next week.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

I had other things to occupy me on Friday, and on Saturday the weather forecast changed, and it rained lightly all day long. Today was wet and cloudy, but there was no actual rain falling, so I went over to Seattle to look for California Scrub-Jay at my site near the University of Washington. On the way I stopped by the house in Lake Forest Park where I see Band-tailed Pigeons most of the time, but not this morning.

At my California Scrub-Jay site, I walked around for 20 or 30 minutes, playing scrub-jay calls, but I never saw one. I'd say that I see one there about 75% of the time, or even more, but not today. Sunday is the day to go because of parking and people, but I have two more Sundays this month to get that repeater. It's about a half hour drive from home to get there, for that one species, which seems a bit silly, but this whole birding thing is silly in lots of ways.

Anyway, today I moved on to Magnuson Park after dipping on the scrub-jay. I walked in the woods and in the fields, but there wasn't much around. Finally I did see a Fox Sparrow, which I needed for November. Here are three pictures of the Fox Sparrow, surrounded by fall colors.

Soon after that I spotted some birds in a tree in the distance. The light was terrible, but I was able to identify at least one of them as a Cedar Waxwing, which I needed for November still. What's more, it was a repeater. Here is a distant picture of a juvenile Cedar Waxwing with strong backlight.

I would have liked a closer picture, but I would have had to walk in the long wet grass to get closer, and I didn't want to do that. I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets on my walks, but I didn't need them. I figure I must have walked over a mile altogether, which is nothing, I know, but I'm thankful I can still walk a mile when I want to. My left knee has been pretty sore for a week or two, but it held up today.

Before I left I walked a little through the wetlands area of Magnuson Park, and I got some more pictures to share, but nothing I needed. Here is a Pied-billed Grebe in its winter garb.

Here is a female American Wigeon.

Here is her mate, a male American Wigeon.

On my way home I stopped again at the Band-tailed Pigeon house in Lake Forest Park, and this time they were there. Here are some pictures of that repeater.

That's a very tall tree that they were near the top of, and the bright sky behind them made pictures challenging.

So, I had a nice fall outing with a little walking, and I got 3 more species for my November list, giving me 104 species in November now. Two of them were repeaters, and now I have 56 species on my repeaters list for November, meaning I have seen those 56 species in each month so far this year.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Today I drove up to Skagit county for the third time this month. I especially wanted Black Phoebe because it is a repeater, and there isn't anywhere else I can get it, but there were other species I needed that were possible, too. My first stop was Wylie Slough, where Black Phoebe is possible, but I couldn't find one. It was extremely quiet, with hardly any birds around at all. I walked out on the dike, but saw nothing until I was almost back to my car. Then I saw an American Bittern flying. I had a great look at it, but it landed out of sight. That was a real surprise bird for my November list. Then, as I was driving out of the reserve, I saw a female Ring-necked Pheasant right next to the road. I got these three pictures of her.

I'm going to count the bird for my November list, although I probably really shouldn't, technically. They raised pheasants right next door earlier in the fall, for hunters, and this bird was most likely one of the captive-raised ones that the hunters haven't caught up with yet. Officially, you aren't supposed to count captive-raised birds, but I don't have any way of knowing for sure that it was captive-raised. Anyway, as I said, I'm going to count it. It's my list, and it is a pretty bird.

Next I went to Hayton Reserve, but I didn't see anything there except tons of people. I had wanted to use playback for a couple of species there, but there were way too many people around. I don't use playback when other birders are around because it could confuse birders who hear the calls and think they have heard a bird.

I moved on to the house at the corner of Valentine Road and Dodge Valley Road, to watch the feeders there. I was hoping for Purple Finch, which I have seen there before. I soon saw a female finch that I thought was a Purple Finch. Female Purple Finches look very much like female House Finches, though, so I took some pictures. Here is the bird I thought was a female Purple Finch.

The markings on the head are what made me think it was a Purple Finch. Here is a female House Finch for comparison.

Note how plain the head is in the House Finch. I decided to call it a Purple Finch, although the facial markings were pretty indistinct. My field guide says that the markings can vary a lot from one bird to the next. Purple Finch was a repeater.

I moved up the street to the house on Valentine Road with feeders. The suet feeder was very low, though, with almost no suet left in it. I decided it wasn't worth waiting around hoping for woodpeckers, and I drove back to Hayton Reserve. A very rare bird, a Gyrfalcon, has been seen there recently, and I hoped it would show up. I sat in the parking lot and ate my Subway tuna sandwich and watched for birds. The Gyrfalcon didn't show up, but a Northern Shrike did, and I needed that one for November. Here are a couple of pictures of the Northern Shrike.

After I finished my lunch, I went back to Wylie Slough to try for Black Phoebe again. I dipped on it again. I walked again, and it was still remarkably un-birdy. I had been seeing Snow Geese and swans all day, both on the ground and flying. I hadn't taken any pictures, so I took this picture I like of a couple of swans flying in the distance.

I couldn't find anything I needed, so I took a couple of pictures of a Great Blue Heron with a nice reflection.

I saw some birds foraging in a tree at some distance, and I used my camera to identify them. Some of them were robins, but there was also a pair of Purple Finches. I was glad to see them because I wasn't 100% sure of my identification earlier in the day. Here is a distant picture of a female Purple Finch that has strong facial markings.

I didn't get a picture of the male, but I had a good look at him, too.

It was almost time to head for home, but I got a quick look at a Hairy Woodpecker in the distance. It flew before I could get a picture, but that was a great November repeater.

It was an interesting birding day. I saw very few birds, and I missed my main target (Black Phoebe), but I got some good birds for my November list, anyway. I added 5 species to November, and now I have 108. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that when I saw the American Bittern, I realized that the heron I saw last week at Wylie Slough wasn’t a Green Heron, but an American Bittern. It had been flying away from me, and I hadn't considered American Bittern at the time because I very rarely see one at Wylie Slough. I have gone back and removed Green Heron from my lists. I don't often revise things after the fact because I don’t like to overturn decisions I made at the time, but in this case, I am sure it was a bittern, not a Green Heron, so I'm changing my records. Maybe I'll see Green Heron at Marymoor Park this month still. The total of 108 species for November reflects that revision. Two of my species today were repeaters, and now I have 58 repeaters this month.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Today I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, and it was raining this morning as well. The rain was supposed to let up, though, so I headed north and went to Tulalip Bay to look for a couple of shorebirds, one of which is a rarity around here. At first I couldn't find the shorebirds, but then I found where they were hanging out, and there happens to be a place to drive down almost to the water near there. I saw dozens of Black Turnstones scurrying around on the rocky beach, looking for food. That was a November species. Here is a picture of a Black Turnstone.

I should mention that it was sprinkling lightly, and I was taking these pictures from my car, with raindrops coming in. I searched though the many Black Turnstones, and I found the one (rare for this area) Ruddy Turnstone. Here is a picture of the Ruddy Turnstone, blending into the rocky shore.

I took a lot of pictures of it, but it rarely stopped and so most of them are blurry, in the low light. Eventually it went to the water, and I got some more pictures. Here is the Ruddy Turnstone with two Black Turnstones.

Here is one Black Turnstone and the Ruddy Turnstone.

Finally, here are two more pictures of the rare Ruddy Turnstone.

If it hadn't been raining, I could have walked onto the beach and gotten closer for pictures, and the light would have been a lot better, too, but at least I got both turnstones today.

With that success under my belt, I headed back to Everett. I stopped briefly at the Everett sewage treatment ponds, but I didn't see anything I needed. I had a few minutes left before my lunch appointment, so I stopped at the edge of Port Gardner Bay to look for the rare (for this area) Great Egret that has been hanging out around there for more than a year. I don't see if very often, but I did see it today, to my surprise. It was a long way away, but I got out my camera to try for a very distant shot. As I was setting myself up for the picture, it suddenly took off and flew away. I managed to click off some pictures, but it was so far away that they aren't any good. Nonetheless, here are two very distant pictures of the rare Great Egret flying away.

That was it for today. I added 3 species to my November list, despite the rain and the short time I had. Now I have 111 species in November. In November 2018 I had 120 species here in Washington State (I went to Hawaii at the end of the month, but I'm not counting the birds I saw there). I expect to exceed that total of 120 species, but there is work to be done still.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Today I went over to the Snoqualmie Valley, near Carnation. As I drove across the valley on NE 100th St, I stopped and played the song of Lincoln's Sparrow in a likely looking place where I have seen sparrows before. Several species responded . I had Song Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, a Golden-crowned Sparrow or two, a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos, and the usual Spotted Towhee. Then a Lincoln's Sparrow finally showed up, and that was the one I needed for my November list. Unfortunately, it flew off before I could get a picture.

Continuing on NE 100th St, I saw an American Kestrel on a wire. I didn't need that one, but it's a good bird, and I wanted a picture. Usually kestrels fly off when I approach in my car and stop, but this one stayed in place. It's tail was spread out, and it made a nice picture against the bright sky in the background.

I drove on to the house in Carnation with feeders, but there were very few birds around. I suspect a hawk had been through, and that always quiets down the bird action for a while. Some American Goldfinches did eventually go to one of the feeders back in the vegetation, and I got this picture of three American Goldfinches in winter plumage.

That was a repeater, and I was glad to get it.

I drove through Tolt-MacDonald Park, hoping to find Varied Thrush, but had no luck at that. I parked and walked to where I could see the Tolt River under the bridge just south of Carnation. As I had hoped, there was an American Dipper at the edge of the water. Here is a picture of that repeater.

That was my main target for the day, so I was pleased to find it. I made my way down the river bank to get closer, and it flew off while I wasn't looking. I found it again, though, and got closer. Here is a closer shot of the American Dipper.

It foraged in the water, sticking its head under while searching for underwater goodies to eat.

I like dippers very much, so I kept taking pictures.

After that success, I drove to the Stillwater Access to the Snoqualmie Valley Wildlife Area and walked on the trail. There wasn’t much around, and I didn't get anything I needed. I did see this Northern Flicker that was perched with its wings a little open so you could see its white rump. Normally you only see the white rump of a flicker as the bird flies away from you, but here is a female Northern Flicker showing off her rump.

It had been overcast, but the sun started to come out about then. Here is the Snoqualmie Valley Trail today.

A Fox Sparrow showed itself and posed for me. Here are a couple of pictures of the Fox Sparrow.

Check out the long hind toes and claws on the Fox Sparrow.

I drove up to Duvall and went up the dead end road on the west side of the river. I didn't see anything much on that stretch, but as I got back to the main road, a Red-tailed Hawk was perched on a post.

I could tell it was going to take off, and I focused my camera on it and waited. I got a shot of it taking off, but I didn't point far enough ahead of it, so the bird is flying out of the frame. It is blurry, too, due to motion, but I think it is still interesting.

That was it for today. I added 3 more species to my November list, and now I have 114 species. Two of the species today were repeaters, and now I have 60 of the possible 66 repeaters that I had at the end of October. Last year I finished the year with 61 repeaters (birds I saw in each of the 12 months). I figure I should be able to get 3 or 4 more of the remaining 6 possible repeaters this month.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Today I went over to West Seattle, to the Charles Richey Sr Viewpoint. My targets were Surfbird and Sanderling. The tide was higher than ideal, but it was as low as it was going to get today during daylight, so I figured I would try. Due to the high tide, the only shorebird I could find on the beach, with three stops, was a single Black Turnstone, and I got that one earlier this week. Here is that Black Turnstone.

A pair of Harlequin Ducks were snoozing on a rock, so I took their pictures. Here is the male Harlequin Duck.

Here is the female Harlequin Duck.

There were about half a dozen female Red-breasted Mergansers not too far offshore, and I took some pictures. Here is a picture of a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers, a species I already had this month.

Here is a closer crop of one female Red-breasted Merganser.

Associating with the Red-breasted Mergansers was a single female Common Merganser, and that one was a repeater for me. Here is the Common Merganser that I needed.

It was interesting to see both merganser species together like that. Red-breasted Mergansers are almost always on saltwater, in my experience, and Common Mergansers can be in either salt or fresh water. This was saltwater today, of course. Here's a shot showing one of the Red-breasted Mergansers with the unexpected Common Merganser.

So, I had one for my list, and it was a repeater, but I didn't find either of my target species. I have seen Surfbirds on Alki Beach, to the north of where I was, so I drove along Alki Beach and stopped 3 or 4 places to look for Surfbirds. No luck. I don't know where the shorebirds roost when the tide is high, and I didn't find them. I did take pictures of a couple of cormorant species. Here is a Pelagic Cormorant.

In stronger light, the black on the neck and head is iridescent, and you can see just a touch of that in this picture. Here is a Double-crested Cormorant that is drying its wings in a characteristic cormorant pose.

You can see in the background that there was still a little lingering fog in the area. I think this was a juvenile Double-crested Cormorant. An adult would be all black, not the brownish tone that this one has.

I could have given up then, but I decided to go back to where I started, on the south side of Alki Point, to see if anything had changed. That was a good decision because as I pulled up on the street, I saw five Surfbirds on a rock, just offshore. That was the one I needed. Here are a couple of Surfbirds.

Here's a shot of one Surfbird.

In addition to the 5 Surfbirds, there were at least 7 Black Turnstones foraging on the rocky beach. Here are a couple of pictures of Black Turnstones.

In addition to probing in nooks and crannies, I noticed that they would turn over stones and gobble up whatever was underneath the stones. I guess that's where the turnstone name comes from. I had never noticed that behavior before. Usually I see them pecking at seaweed on big rocks.

The two Harlequin Ducks that had been snoozing earlier were now diving offshore, looking for food. Here is the female Harlequin Duck.

Here is her more colorful mate.

That was it for today. I got two species for my November list, and now I have 116 species in November. I'm closing in on last year's total of 120. Common Merganser was a surprise repeater, and now I have 61 of the possible 66 repeaters this month. There is supposed to be a series of rainstorms coming through here in the next 5 days, but maybe there will be some breaks when I can get out there and look for more birds.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

I don't have much of a report today. It has been rainy, and I have a sore left knee, so I haven't been going out much. This morning there was a break in the rain, and I planned to go over to the university district to my scrub-jay site and look for California Scrub-Jay again. I missed it last week, and Sunday is the day to go, because of the parking and traffic situation over there.

On my way to my car, though, I noticed a lot of little birds in our birch trees. They turned out to be Bushtits, a repeater I was happy to get, and right in our yard, no less. I took pictures, but they kept moving around, never staying in one place very long, and the light was very poor, with a heavy overcast from the recent rain. I got some pictures, but they are "soft" because of the low light and the rapidly moving birds. Here are some pictures of Bushtits in our yard this morning.

Cute little guys, aren't they? I was lucky they stuck around so long, so I could get some pictures.

So, with a repeater under my belt before I even left home, I headed over to the U District to look for California Scrub-Jay. I parked and within a minute I saw a scrub-jay flying away from me. It landed in a tree, and I hotfooted it across the street and got this distant picture of the California Scrub-Jay, my second repeater of the day.

I tired to get closer, but it flew off, and I never saw it again. I was very lucky with my timing.

I didn't feel like walking on my bum knee, and I didn't really have anything else to go looking for, anyway, so I took the shortcut across the toll bridge to home. At home, there was a Bewick's Wren, which I already had this month, on our feeder, so I took a couple of pictures of it.

That was it for today. I added 2 more species to my November list, and they both were repeaters. Now I have 118 species in November and 63 of them are repeaters. There are very few species left for me chase this month, but when the weather clears later this week, maybe I'll go up to Skagit county and try for Black Phoebe and Marsh Wren, two repeaters. There are 3 or 4 other species I could possibly (but not likely) get closer to home, and I might go looking for them when the weather clears. Starting on Tuesday, it is supposed to be dry for at least five days, although the forecast keeps changing, so who knows?

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

It was a beautiful, sunny fall day today, and I drove up to Skagit county to see if I could get two repeaters I need - Black Phoebe and Marsh Wren. There were other, less likely possibilities, too, of course. It was sunny and clear all day, and I couldn't resist taking a picture of Mount Baker in the morning sun.

Those are swans in that green, grassy field, so it is a legitimate bird picture, too.

My first stop was Wylie Slough (also known as the Skagit Game Range or the Skagit Wildlife Area). At this time of year there are hunters there, and prominent signs warn you of that. The hunters go way out beyond where I'm willing to walk to, though, and I only see them on their way out there or their way back. Hunters also launch small boats there and motor out to where they hunt. Wylie Slough is the only place within several counties that I can possibly get Black Phoebe, but I had gotten it every month so far this year, and I wanted to complete the year with it. This was my 4th or 5th try this month, but I never found one today, despite a lot of looking.

I was parked at the end of the road near the boat ramp when I saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk fly into a tree, and I got a brief look at it. That was a great and unexpected November bird. At that same place there were four other birders at one point, and someone mentioned they could hear Pine Siskins in the trees, over our heads. I never heard them, but I did manage to see a couple of them, so that excellent bird went on my November list, too, thanks to other birders with better hearing than I have.

Near the west parking area, I saw a male Purple Finch. I already had that one this month (and every other month this year so far), but I got a couple of pictures of the male Purple Finch.

That bird was reaching for a bunch of seeds. Here he is with his bill full of seeds.

I walked the dike trail all the way out to the bridge, playing Marsh Wren songs, but I couldn't find one. It was a fairly long walk for me, with my bum knee, but the knee held out pretty well today. Eventually I left Wylie Slough and headed for Hayton Reserve, just down the road. On the way there was a flock of starlings near a dairy, and I looked through them and was very pleased to find a single male Brown-headed Cowbird. I couldn't quite get a picture, but that repeater went on my lists. They are pretty scarce in the winter, and I hadn't really expected to get it this month, so that was another nice surprise.

At Hayton Reserve, the tide was very high, and I walked a little, again playing Marsh Wren songs. Again, I couldn't scare one up. Everyone reports Marsh Wrens there, and I have seen them there, too, but not this month. After that it was time for lunch, so I parked my car in a strategic spot and started to eat my Subway tuna sandwich. Last week I had parked there, looking for the same rare bird I was hoping for today, and I saw a Northern Shrike. Today I hit the jackpot, and I saw a light brown raptor fly into the tree next to the eagle nest tree. It was the juvenile GYRFALCON (year bird!) that has been seen there in the last couple of weeks - right where other people have seen it. That was why I was eating my lunch in that particular spot, and I was rewarded today. Here are some pictures of the juvenile Gyrfalcon, which is quite a rare bird in Western Washington.

I pulled my car closer and took more pictures, along with a half dozen other birders who came running when the gyr flew in.

Here is a shot of some other birders, with the gyrfalcon at the top of a leafless tree in the middle of the picture in the background.

Gyrfalcon is the largest North American falcon, I think, and they are so rare that eBird won't even show the location of reports on their maps, in order to protect the birds. They do the same with Great Gray Owl, for the same reason. People have been reporting their sightings on the local birding mailing list, Tweeters, though, so I knew it was in the area, and I knew it liked to sit in that particular tree. This was at least the 5th time I have gone there this month to look for it, and I finally got lucky. Today was only the second time I have ever recorded Gyrfalcon, in my whole birding life.

It flew off after about 20 minutes, and I drove back to Wylie Slough to look fruitlessly for Black Phoebe some more. On the way I stopped in a likely looking place and played Marsh Wren songs. No joy. While I was doing that, though, I saw a juvenile Northern Shrike. I had seen that species last week, but I don't recall seeing a juvenile before. I had read that they were very brownish and had a less prominent stripe behind the eye, and that described this bird perfectly. Here is the juvenile Northern Shrike.

I love the winter light when it is clear like today.

I took this picture of a Trumpeter Swan near that spot.

As I was approaching the entrance to the Wylie Slough preserve, I noticed a car stopped by the road, and the driver was pointing a camera. Alert! Alert! I pulled over and saw that there was a female Northern Harrier in a field, and she had some prey. I took pictures as the harrier ate her meal.

I moved on in to the Wylie Slough preserve and tried for the usual suspects, especially Black Phoebe and Marsh Wren, both of which I really wanted. I parked in the west parking lot and started out toward the dike trail. I wasn't going to walk very far out the trail this time, but another birder came along and showed me a picture of an owl he had seen out near the bridge, where I had walked in the morning. I continued to look for Marsh Wren and Black Phoebe, and I walked clear out to the bridge again. He had sort of described where the owl was, but I never would have found it except that a couple of women were standing and looking at it, and they pointed it out to me. It was a BARRED OWL, my first one this year and my first one ever in Skagit county.

Barred owls are nocturnal, and they roost in the daytime and sleep. This one did open his eyes a bit at one point, but only slightly.

Two year-birds in the same day. Wow!

The long walk out to the bridge had been worth it, and my knee was holding out fine. As I got back near the parking lot, I was looking at what I think might have been a Marsh Wren in the reeds when I saw a large bird swoop down and catch something in the water. It landed on a snag and proceeded to eat its catch. Here are some pictures of the immature Bald Eagle eating its prey.

I kept moving around to get different backgrounds and angles on the bird.

Meanwhile, right in the middle of taking those pictures I spotted a Marsh Wren, without even playing its song. I got a couple of good looks at it, but no pictures. That was my second repeater of the day (the other one was Brown-headed Cowbird). I dipped on my last repeater of the month, Black Phoebe. I will have to go back up to Wylie Slough if I want to try again for it. I don't think I want to drive for an hour each way just for that, but there is plenty of time left this month if I decide to do so.

I headed for home, but I took this picture of a Trumpeter Swan family near Wylie Slough. It took a couple of minutes to get all four of them in profile at once because they were feeding and preening. The darker birds are the juveniles, hatched this year in the far north. They will stay with their parents all winter, and I would guess they would fly back north with the parents, and then disperse and find their own lifelong mates.

As I drove off, I couldn't resist taking one more picture of Mount Baker, this time in the afternoon sun. I like the white church in the picture, and I have taken the same picture a number of times, from the same place.

So, that was my long, very successful day of birding in the south part of Skagit county. I added a whopping 6 more species to my November list, and now I have 124 species in November. That beats November 2018, when I had 120 here in Washington. I went to Hawaii last year at the end of the month, and the 120 species in 2018 were in the first 25 days of November, so beating last year in only 20 days this year is great. Two species today (Brown-headed Cowbird and Marsh Wren) were repeaters, and now I have 65 repeaters in November, missing only on Black Phoebe (so far, anyway). Last year I only had 61 repeaters at the end of November.

It was the very first time I have ever seen Gyrfalcon and Barred Owl in Skagit county, and now I have 168 species in Skagit county lifetime and 154 species this year. Those same two species were new for 2019, and now I have 295 species this year. When I left for Hawaii last year I only had 290 species in 2018, so I am running ahead there, too.

What a life!