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Saturday, August 1, 2020

 

It was a new month today, so everything was new for my August list.  I got Feral Pigeon, American Crow, Steller's Jay, and Dark-eyed Junco in our yard, then headed north.

 

My first stop today was Fox Road, near the town of Clear Lake, east of Mount Vernon.  On the first part of Fox Road, I saw a single Barn Swallow and some American Goldfinches.  Other than that, it was very quiet.  I couldn't call up a Sora or a Wilson's Snipe, my two main targets there.  On the eastern part of the road, I did see a Willow Flycatcher for my list.  Here it is at the top of a snag.

 

I played its song, and it came down and approached me.

 

A couple of wet Pine Siskins flew into that same dead snag, and I got this distant picture of a wet Pine Siskin.  I guess they had been bathing.

 

A couple of Cedar Waxwings flew into that same dead tree.  On my way back I stopped to play for Sora and Wilson's Snipe again, and I saw a group of 3 or 4 juvenile Common Yellowthroats.  There were some European Starlings in a field, so they went on my list.  Likewise some House Sparrows and a Killdeer.  Another flycatcher showed up, and I got this picture.

 

I'm calling that one a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, but flycatchers are very tough for me, and I'm not certain it wasn't another Willow Flycatcher.  Here is a close up of the eye, although the photo is way out of focus.  The eye ring looks good for Pacific-slope Flycatcher, I think.

 

As I drove away from Fox Road, I saw a Eurasian Collared-Dove on a wire.  My next stop was the Bank Swallow colony in Lyman.  I watched for about 5 minutes, but I never saw any go in or come out of any of the nest burrows, so I guess they are done nesting for this season.  I moved on to the house of Gary, the birding acquaintance that I had seen at Hayton Reserve on Thursday.  He is the one who has Barn Owls in his barn.  He had told me there were four of them now, presumably two juveniles and the parents.  I found two Barn Owls, and they were sitting where I could take pictures.  There was very little light in the barn, so the picture isn't very sharp, but here are two Barn Owls, presumably juveniles.

 

There were two Turkey Vultures in a field next to his house, too, and I took this shot.

 

There were also House Finches at his feeders.  I headed for the tiny town of Bay View, in search of pelicans.  On the way I saw a Red-tailed Hawk.  At Bay View, I got out and scoped Padilla Bay.  I found about 40 American White Pelicans in the distance, and that was a good one to get on my August list because they are uncommon around here.

 

I moved on to "Rancho Valentine" on Valentine Road.  I wanted House Wren there, because I knew they had nested there this year.  I successfully called one in, and I got this picture of the House Wren, an uncommon bird in Western Washington.

 

Down at the corner of Dodge Valley Road, I stopped across the road from the feeders there.  I got this shot of a Mourning Dove.

 

I picked up American Robin, White-crowned Sparrow, Purple Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, and Black-headed Grosbeak there, but I didn't get any pictures I like of any of those.  Here is a Pine Siskin.

 

I ate my Subway sandwich there and then I moved on.  My last birding stop of the day was at Wylie Slough.  On my way I saw some Tree Swallows and more Barn Swallows.  I had hoped to see more swallow species today, but it is getting kind of late for swallows, and they are probably already starting to migrate south for the winter.

 

I got Red-winged Blackbird, and then there was a Western Wood-Pewee.  The tide was out, as I had expected, and I soon got Least Sandpiper and Western Sandpiper.  There was another shorebird that I thought was larger than the Least and Western Sandpipers, and I had hopes that it was a Baird's Sandpiper, which would have been new for the year for me.  Looking at my pictures, it still looked a lot like a Baird's Sandpiper to me, but I sent a picture to Gary, the guy with the Barn Owls, and he didn't think it looked like a Baird's.  I've only seen Baird's Sandpiper a handful of times, and since I don't have a lot of faith in my identification, I am not going to count it.  Here are two pictures of the possible Baird's Sandpiper that I'm not counting.

 

 

I guess it was likely a large Western Sandpiper, especially since it has so much red-brown on its back.  I walked out on the dike trail with my scope, in search of shorebirds.  I stopped at the bird hide and saw a Wood Duck and this Cinnamon Teal.

 

I spotted a larger sandpiper and got a good scope look at a Pectoral Sandpiper, an excellent one to get.  Here is a distant picture of the Pectoral Sandpiper.

 

There were a number of dowitchers feeding in the mud.  I took a lot of pictures, and I have decided that I saw both Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed Dowitchers.  The identification of the two species is very tough, but here are some pictures that I think I have identified.  First, some Long-billed Dowitchers, which are the more common ones at this date.

 

Another Long-billed Dowitcher.

 

Here is one more Long-billed Dowitcher.

 

Here are some Short-billed Dowitchers, I think.

 

Another Short-billed Dowitcher.

 

Here is one final Short-billed Dowitcher.

 

I think the one on the left is a Long-billed Dowitcher.

 

While I was taking pictures, all the shorebirds suddenly rose up and flew around in flocks.  I figured something had put them up, and sure enough, a Merlin flew through and I got a good look at it with my binoculars.  Merlin was another excellent August bird.

 

There were several Lesser Yellowlegs around, and here is a picture of one of them.

 

I saw one Greater Yellowlegs, and it had caught a little fish.  Here is the Greater Yellow legs swallowing its catch.

 

 

 

Here is a picture of that Greater Yellowlegs with a smaller Lesser Yellowlegs in the background.

 

There were also a lot of Blackbirds feeding on the mud, and some of them were Brewer's Blackbirds.  On my way out of the preserve, I got this picture of a juvenile Wood Duck in a challenging light situation.

 

So, I got some good birds and I missed some others, as usual.  I got 42 species for August today, and 19 of them were repeaters.

 

 

Sunday, August 2, 2020

 

California Scrub-Jay was my main target for today.  They are uncommon around here, but families of them stay in an area, and I have an area near the University of Washington where a family obviously lives.  I got there today and played the call, and one flew in and landed on a streetlight fixture.  I had forgotten my camera this morning ( a definite mistake, as I rely on my camera to help with my identifications, and I like my pictures), so I thought I would try to use my cell phone camera, to see what I would get.  By the time I figured out how to switch my cell phone from selfie mode to regular mode, the bird was gone.  I have only taken maybe 10 pictures with my cell phone since 2011, when I got my first one.

 

Anyway, I had my California Scrub-Jay, and I moved on to the Union Bay Natural Area, known to birders as the Montlake Fill.  Sunday is my day to go there, because I can park in the University parking lots on Sunday, and it saves a lot of walking.  I added a number of common species to my August list.  I had my first Great Blue Heron of August, then Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard, Canada Goose, and an Osprey flying over.  A couple of Belted Kingfishers were around, and I tried for pictures with my cell phone, but the results were pathetic. I tried for Great Blue Heron as well, and the results were equally pathetic.

 

Next I drove through Magnuson Park, mainly to see if it was open now.  It was, but it was pretty crowded, and I didn't feel like walking without my camera, so I didn't stop there.

 

I went home, but this afternoon I read and ate my lunch out on our front porch, and I took pictures of birds that were coming to our feeder, just so I would have some pictures today.  The pictures aren't great because of the distance and the lighting, but they show the birds.

 

I added Spotted Towhee to my August list, and here is a picture of a molting Spotted Towhee.

 

I think it was a juvenile, molting into its adult plumage, but all birds molt each year, which means they lose all of their feathers and get new ones, and I'm not sure.  This is molting season for most species, I understand, and it is one reason that birding is so tough in the summer.  I guess that when birds are losing feathers (not all at one time, but over a period of a few weeks), they can't fly as well, so they lay low, to avoid predators.  Anyway, you see a lot of scruffy looking birds at this time of the year, and I got some pictures of some today.  Juveniles of many species also lose their juvenile plumage at about this time and get their adult feathers.  I think the Spotted Towhee above was a juvenile, just getting its adult feathers.

 

Here is a male House Sparrow.

 

Here is a male Dark-eyed Junco that is also molting.

 

A little while later a Downy Woodpecker flew in to the feeder, and that was another new one for August for me.  I have only seen Downy Woodpeckers at our feeder once or twice before, but this one stuck around for several minutes, chowing down.  I think it was a juvenile, and maybe the free seeds were appealing to him, but woodpeckers usually eat bugs, I think.  Here is the juvenile male Downy Woodpecker at the feeder.

 

 

He looks very scruffy, and I think that is because he is getting his adult feathers.  Here are a couple more shots of him in a bush near the feeder.  He was pecking at the branch, so I guess he knows he is supposed to be finding bugs.

 

 

Keeping the juvenile theme going, a juvenile Spotted Towhee came to the feeder.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, a juvenile Dark-eyed Junco went to the bird bath for a drink.

 

The juvenile Spotted Towhee came back a little later, or maybe it was another one.

 

That one looks like it had been taking a bath.

 

A Pine Siskin flew in to the feeder.

 

Pine Siskins are small birds, but they are very aggressive about keeping other birds away when they are at the feeder.  Here is the little Pine Siskin, scaring off a larger House Finch.

 

Every time another bird came to the feeder, the pine Siskin drove it off.

 

Most birds come to the feeder and eat for a while, but Black-capped Chickadees almost always fly in, grab a seed, and take it away to eat it.  Here is a Black-capped Chickadee with its seed, about to fly off with it.

 

Here is another scruffy looking Dark-eyed Junco that is presumably molting.

 

So, I got my California Scrub-Jay for August, which was my main goal for the day, and I got a few more common birds and some yard bird pictures.  I added 9 more species to August, and now I have 51.  Eight of the nine were repeaters, and now I have 27 repeaters this month - species I have seen in each month so far this year.

 

 

Monday, August 3, 2020

 

My main target today was American Dipper.  I headed out to the Snoqualmie Valley to check my two sites for dippers, but I stopped on the way at the Redmond Retention Ponds.  Nothing there, so I moved on to the Redmond Watershed Preserve.  I was looking for Hooded Merganser because they have bred there the last couple of years, and I found this juvenile Hooded Merganser for my August list.

 

There were a couple of juvenile Wood Ducks there, as well, so I took their pictures.

 

 

While driving across the valley,. I added Song Sparrow to my list.  There were swallows on wires, but I only could pick out Barn Swallows, and I already had that one.  Along the Snoqualmie River I found this Osprey watching the river for a fish.

 

At the house with feeders in Carnation, I added Band-tailed Pigeon to my list.  I saw one high in a tree in bad light, but then one flew in to the bird bath for a drink, and I took these next three pictures.  Band-tailed Pigeon.

 

 

 

I stopped at the bridge over the Tolt River, just south of Carnation, to look for American Dipper.  The water level was down a lot, and I didn't see any dippers.  I decided to go up to Tokul Creek to try for dipper, and I drove down the west side of the Snoqualmie river to Fall City.  On the way I saw a few Violet-green Swallows on wires, mixed in with the Barn Swallows.  Violet-green swallow was an August bird.  I also got this picture of a feral Muscovy Duck, a descendant of farmyard ducks, I imagine.  Not countable because it is descended from escapees.

 

There were a couple of juvenile Pied-billed Grebes on that same pond, so I took pictures.

 

 

 

At that same stop, I saw a Common Raven fly by, so that one went on my list.  I drove up to Tokul Creek, but I couldn't find a dipper there, either.  I dipped on the dipper today.

 

I drove back toward home, and I stopped again at the Tolt River, but again missed on the dipper.  While driving across the valley, I saw a couple of Vaux's Swifts high in the sky, and that was an excellent August bird.  I never did see Vaux's Swift in July.  This afternoon at home, I ate my lunch on the front porch and read my book out there.  A Bewick's Wren came to the feeder, so that was one more for August.

 

I added 7 species to my August list today, and now I have 58.  Five of them were repeaters, and now I have 32 repeaters this month.

 

 

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

 

I didn't really feel much like birding this morning, for some reason, but went up to St. Edwards State Park to try for Brown Creeper and Pacific Wren.  I got one call back from a Pacific Wren, but I never could get it to come out in the open.  Still, I heard it call once, and it went on my list.

 

I did manage to call in a Brown Creeper.  It hung around for a while, creeping up one tree trunk after another.  There was very little light in the deep forest on an overcast morning, but I got two poor pictures that show the Brown Creeper.

 

 

Not only do pictures come out blurry in very low light, my camera has a difficult time focusing.  Oh well, I got my two species, so I was okay.

 

I went down to the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park, mainly to try to get Marsh Wren and Virginia Rail.  I couldn't get a Marsh Wren to respond.  A couple of weeks ago, there were several of them calling back to me at the end of the road, but today, nothing.  I guess that Marsh Wrens have gone into their winter mode, when they are difficult to find.

 

At least Virginia Rail was still responding, and I heard that one for my list.  I added Northern Flicker and Anna's Hummingbird while I was there.  There was a flycatcher near the start of the road, and I decided it must be a Western Wood-Pewee.  It stayed up high, but I got three crummy pictures of it, anyway.

 

 

 

I already had Western Wood-Pewee this month.  I am keeping these three lousy pictures because it might have been an Olive-sided Flycatcher.  Someday I might get better at telling the difference between those two species.

 

After that I could have done more, but as I said, I didn't really feel like being out there today, so I came home.  I added 5 more species to my August list today, and all of them were repeaters.  Now I have 63 species in August, and 37 of them are repeaters.  Maybe I'll feel more like birding tomorrow.

 

 

Friday, August 7, 2020

 

I did a little bit of birding in the last few days, but I didn't add anything new to my August list until today.  On Wednesday at Marymoor Park I took these pictures of the Osprey nest.

 

The one on the left is an adult, and the one on the right that's calling is a juvenile, recently fledged.  In this next picture, the juvenile is stretching its wings.

 

The juvenile flew off, and I got this closer picture of the adult Osprey.

 

As I drove off, there was another adult Osprey on a different light standard.

 

That was Wednesday.  Yesterday it rained, and today I went up to Yost Memorial Park in Edmonds.  I walked in the woods and played some bird calls, but it was really quiet, and I never saw or heard anything interesting.  I drove down to the waterfront and walked out on the fishing pier.  I was glad to see that the Purple Martins were still hanging around their nest boxes, out in the bay.  That was a good August bird, because they will be flying off south soon.  Here are some pictures of Purple Martins around their nest boxes.

 

 

 

 

Out on the fishing pier, I added Heermann's Gull and Glaucous-winged Gull to my August list.  Here is a Glaucous-winged Gull.

 

There were European Starlings on the breakwater, and here is a picture of one that was eating seaweed.

 

After that I drove to my California Quail spot in Woodway, but I didn't see or hear any quail today.  Moving on to Kayu Kayu Ac park in Richmond Beach, I added Pigeon Guillemot and Rhinoceros Auklet to my August list.

 

Yost Memorial Park was disappointing, but I managed to add 5 species to my August list along the waterfront.  Now I have 68 species in August.  Three of the species today were repeaters, and now I have 40 repeaters this month.

 

 

Saturday, August 8, 2020

 

It was drizzly this morning, but it was supposed to stop, so I headed north.  My first destination was Tulalip Bay, but as I drove past the Everett sewage ponds on the freeway, I spotted a large white bird at the little wetland to the north of the ponds.  I got off the freeway at the next offramp and doubled back to check it out.  As I had suspected from my 67 mph look, it was a GREAT EGRET, a rare bird for Western Washington.  There has been a Great Egret around Everett for the last couple of years, and I had seen it a handful of times, but this was my first Great Egret of 2020.  Here are three pictures of the rare (for Western Washington) Great Egret.

 

 

 

There were shorebirds there - dowitchers, yellowlegs, and Killdeer, but I had all of those already this month.  There were also three Cinnamon Teal, but I had that good species already, too.

 

I continued on my way to Tulalip Bay, and I saw a few dozen Black-bellied Plovers there, which was my main target there today.  I also picked up California Gull, which was expected, and Mew Gull, which was a mild surprise.  Mew Gulls have been off somewhere for a couple of months, and now I guess they are back.  I scanned in the distance and spotted a black-headed gull way out there on the water.  The only black-headed gull around here is Bonaparte's Gull, so that excellent repeater went on my August list, too.  Point No Point is my "go to" spot for Bonaparte's Gull in the summer and fall, and now I won't have to travel across Puget Sound to find one for August.

 

After that I drove to Ebey Slough trail in Marysville and walked along the slough to the Marysville sewage ponds, looking for ducks.  Here is a distant shot of a male Northern Shoveler, a repeater I needed for August.

 

Here's a female Northern Shoveler.

 

I was hoping to find the male Ruddy Duck that has been there for a week or two, but I couldn't find it today.  There were several Cinnamon Teal around, and I got some pictures.

 

When I saw that picture, I thought it might have been a female Blue-winged Teal, which looks very much like a female Cinnamon Teal.  I ended up deciding it was most likely a Cinnamon Teal, though, the species I already had.  Here are two more female Cinnamon Teal pictures.

 

 

There were also a number of female Gadwalls there, another repeater I needed.  Here is one of the female Gadwalls.

 

Female Gadwalls look very much like female Mallards to me, but the colors on the wing patch identify this one as a Gadwall.

 

That was it for today.  I added 7 more to my August list, and now I have 75 species this month.  Five of those were repeaters, and now I have 45 repeaters this month so far.  Great Egret was a new one for 2020 and now I have 206 different species so far this year.

 

 

Sunday, August 9, 2020

 

I went up to Skagit county today, about an hour north of home.  My first stop, after picking up a tuna sandwich at Subway, was Fox Road, east of Mount Vernon.  I was hoping to get Sora and/or Wilson's Snipe, although I didn't really expect either one of them.  As I drove along Fox Road, there were swallows on a wire, so I stopped and took a look.  Most of them were Violet-green Swallows, a species I already had this month.  Usually I see Barn Swallows there, and there were a few, but this flock of Violet-green Swallows must have been migrating through.  Here are three pictures of Violet-green Swallows.

 

 

 

Swallows are often in mixed flocks, and there were at least a couple of Northern Rough-winged Swallows mixed in with the Violet-green Swallows.  That was one I needed for August, and I was happy to get it, because they have mostly started their migration by now.  Here are a couple of Northern Rough-winged Swallow pictures.

 

 

I couldn't get an answer to Sora or Wilson's Snipe calls, but at one stop I did see a juvenile American Coot, which I needed for August.  The light was terrible, reflecting off the water, but here are a couple of heavily processed pictures of the juvenile American Coot.

 

 

It swam out of sight before I could get a decent picture, but it's nice to have that one for August.  It should be a very easy species for the rest of the year, but there aren't many around in the summer months.

 

I didn't get anything else there today, but I did get this picture of a Red-tailed Hawk, showing its red tail.

 

After that, I backtracked to Wylie Slough.  I walked out on the dike, but there wasn't much around.  I've been seeing Cinnamon Teal everywhere this month, and today I got this shot of one.

 

A couple of years ago I never would have recognized that duck because they are so plain, but I am learning to identify them now.  The long bill and the white eye arcs are the best identification points.

 

A couple of Black-headed Grosbeaks flew into a bush.  I already had that one this month, but I took pictures, anyway.  Here is a female Black-headed Grosbeak.

 

Here's another shot of her from the side.

 

I think this next picture is a juvenile Black-headed Grosbeak, probably a male, because of the different pattern on the head.

 

The species I really wanted to get there was Black Phoebe.  They are rare in this area, but there has been a family of them at Wylie Slough for the last couple of years.  I finally saw two of them today, as I was leaving.  Here is a mediocre picture of a Black Phoebe, a repeater that I can only get at Wylie Slough.

 

The light was harsh today, for some reason.  It's really interesting how much the light can vary, even when it is sunny.

 

I moved on to Hayton Reserve and ate my tuna sandwich in my car, as I watched for Northern Harrier.  I never found a harrier today.  I went up on the dike, but the tide was out and I didn't see anything of interest there.  As I left I did see a Bald Eagle deep in a tree, and that was my first Bald Eagle of August.  I drove around the Maupin Road/Rawlins Road loop, but saw nothing.  I headed for home, and as I drove across Fir Island I saw some Cliff Swallows on a wire.  That was another welcome species for August.  I think this first picture is a juvenile Cliff Swallow.

 

Here are a couple more Cliff Swallow pictures.

 

 

It wasn't a very productive day, especially for all the miles I drove, but I got Black Phoebe and the two swallow species were also very welcome.  I added 5 species to my August list today, and now I have 80 for August.  Three species today were repeaters, and now I have 48 repeaters this month.

 

 

Monday, August 10, 2020

 

Today I started my birding at Marymoor Park, at the rowing club pond.  As I walked from the parking lot, I saw a couple of guys with cameras, pointing them at the pond.  A good sign.  I approached them and asked what they had.  Two Green Herons, they said.  Score!  Here is the Green Heron that was closer.

 

That one was an adult, and the one across the pond in a tree was a juvenile.  Here is the semi-distant juvenile Green Heron in the tree.

 

A male Wood Duck in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage was on the pond, so I took his picture.

 

The adult Green Heron saw something and stretched out its neck.

 

Here is one more shot of the adult Green Heron.

 

That was a great one to get, and I moved on over to the main part of the park and tried for the pheasant.  I couldn't find the pheasant that hangs out there, but I got this picture of a juvenile Osprey in the nest I have been watching.  The youngsters had fledged a week or two ago, but I guess they must still being fed by the parents.

 

I don't know what that thing on the left is, and I can't imagine why they carried it to the nest.  It looks to me like a piece of brush, but maybe it is something else.

 

I drove to the Redmond Retention Ponds in search of shorebirds or ducks.  No shorebirds, but I did pick up Green-winged Teal for my list.  I also saw Hank and Karen, birding acquaintances, there, and we exchanged some birding gossip.

 

From there I drove to the Snoqualmie Valley.  While driving across the valley, I saw an American Kestrel on a pole.  That was an excellent August bird, but it flew off before I could get a picture.  A short time later I spotted another American Kestrel, just across the Snoqualmie River bridge, in the same place I had seen one last month.  Here are three pictures of the male American Kestrel, a repeater.

 

 

I like the way the wind was ruffling his feathers in that last shot.

 

I drove to the house in Carnation with feeders, but not much was around.  Here is a Band-tailed Pigeon, high in a tree.  I had that one, but it is a good species, and pictures are always welcome.

 

It spread its tail, showing the white ends of the tail feathers and the black band that gives the species its name.

 

I picked up a ham and salami sandwich at the Carnation Market and drove down the west side of the Snoqualmie River.  Oh yes, I stopped at the bridge over the Tolt River to look for American Dipper, but didn't see one.  At the pond on the river road, there were the usual feral Muscovy Ducks, a non-countable species, since the birds are descendants of escapees.  Here is a picture of one of the Muscovy Ducks.

 

I drove to Tokul Creek, but couldn't find a dipper.  That makes two misses this month.  From there, I went back through Carnation to the Fay Road access to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area and ate my lunch in my car.  I walked on the trail a little, and got this picture of an Osprey taking off from its perch over the big pond there.

 

A Western Wood-Pewee was hawking flying insects, and I got these next three pictures of it.

 

 

 

I already had that one this month.  I continued north to W. Snoqualmie River Road NE, west and north of Duvall.  I didn't get anything else I needed, but I did see a Cedar Waxwing and got this picture.

 

I like the way the breeze was blowing its crest feathers around.

 

I also got this picture of a Barn Swallow, showing its long forked tail.

 

I did a lot of driving and saw some birds, but I only added 3 more to my August list, to give me 83 now.  The kestrel was a repeater, and now I have 49 repeaters this month.  Green Heron and American Kestrel (two of each) were excellent additions, in partial compensation for the low numbers.

 

 

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

 

I didn't feel very ambitious this morning, and my back was hurting, so I just went down to Juanita Bay Park, which is only about 2 or 3 miles away.  I walked on the fire station road.  I saw a juvenile male Black-headed Grosbeak, and I got a couple of mediocre pictures in the terrible back light.  Pictures in which the subject is in the shade, but with a bright background, are very tough.

 

 

A doe and her fawn ambled across the road, and I took this picture of the fawn.

 

I walked to the end of the road, but I couldn't call up a Marsh Wren.  A month ago, there were always several of them calling there.  I think they are still there, but now they sit in the bushes and keep quiet.  On the walk back to the car, a couple of woodpecker type birds flew in to a dead snag, chasing each other.  One of them seemed to be a Red-breasted Sapsucker, which I needed, and the other might have been a Hairy Woodpecker, which I needed even more because it is a repeater.  They immediately took off again, though.  I had been playing Hairy Woodpecker calls.  I continued to play the calls, and one of the them flew back into view.  This one was definitely a Hairy Woodpecker, and I got one picture only, in difficult light.

 

It flew off again, but something flew across the road and landed in a tree a little distance away.  It was in the deep shade and fairly far away, but I got some pictures, and it was a juvenile Red-breasted Sapsucker.  Here is a terrible picture, but it is good enough to identify the species and the fact it was a juvenile (the white stripe on the face and the subdued red coloration).

 

I walked up and down the road some more, energized by finding two for my list.  I didn't add any more, but I did see a couple of female Purple Finches and got these next two pictures.

 

 

I didn't want to walk a lot, because of my sore back, but I drove over to the main part of the park and played Golden-crowned Kinglet songs near the parking lot, where I have seen them before.  One flew in and stuck around for pictures.  Here is the Golden-crowned Kinglet showing its golden crown.

 

 

 

That was another repeater for my list.  I gave it up after that and went home.  I sat out on our porch and read, while keeping an eye on our feeder.  I ate my lunch out there, too, and watched birds as they came to the feeder and the bird bath.  Here is our local Bewick's Wren at the feeder.

 

 

After lunch I spotted some little birds in the birch tree.  I grabbed my camera and got some pictures of Bushtits, an excellent repeater for my list.

 

 

 

 

I didn't get anything else I needed, but I got a couple of pictures of an interesting male Dark-eyed Junco.  He was obviously molting, losing all his feathers and getting replacements.  Dark-eyed Juncos have a couple of white tail feathers that are usually hidden under dark tail feathers, except when they fly.  This bird had lost its dark tail feathers completely and was growing four new ones.  One of the white tail feathers was still there.  You can see the four new dark feathers that are coming in.

 

 

He looks pretty scruffy, too, which is another sign that he is molting.  Most birds molt at this time of year, which is one of the reason they are laying low right now.  They can't fly as well without all of their feathers.

 

I added 4 more species to my August list today, to bring me to 87 this month.  Three of those were repeaters, and now I have 52 repeaters this month.

 

 

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

 

I went to Marymoor Park this morning, and my first stop was at the headquarters building, to check out the feeders there.  Here is a Black-capped Chickadee.

 

A female Downy Woodpecker came to the seed feeder and ate for a while.

 

A White-crowned Sparrow came in, too.

 

Here's a Black-capped Chickadee and the White-crowned Sparrow on the feeder together.

 

I had all those species already this month, but then a Chestnut-backed Chickadee came in, and I needed that one.

 

Here is the female Downy Woodpecker again.

 

I checked out the feeder on the other end of the building, but didn't get anything new there.  Then I walked around and played Red-breasted Nuthatch songs, but couldn't attract one.  I drove through the park, looking for the pheasant, but I couldn't find that one, either.  There were two juvenile Ospreys on the nest I have been watching, and they were eating a fish.  When I first got there, the one on the right was eating, and the other was standing by.

 

Then the one on the left started to show some interest in the fish, and the one that had been eating backed off a bit.

 

 

The one on the left took the fish to its side of the nest, and the other one watched for a while.

 

 

After a couple of minutes, the one that had been eating first came back to try for more.  Here it is moving in.

 

I left soon after that, and I drove to the west parking lot for the dog park and walked along the slough, through the dog park.  I saw a couple of Common Mergansers flying up the river, and that was one I needed for August.  I walked out to the end of the boardwalk, but I didn't see anything else.  When I was almost back to the car, I took this shot of an American Crow.  I like all the feather detail.

 

I drove to the Redmond Retention Ponds, and on the way I saw this juvenile Cooper's Hawk in the Evan's Creek Natural Area.  That was an excellent August bird.

 

I had to stop and back up to get that picture, and as soon as I took it, the bird took off.  At the Redmond Retention Pond I didn't add anything else, but I got this picture of a juvenile Pied-billed Grebe.

 

I had added Green-winged Teal to my August list there, earlier this week, and today I got this picture of a male Green-winged Teal in eclipse plumage.

 

I would have thought it was a female, but I looked it up, and that is exactly what a male Green-winged Teal looks like from June to September.

 

I added 3 more to my August total today, and now I have 90 species.  The Chestnut-backed Chickadee was a repeater, and now I have 53 repeaters this month.  I'm not doing well this month in terms of totals.  Last year after August 12, I had 116 species and 63 repeaters.  It has just been very quiet everywhere I have gone this month.

 

 

Thursday, August 13, 2020

 

Today I caught the 10:00 ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island.  After boarding the ferry, I spotted this Osprey sitting on a piling, watching the water for a fish.

 

As the ferry pulled in to Clinton, there were some Surf Scoters in the bay, and that was one I needed for August still.  On Whidbey Island, I picked up a tuna salad sandwich at Pickles Deli and drove to Deer Lagoon.  I carried my scope out to where you can see both the freshwater and saltwater lagoons.  There were well over a hundred American White Pelicans out on the freshwater lagoon, so I took pictures of some of the closer ones.

 

 

They form themselves into a circle and drive a school of fish into the middle of the circle, then they gorge on the fish.  Here they are eating fish as fast as they can scoop them up.

 

Remember what they said about the pelican - his beak can hold more than his belly can.

 

I looked around with my scope and spotted several Northern Pintails, a duck I needed for August.  I also saw an American Wigeon briefly, before it sat down in a group of other ducks.  That was another August bird.  I didn't get anything else there, so I moved on to Crockett Lake.  There were hundreds of little shorebirds there, but the water level was very low, and the birds were too far away to identify, mainly due to the heat distortion from the sunny day.  I noted that the Purple Martins were still around their nest boxes, but I had that one already this month.  At the boat launch next to the ferry terminal, I used my scope to check out the cormorants that spend their days on the old pier there.  I added Pelagic Cormorant and Double-crested Cormorant to my August list.

 

After that I stopped briefly at Penn Cove to look for Black Oystercatcher, but didn't see any.  I got gas in Oak Harbor and drove to Hastie Lake beach access, where I ate my lunch.  I scanned around for birds, too, of course, and I spotted a Black Oystercatcher up the beach a ways.  That was an excellent repeater to get.  Here is a very distant picture of the Black Oystercatcher.

 

I Had to process that picture a lot, due to the distance, and it came out looking almost like a painting.

 

I saw a Pacific Loon briefly, too far out for a picture, but a good one for my list.  Then I saw three female Harlequin Ducks, a species I often see at that location.  Here is a distant picture of a female Harlequin Duck.

 

I moved on to West Beach county park and looked around some more.  I saw a Common Loon there, another repeater.  I continued on my way, and there were some interesting ducks on what I guess is called Swan Lake, across the road and to the north of West Beach county park.  I couldn't figure out what they were, so I took a lot of pictures, hoping I might be able to identify them later.  There were five smaller ducks and one larger one.  I eventually realized that it was a mother duck and some well-grown juveniles that were following her around.  I had to do some research, with my field guides and online, but I decided they were Lesser Scaup.  Here are some of my pictures.

 

 

Female Lesser Scaup usually have white crescents on their face, where the face meets the bill, but this bird didn't have them.  One of my field guides said sometimes they are faint, or even missing, and I can see faint white crescents on this duck's face.  They are usually much more obvious, and that really had me going for a while.  Here are more pictures, showing the juvenile scaup.

 

 

The juveniles were large enough that I thought they were small adult ducks when I first saw them.

 

That last picture shows the characteristic bill shape of Lesser Scaup on the mom (on the left).

 

 

In that picture, the juveniles look more like ducklings.  It was only when the mom swam away and the youngsters followed her that I realized it was a mom and her brood.

 

A little farther along, on the same lake, there were a couple of terns.

 

The one on the left is a Caspian Tern, which I needed for August still.  I'm still not sure about the other one, but I guess it was either a juvenile Caspian Tern or an adult that has already gotten its winter plumage.  The bird seems smaller and the bill is less red, but there aren't any other terns in this area it could be, so it must be a Caspian Tern, too.

 

I stopped at the view point by Joseph Whidbey State Park, and I spotted a Red-necked Grebe that was still in its breeding plumage.  That was another August bird.  I made one more stop, at Dugualla Bay, but there wasn't anything much around today, and I didn't get anything or any pictures.  After that I boogied for home, getting home about 4:10.

 

I added 12 more species to my August list, which makes it look a bit better now, at 102 species so far this month.  Seven of the ones today were repeaters, and now I have 60 repeaters.  It was a beautiful sunny day on Whidbey Island today, and I enjoyed being out in it.

 

 

Friday, August 14, 2020

 

I didn't feel like a big trip today, so I went over to Log Boom Park in neighboring Kenmore, to try for a repeater I hadn't gotten yet this month.  I walked out on the dock and with my scope I picked out a couple of Ring-billed Gulls on a roof at the marina next door.  With my repeater under my belt, I drove to Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, in the hopes of finding California Quail or a sea bird.  No quail and no sea birds, so I moved on to Kayu Kayu Ac park, just a mile up the coast.  Again I didn't see anything out on the water, but while I was looking, I saw a splash and an Osprey flew up from the water.  It looked like it might have caught a fish, but it flew off the other way.  It came back a short while later, and it was carrying a fish.  I tried for pictures, and one of them came out, more or less.

 

Not great, but interesting, I thought.  In looking at my other two shots of the osprey, I noticed something odd about this next one.

 

The osprey was out of focus, but what were those things in the lower left of the picture.  I zoomed in on them in my viewfinder, and this is what I saw.

 

They were birds.  I thought I knew what they were, but I needed to check out my field guides.  It would be a year bird if I was right, and I was debating with myself whether to count them or not.  I hadn't seen the birds live, only in my picture, where I captured their image accidently.  Was it right to count them?  I probably would have, but the question became moot, because I saw three more RED-NECKED PHALAROPES flying north along the coast.  I had a good look with my binoculars, and I'm confidant of the identification.  Red-necked Phalaropes are small shorebirds that breed in the far north, up near or beyond the arctic circle.  They migrate south to the ocean off South American for the winter, where they don't come to land all winter.  This week is the peak of their migration, and they were one of the reasons I was on the coast today, hoping I might see them.  They had been reported at nearby Richmond Beach Saltwater Park yesterday.

 

I moved on to my California Quail site in Woodway, but a car was parked in the little cul de sac where I park, and a woman was picking blackberries along the edge of the road.  I gave it up and went home.

 

So, I added 2 species to my August list today, and one was a repeater and the other was a year bird.  Now I have 104 species in August, 61 repeaters, and 207 species so far this year.

 

 

Saturday, August 15, 2020

 

I went over to Marymoor Park today, in Redmond.  I stopped at the office building to see if there were birds coming to the feeders there, but the feeders were empty.  I put some birdseed in one of the feeders, so I could come back later, and I moved on to the east dog park parking lot.  I walked along the west edge of the East Meadow, and I played Savannah Sparrow songs.  I got a Savannah Sparrow to pop up, so it went on my August list.  It didn't stick around, and the light would have been terrible anyway, so I moved on.

 

I stopped to rest at the bench at the south end of the meadow, enjoying the nice morning.  A female Purple Finch showed up, and I although I didn't need it, I did take a picture.

 

I didn't need Willow Flycatcher either, but one perched for me up high.

 

 

I walked farther down the path, but I didn’t see anything else.  On my way back to my car, I took these two pictures of a female Northern Flicker.

 

 

I suspect it might have been a juvenile, because the black patch on the breast is kind of small and ragged.

 

I went back over to the office area, but the birds hadn't discovered the seed I put in the feeder, so I walked around and played Red-breasted Nuthatch songs.  I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet and then a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, and then finally, two Red-breasted Nuthatches flew in and sang back to me.  That one was a repeater.  I got one good picture of a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

 

I headed for home, but I stopped at the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park.  I walked up and down the road, but I didn’t see or hear anything interesting, and I didn't get any pictures there.

 

I added 2 more species to my August list today, and now I have 106 this month.  Red-breasted Nuthatch was a repeater, and now I have 62 repeaters this month.

 

 

Sunday, August 16, 2020

 

Today I went up to Edmonds, which is on Puget Sound, about a half hour northwest of home.  My first stop was in neighboring Woodway, where I went to my California Quail site.  I got lucky today, and a female California Quail was sitting on a fence, doing guard duty while the family foraged around in the bushes below.  I stopped and took a couple of pictures through the windshield, just for the record.  Here is one of them.

 

You might not think that picture is so bad, at first glance.  I was able to quietly and slowly open my door and get out and take some pictures without the intervention of the windshield, though, and the difference is striking.

 

The colors are better, and the image is a lot sharper.  Look at the feet and the fence wire for the most obvious differences in sharpness.  Here is one more picture, with the bird looking the other way.

 

That was a repeater, and I was very pleased to get it.  California Quail is not easy around here, but somehow I keep getting them every month.  After that I drove to the Edmonds fishing pier and walked out on it.  I didn't get anything I needed or get any pictures.  Next I tried Yost Memorial Park, which is just inland of the fishing pier, still in Edmonds.  I walked a bit, but the only thing I could attract with calls was a male Wilson's Warbler.  I actually ended up attracting two of them, but I never got a decent picture because they never stayed still and mostly were in the shrubbery as well.  It was a good August bird, though.  I tried Ocean Avenue after I left there, but saw nothing.

 

I got 2 more species today for August, and now I have108.  California Quail was a repeater, and now I have 63 of the possible 68 repeaters that I had at the end of July.  There really isn't much else I can get this month, but I am far short of the last two Augusts.  I guess I was just very lucky in both of those years.  I also had an overnight trip each of those years, and I probably am not going to do that this year.

 

 

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

 

I was out of here about 9:10 this morning, and I drove up to Everett, which is about a half hour north of here.  I went to 12th St NE, which is just north of the Everett sewage ponds.  There is a little wetlands there, and I was hoping for shorebirds.  At first I didn't see any shorebird at all, but eventually I spotted a Solitary Sandpiper, which was an excellent August bird.  Here are a couple of distant pictures of the Solitary Sandpiper.

 

 

While watching the Solitary Sandpiper, I saw a Pectoral Sandpiper, which is another excellent species.  At the time, I thought I needed it, but when I checked my records here at home later, I was reminded that I saw one on August first.

 

After that I tried to visit the Everett sewage ponds, but the road was closed.  I had seen a report from Sunday that made it appear to be open, but maybe that was only for the weekend.  So, I had to skip that part of my plan for today, and I went over to the Everett waterfront on Port Gardner Bay.  At the boat launch, I saw hundreds of Western Sandpipers, but I couldn't find any Semipalmated Plovers, which was the species I was looking for.  I noticed the Ospreys still were hanging around their nest.  Two juveniles were in the nest, and one of them was eating a fish.  Here are a couple of pictures of the two juvenile Ospreys.

 

 

That was it for today.  I didn't have anywhere else to look for birds, so I went home.  I added one more species to my August list today, and now I have 109 species this month.

 

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

 

No pictures today.  I went up to Skagit county this morning.  I stopped at Arlington to get a sandwich at Subway, and then went on to Eide Road, west of Stanwood.  I picked up Semipalmated Plover, my main target there, and I also spotted a distant Northern Harrier flying along the horizon.  Those were both excellent August birds.

 

I moved on to Wylie Slough, but the only thing I got there was a quick look at a Yellow Warbler, another one I needed.  Next I drove to Fox Road, but I couldn't call up a Sora, a Wilson's Snipe, or a Marsh Wren.

 

I gave that up and drove to south Bellingham, to the Fairhaven neighborhood, where I added the repeater, Northwestern Crow, to my list.  After that I drove back to Wylie Slough, but I wasn't able to get anything new there.  It was a lot of driving (almost 200 miles), but I did manage to add 4 more species to my August list.  Now I have 113 species.  Northwestern Crow was a repeater, and now I have 64 repeaters this month.

 

 

Thursday, August 20, 2020

 

Today my main target was American Dipper.  I had missed it three times in a row this month, and I wanted it.  On my way across the Snoqualmie Valley, I stopped on the east side of the Snoqualmie River, across the river from Chinook Bend, to look for Spotted Sandpiper.  I saw two Killdeer down at the river, but no Spotted Sandpipers.  There was a kestrel on a wire, though, and I got this picture of the male American Kestrel.

 

After I got that picture, in difficult light, the bird flew to a nearby post, where the light was better.  Here are more shots of the male American Kestrel.

 

 

 

I moved on, and I didn't find anything of interest at the house in Carnation with feeders.  I stopped at the bridge over the Tolt River, just south of Carnation and tried for dipper there, but saw nothing.  I drove up to the bridge over Tokul Creek, on Fish Hatchery Road, which is my usual spot for American Dipper.  I looked carefully from the bridge, up and down the creek, but couldn't find a dipper.  I tried walking to where I could see part of the Snoqualmie River bank, where the creek runs into the river, but no dippers there, either.  I would have liked to go down to the river bank, but the path down was steeper than I was willing to risk.  Back at the bridge again, I did see some robins.  Here is a juvenile American Robin.

 

I always am struck by how different a juvenile robin looks from an adult robin.  Here is a picture of an adult American Robin and the juvenile, which seemed to be following the adult around, as if it wanted to be fed.

 

I kept looking up and down the creek, but eventually I was ready to give it up and go home.  I looked one more time downstream, though, and I was amazed to see an American Dipper, fairly close to the bridge.  It must have flown up the creek from out of my sight.  Here are a lot of pictures of the American Dipper, a repeater, that I saw today.

 

 

Here's a shot of the dipper with its head underwater, looking for food.

 

 

I noticed that it looks a little raggedy, and I wonder if it was molting, or if it was a juvenile.  It seems skinny, too, compared to most dippers.

 

I can see from that picture that the bird was indeed a juvenile.  The orange bill, the slightly mottled appearance, and the wing feathers tipped with white are all indications that it was a juvenile.

 

 

 

 

Okay, there are more dipper pictures than anyone would ever want, but I was very pleased to get it today.  The fourth time was the charm, I guess.  Now I don't have to drive up there again this month.

 

On my way home, I drove through Marymoor Park, in the hopes of seeing the pheasant there, but I didn't find it.  There was a juvenile Osprey on the nest, though, so I took pictures.

 

It was eating, so I guess the parents are still feeding the youngsters.

 

 

I only added one more species to my August list, but it was a repeater, and I was happy to get it.  Now I have 114 species in August and 65 repeaters.  I don’t imagine I'm going to get very many more.

 

 

Sunday, August 23, 2020

 

Before I get into today's birding, I want to show some pictures I took on Friday.  I didn't get anything I needed, so I didn't bother to process my pictures or write a report on Friday, but I have a few pictures that are maybe worth showing, so I'll do it now.  On Friday I went down to Juanita Bay Park and took these pictures.  Here is a Bewick's Wren.

 

 

At the end of the east boardwalk, I was interested to see that American Coots have started to return from wherever they go in the summer.  There were four of them around.  Here is a juvenile American Coot.  I am calling it a juvenile because of the color of its bill.

 

Here is a different bird, I think, and I think it was also a juvenile American Coot, but maybe it was an adult.

 

I think this next picture is a mature American Coot, with a white bill that has a dark tip.

 

A Pied-billed Grebe was diving close by, too, so I took its picture.

 

 

That was it for Friday at Juanita Bay Park. 

 

Moving to today, I started by driving up to Everett.  My main goal was to try for Ruddy Duck at the Everett Water Treatment Plant ponds.  The road I use to look at the main pond has been closed lately, and it was closed again today.  I was able to use my scope from the 12th St bridge over I-5, though, and I could see the main pond in the distance.  It was difficult, but I was able to make out two or three Ruddy Ducks, so that repeater went on my list.

 

The wetland at 12th St had a lot of shorebirds today.  I didn't get anything I needed, but I saw Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, a number of dowitchers, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, and one Pectoral Sandpiper.

 

After that I drove to Ocean Avenue in Edmonds.  I didn't see anything interesting there, so I moved on to Sunset Avenue in Edmonds.  There are very few sea birds around in the summer, and I didn't see anything I needed there.  I did see one bird in the far distance that was interesting.  It was either a Rhinoceros Auklet or a Marbled Murrelet.  I had the auklet, but not the murrelet this month.  I watched it for a while, but I never felt confident enough to count it, although I would guess it was a Marbled Murrelet.

 

I went to the Edmonds Marsh and played Marsh Wren songs.  No joy there, but I did see a female Belted Kingfisher and got these next three pictures, despite the difficult light, which was coming from behind the bird.

 

 

 

So, I added one more to my August total, and it was a repeater.  Now I have 115 species this month, and 66 of them are repeaters.

 

 

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

 

Today I went down to my local park, Juanita Bay Park.  It was a lovely, sunny day, and I enjoyed walking around.  On the fire station road, I was able to call up a couple of Warbling Vireos, a good August species.  Here are a couple of pictures of one of the Warbling Vireos.

 

 

There were several Cedar Waxwings, and a juvenile posed for me on a wire overhead.  Here is the streaky juvenile Cedar Waxwing, not looking as sleek as an adult would look.

 

 

I went across the road to the main part of the park and walked around.  Here is a female Anna's Hummingbird.  Check out the cute little feet.

 

A female Northern Flicker was high in a dead tree.

 

Here's a distant picture of a couple of adult Cedar Waxwings and what I think was a Purple Finch.

 

Out at the end of the east boardwalk, I took these next two pictures of female Wood Ducks.

 

 

There was a single American Coot, and this picture shows its red eye and the red "shield" on its forehead.

 

Not all American Coots have that red spot at the top of their bill, according to my field guides.

 

I was playing various warbler songs, but I didn't attract any warblers.  Song Sparrows often respond to the songs of other species, and this one flew in and called back to me.

 

A flock of Bushtits flew by, foraging in the trees as they went along.  Here are four pictures of female Bushtits.

 

 

 

 

Warbling Vireo was the only species I added for August, and now I have 116 species this month.

 

 

Saturday, August 29, 2020

 

This morning I went down to Juanita Bay Park and walked up and down the fire station road.  There were quite a few birds around, but I didn't need most of them, of course.  I heard the "weep" call of a Swainson's Thrush, though, and I was able to entice it in with its calls.  I got a couple of quick looks through the foliage, but I couldn't get a picture.  That gives me 117 species for August.  I have 207 species for 2020 and 66 repeaters - species I have seen in each month so far this year (other than April, when I did no birding because of the coronavirus epidemic.)