March 2020

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Sunday, March 1, 2020

A new month. Every bird I saw today was new for my March list. I started my month off with a trip up to Skagit county. There are some winter species up there that I wanted to get before they leave for the summer. Before I even left home, I got Feral Pigeon, Song Sparrow, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, and American Crow. On the 50 minute drive north I added Red-tailed Hawk and Brewer's Blackbird. As I approached Wylie Slough I picked up European Starling, Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Eurasian Collared-Dove, and White-crowned Sparrow. There was a large flock of Snow Geese in a field, and a single Killdeer near the road in a field. On a little slough, I saw Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, and Eurasian Wigeon. There were Green-winged Teal in a flooded field, and a single Greater Yellowlegs flew by. There was a Common Raven near three crows, and a female Northern Harrier was hunting over the fields. It was a pretty birdy morning - I got all of those species, from the car, before I even got to my first destination, Wylie Slough. All that was done in the rain, too. It was supposed to be partly cloudy today, with less than a 5% chance of rain, but it rained for my first hour in Skagit county.

As I drove in to Wylie Slough preserve, I saw one of the Black Phoebes, which was a great one to get on the first of the month. I saw some birders leaving as I drove in, and both cars stopped, and they told me they had just seen the rare Northern Waterthrush that I have kept missing this winter. I was excited, and I immediately went to where they had seen it. I looked for it in diminishing rain for half an hour, but I never found it. It has turned into my nemesis bird, I think. While watching for it, I added House Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, and Black-capped Chickadee. I also took this picture of an immature White-crowned Sparrow.

Later in the day I took this next picture of an adult White-crowned Sparrow. You can see that the colors on the head change completely as the bird matures.

I gave up on the waterthrush, which is a member of the warbler family, not a thrush, and went to look at the main slough. The tide was too high for the shorebird species I was hoping to find there, but I picked up Gadwall and Bald Eagle. From the road to the west parking area, I spotted a wren down by the water, and it turned out to be a Marsh Wren. Here is a rather blurry picture of it in an odd posture, but you can see its markings well.

I've been struggling for months to get Marsh Wren, but now spring is approaching, and they should be easy now for the next 5 or 6 months. It was still raining, so I went back to the freeway and moved north. I picked up a sandwich in Burlington and went to the intersection where I had seen the rare (for this area) Golden Eagle last month. I was hoping it was still hanging around, and I had seen reports within the last week. Unfortunately, when I got there, a Bald Eagle was sitting in the tree where the immature Golden Eagle had been sitting for weeks. I'll have to check eBird and see if it has taken up a new residence.

I drove through the little town of Edison, but found nothing. At the East 90 I saw a Rough-legged Hawk, which was one of the winter species I was looking for today. There were lots of birders around Skagit county today, and I stopped and asked one group about Short-eared Owls. They pointed to where they had seen a couple, and I drove up the road a bit and stopped and got out my scope. As I did that, a couple across the road asked if I was looking for Short-eared Owls. I said yes, and they pointed one out, sitting on a sign in the distance. That was another winter species I was hoping to get today. Here is a distant picture of one of the two Short-eared Owls at that location.

So, with Rough-legged Hawk and Short-eared Owl taken care of, I drove up to Samish Island, to the overlook of the bay. I was looking for seabirds, with two species as particular targets. There were a number of Surf Scoters out there, and I saw a single Red-breasted Merganser. Next were a couple of Horned Grebes, and out beyond them were hundreds of Brant. I saw a couple of Common Loons and one Red-throated Loon. Those were all fine species to see, but I hadn't seen my two main targets. I was almost ready to leave, but I moved my scope to a slightly different vantage point, and saw a couple of female White-winged Scoters, which was one of my two target species. Then I saw a large group of Long-tailed Ducks, more than I've ever seen at one time before. There must have been 25 or 30 of them, and that was my other target species. As I was putting my scope back in my car, I saw my only Anna's Hummingbird of the day.

I headed back south to the Skagit Flats area, and as I drove through the Samish Flats, I picked up Great Blue Heron and I saw a flock of Dunlin flying around. Along D'Arcy Road there was an American Kestrel, and I would have had a picture, but a car came along and flushed it. Back in the Skagit Flats area, I drove to the two houses with feeders on Valentine Road. At Rancho Valentine there was suet in the suet feeder and seeds in the seed feeders, so there were lots of birds around. Here is a Mourning Dove, one of several there.

Here is a Red-breasted Nuthatch at the suet feeder.

There were several Chestnut-backed Chickadees around, and here is one of them.

I added Downy Woodpecker to my list, and here is a pair of them at the suet.

There was a Fox Sparrow feeding on the ground, but I couldn't get a picture. Here is a distant shot of the only Pine Siskin I saw today.

I moved down the road to the house on the corner and got more birds and pictures. Here is an American Robin that had just caught a worm and was swallowing it.

A Steller's Jay flew in. I was looking particularly for Purple Finch, and finally one male showed up for about 15 seconds. Here is a blurry picture of the male Purple Finch.

While I was trying to get a second picture, it flew off, and I only got this very blurry picture of it leaving.

When I left there, I drove down Rawlins Road to the North Fork Access, hoping to find a shrike or a meadowlark, but I missed both of those species today. I did see a lovely male Northern Harrier flying around over the fields, though, and I got some pictures. Flying bird pictures are tough with my little camera, but here are my best efforts of the flying male Northern Harrier.

One sees a lot more female Northern Harriers than males, and the females are brown. I had one more winter species I was looking for - Tundra Swan. Most of the swans in Skagit county are Trumpeter Swans, but I stopped and checked out each group that was close enough to the road. There were a couple of Canada Geese with one group of Trumpeter Swans, so that one went on my list. Eventually I did find a Tundra Swan, and that completed the winter species I wanted to get early in the month.

I stopped a Hayton Reserve, but all I got there were two more duck species in the distance - Northern Pintail and Lesser Scaup. Back on Wylie Road, on my way to Wylie Slough again, I took this picture of a Common Raven near the road.

I tired again for my nemesis bird, Northern Waterthrush, but again dipped on it. The tide had gone out, though, and there were some shorebirds visible. Here are a couple of pictures of a Greater Yellowlegs.

I parked and walked out on the dike trail. From the bird blind, I took this picture of a male Ring-necked Duck.

I added American Coot from there, as well as Hooded Merganser. When I came out of the bird blind, there were a dozen Long-billed Dowitchers feeding in the mud. That was the shorebird I was hoping to see there today. Here are a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers.

I saw a distant juvenile Double-crested Cormorant flying and landing out of my sight, so that one went on my list, too. A Glaucous-winged Gull flew in, and I added that. Earlier in the day I had seen a lot of Ring-billed Gulls, and I forgot to mention them here and didn't actually get them on my list until I was reviewing it at home tonight. I liked the pose of this Great Blue Heron, so I took its picture.

That was it for my birding today, and I headed for home. I had 64 species, which was quite respectable for my 6 hours of birding on my own. But wait, it wasn't over yet. As I was leaving the Wylie Slough area, I saw some swallows flying over the fields. I pulled over and got out to take a look at them. I was able to get good looks at a couple of them, and they were my first VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS of the year. Score! I kept looking, and I noticed that at least two of them were Barn Swallows, a species I had seen once in February this year. Swallows often hang out in mixed species flocks, but there were only about 10 or 12 birds in this mixed flock. One of them landed on the road, and it was a juvenile Barn Swallow, hatched last year. Here is a picture of that little guy.

Three or four other swallows landed briefly in the road, and I got this picture of an adult Barn Swallow.

I then took a picture of what I thought was one of the Violet-green Swallows that I had identified, but it turned out to be my first TREE SWALLOW of the year! Three swallow species in one small flock. Here is the Tree Swallow.

So, with that last minute addition of three swallow species, I had 67 species for the day, an excellent start for March. Violet-green Swallow and Tree Swallow were new for 2020, too, and now I have 136 species this year. Another month is underway. It is supposed to be showery all week, but maybe I can fit in a little birding between the showers.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

It rained all day on Monday, but today was dry. I started my birding day at Marymoor Park. I couldn't find the Green Heron at the rowing club pond, so I drove around to the main part of the park. There weren't any Cackling Geese around, and I didn't see any meadowlarks anywhere. I stopped and looked for the Northern Shrike, but I struck out on that one, too. I did see a distant Northern Flicker flying away, and that was one I still needed for March. I drove through the community gardens and couldn't find Lonesome George, the pheasant that hangs around there. I parked and walked along the slough. I didn't need it, but here is a picture of a male Gadwall, showing his intricate pattern.

Here is the female Gadwall, in her brown plumage.

There were a couple of Pied-billed Grebes across the slough, and that was another one I needed for March. I was looking for the rare Eurasian Teal that I saw last week, and I thought this might be him.

Green-winged Teals (the American species) have a white shoulder stripe, and this bird only had a small vestige of one. It turned around, though, and on the other side, it did have a white stripe, so I guess it was just an aberrant male Green-winged Teal. It has quite an intricate pattern to it, too, when you see it closely enough.

I was looking for one of the several Common Mergansers I saw last week there, but today I didn't see any. There was one male Common Goldeneye, though, and I needed that one. I walked along the slough and added Belted Kingfisher to my March list. Here's a picture.

A Brown Creeper flew in close to me, and that was another March bird.

The Great Blue Herons have been hanging out on their nests for weeks now. They keep flying in with sticks, building the nests bigger, I guess.

On my way back to my car I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, another March bird. I drove through the gardens again, but still no pheasant. I stopped once more at the parking lot near the East Meadow and this time I spotted the Northern Shrike in the distance. I got out my scope and got a good look at it.

I left Marymoor and drove up to Tokul Creek to look for American Dipper. I didn't see one for the longest time, and then, as I was ready to give up, I saw one way upstream. I looked at it and tried for one picture, and it flew off, up river. I had it, though, an excellent one for my March list.

I drove down to the town of Carnation and picked up a ham and salami sandwich at the Carnation Market. I took it to the house with feeders, hoping to see Band-tailed Pigeon and American Goldfinch. There were very few birds around at first. Some Red-winged Blackbirds came in, and I got this picture of a first year male Red-winged Blackbird, just coming into his black adult plumage.

There weren't any Band-tailed Pigeons around there today, and no American Goldfinches at first. Eventually a single American Goldfinch flew into the apple tree next to the street, but it flew off without ever going to a feeder. That was another March bird, anyway.

I was eating my sandwich, and I noticed a bird at the top of an evergreen tree on the other side of the house. To my great surprise, when I got my binoculars on it, it was an EVENING GROSBEAK. It was the first time I had ever seen Evening Grosbeak in Western Washington, and the first time I have seen one anywhere since 2015. They aren't really rare, but they are quite uncommon, and I just never see them. This one flew just as I was getting ready to take a picture, but it looked like it was flying down to the yard with the feeders. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, a pair of Evening Grosbeaks landed on the edge of the street and ate some of the seed scattered there. The male wouldn't give me a good pose, but I took pictures, anyway. Here is a male Evening Grosbeak.

The female posed better. Female Evening Grosbeak.

The male kept his back to me the whole time, but here are a couple of pictures of the pair of Evening Grosbeaks.

So, it was exciting to get a bird that I hadn't seen for over 4 years, but I had to move on. Out in the Snoqualmie Valley I found the expected large flock of Cackling Geese for my March list. On Sikes Lake there were four Common Mergansers, another species I needed. I tried for Lincoln's Sparrow a couple of places, but I couldn't call one up. I backtracked to the Carnation-Duvall Road, and on the way I saw a male American Kestrel. I didn't need it, but I got these pictures that I like.

Those pictures look the same, but in the first one the bird is looking at me over its left shoulder, and in the second, it is looking over its right shoulder. Here is one more shot of the American Kestrel.

In Duvall, I parked at McCormick Park and walked down the trail a bit to my snipe spot. Sure enough, there were two or three Wilson's Snipe sitting at the edge of the reeds. Here are a couple of pictures of one of the Wilson's Snipe, from two slightly different angles.

I drove along W. Snoqualmie River Road NE and I found some Northern Shovelers for my list. Here is a pair of Northern Shovelers.

Great Blue Herons were occupying the nests at the small rookery across the river.

There are five or six nests this year, it appears. Here is another nest with a heron on it.

I'll try to get back there in a month or two, to get pictures of the young herons. As I drove back to the main road, I ran across a flock of Bushtits, another excellent March species to get so early in the month.

I got 15 species today for my March list, and now I have 82 species this month. Evening Grosbeak brings my year total to 137 species. It also brought my lifetime King county list to 194 species.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Today I went up to Edmonds to look for saltwater birds. On the way I stopped a few places, though. My first stop was Log Boom Park in Kenmore. I was looking for ducks. My first March species was Wood Duck. Here is a pair of Wood Ducks, with a pair of American Wigeons in the background.

Here is the very colorful male Wood Duck on his own.

The light was great today for pictures. Here is the more subdued female Wood Duck.

I walked out onto the pier and spotted a large group of my next target species, Canvasback. Here are some of the 40 or more Canvasbacks that were hanging out in a group.

All of the Canvasbacks in that picture are males except one. In this next picture, there are more females on the right side of the picture. They are more brown, instead of red and white.

I looked out on the lake and spotted a single Western Grebe, which was another good one for my March list. I also saw a group of four scaup, and I decided they were Greater Scaup, which was the scaup species I still needed. That was the last of the four species I was looking for at Logboom Park today, so I moved on.

I stopped at the house in Lake Forest Park where I look for Band-tailed Pigeon, and there were several of them around today, so I had another one for my list.

I moved on toward Edmonds, stopping in Woodway at my quail site. I didn't see or hear anything at first, but I sat there, and after about 4 or 5 minutes, I heard a California Quail call. They are loud and the call is very distinctive, which is great, since there aren't many around here, and they are hard to see. I've seen them or heard them at that site at least 5 or 6 times now.

Next I stopped at Deer Creek Park in Woodway and walked in the woods. I played the song of Pacific Wren, and eventually I attracted one. It called back to me, and after a minute or two it showed itself. I tried for pictures, but my camera focused on some branches in front of the bird, so the wren is blurry. Here are a couple of out of focus pictures of a Pacific Wren.

I was doing great, and I moved on to the Edmonds waterfront for saltwater birds. I parked on Sunset Avenue, and there were a number of Mew Gulls around. I soon added Pelagic Cormorant and Red-necked Grebe. There were three Pacific Loons out there, and that was an excellent one to get for my March list. I saw a couple Pigeon Guillemots, and then I spotted a little grebe that was different from the common Horned Grebes, which are about the same size. It looked like an uncommon species, but it dove before I could get a good enough look at it. A little later I found it again and had a nice long look with my scope. I decided it was an EARED GREBE, which is a semi-rarity around here.

I moved down the street a little and looked around again. This time I saw a pair of Black Scoters, an uncommon species that I often see from that location. Here is a distant shot of the female Black Scoter.

I had been looking for a Brandt's Cormorant, but I hadn't been able to identify one. There were cormorants on the ferry dock piers, but they were too far away. I drove down to Brackett's Landing, which is closer to the ferry terminal. I looked at the cormorants, but I thought they were all either Double-crested Cormorants or Pelagic Cormorants, neither of which I needed at that point. I looked the other way and spotted a cormorant on the log that floats offshore, and there was a cormorant there that looked good for Brandt's. I took some pictures and checked them later, and it was indeed a juvenile Brandt's Cormorant. Here is a picture of it.

On the same log was a male Harlequin Duck, another one I needed. Neither the cormorant nor the Harlequin Duck had been on that log a few minutes earlier when I was up on Sunset Avenue, so it was good that I had gone down to Brackett's Landing. Timing is very important in birding sometimes.

That was it for my birding today. I had done extremely well. As it turned out, my birding wasn't over, though. Back at home I noticed some Bushtits around the birch trees and the suet feeder. With the great afternoon light, I took pictures. Bushtits are usually very difficult to photograph, but I had a lot of luck today. I think they are very cute little birds, so here are more Bushtit pictures than anyone would want.

That one is a male. It has dark eyes. Here is a female Bushtit, with light colored eyes.

Here is a pair of Bushtits at the suet.

They were feeding in the tree, too, and I got more pictures.

Okay, enough with the Bushtits. Sorry about the Bushtit overload. A female Dark-eyed Junco was watching the Bushtits at the suet feeder, and she decided to get in on the action.

Our yard Bewick's Wren came around, too, and I needed that one for March still.

So, with the Bewick's Wren, I got 17 species for March today, a really good total, considering I already had 82 when the day started. Now I have 99 species in March, and it is only the 4th. Eared Grebe brought my 2020 total to 138 species. Things are going to slow down now, with so many species already on my list.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Today I went down to my local park, Juanita Bay Park. I walked on the fire station road, and right away I saw a little bird high up in a tree. It turned out to be a Golden-crowned Kinglet, one of the ones I was looking for there today. I tried to lure it down for a picture, using playback on my phone, but it stayed up too high for a picture. I didn't need Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but I also saw several of them at the park today.

I played the call of Virginia Rail, and I got a number of responses. They were close to the road, but the foliage was thick, and I never caught a glimpse of one. Still, it went on my list as a "heard only" species today.

I drove over to the main part of the park and walked a bit. I was mainly looking for woodpeckers, but there were other possibilities, too. I did eventually get Hairy Woodpecker, an excellent one for my March list. It was high in a tree, with the bright sky behind it, but I got some pictures. Here is the male Hairy Woodpecker.

That was all I saw today for my lists. Back at home, birds were coming to our seed feeder. I stood about 15 feet away and took picture of a whole series of birds at the feeder. Here is a female Dark-eyed Junco.

A male Spotted Towhee came in and ate some seed.

Both of our local species of chickadee came in. Here is a Black-capped Chickadee with a seed.

Here is its cousin, a Chestnut-backed Chickadee with its own seed.

A Song Sparrow came in briefly and ate a little.

Finally, our local Bewick's Wren flew in for some food.

I managed to add 3 more species to my March list, and now I have 102 species this month.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Today I had an early lunch appointment in Everett (about 25 minutes north of here), and it was raining. The rain was supposed to let up, and I headed up that way a bit early so I could look for birds. One of my repeaters (species I see every month) is uncommon around here, but a few months ago I learned of a house in Marysville (just north of Everett) where a family of California Scrub-Jays lives. I had found them there for the last 3 or 4 months. I used to go over to Seattle, near the University of Washington, to find this species, but the Marysville location is much more convenient, especially when I'm going to Everett anyway.

As I pulled out of my garage, though, there was a male Downy Woodpecker feeding on our suet block, so I took pictures.

I got that species earlier in the week, but pictures are always welcome.

After that, I drove up to Marysville, and it was only sprinkling lightly when I got there. I walked around and played scrub-jay calls. It took about ten minutes, but eventually I spotted one that flew to a perch near the top of a tree. It was fairly distant, but I got this picture before it flew off. California Scrub-Jay (formerly called Western Scrub-Jay).

It flew toward the house with feeders, so I got back in my car and drove around to where I could see that house. The scrub-jay, or another one, was sitting on the chimney, and I got another picture of it.

It flew even closer and I just missed getting an excellent shot of it. Just as I took the picture, it turned away, though, and this was all I got. You can see the rain in this picture of the back of a California Scrub-Jay.

That was enough for me, and I headed for lunch. I stopped briefly at the 10th Street boat launch area on the Everett waterfront, to look for gulls. They usually are roosting there in numbers, but this morning there were only half a dozen gulls there, and none of either of the two species I was looking for.

I went to lunch, and after lunch I went back to the boat launch parking lot. There were a few more gulls, but still not very many. I looked through them, and I did manage to find one California Gull, which was one of the species I was looking for. This is a third winter California Gull. California Gulls take four years to reach their final adult plumage, and each year they look different until then. This one was hatched in 2016, and later this year it will attain its adult plumage. As an adult, it will lose the black band on its bill and its legs will be yellow in the summer. In the summer it will also lose the black streaks on its head and neck. I don't even try to remember all the plumages of all the gull species, but this one looked like a California Gull to me, so I looked it up. Here is the third winter California Gull.

The rain had pretty much stopped by then, so I went over to the Everett Sewage Ponds to look for Ruddy Duck. They are always there in numbers, and I soon added that uncommon (locally) duck to my March list. I also saw dozens of Black-bellied Plovers and even more Dunlin, across the water on the concrete edge of the pond. I had Dunlin already, but I needed Black-bellied Plover.

That was it for today. I added 4 more species to my March list, and now I have 106 species this month.

Monday, March 9, 2020

I didn't do any birding over the weekend, but this morning I went over to Marymoor Park. I drove through the community gardens, looking for "Lonesome George", the male pheasant that has been hanging out there for months. I didn't find him, although I thought I might have heard him call once. I walked along the slough, mainly looking for the Eurasian Teal I saw there last month, but I couldn't find him, either. I took this picture of a female Common Goldeneye on the slough, not a species I needed for any lists.

I didn't need Fox Sparrow, either, but I like to get pictures of Fox Sparrows, and today a couple of them were feeding at the edge of some blackberry brambles. Here are three pictures of one of the Fox Sparrows.

Here's a close shot of another Fox Sparrow, one with less yellow on its bill.

I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, so I started out of the park. I drove through the gardens one more time, though, and this time I spotted the male Ring-necked Pheasant, a good one for my March list. It went off into some blackberry bushes before I could get a picture, but I took a couple of partially obscured pictures through the brambles.

As I drove out of the gardens, this White-crowned Sparrow posed for me, so I took pictures.

I drove to Everett and went out to lunch, and after lunch I drove by Mukilteo to see if I could get anything else for my March list. There were 8 or 10 Barrow's Goldeneyes near the Port of Everett dock, so that one went on my March list. I didn't get anything else there, but as I got close to home, I detoured to the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park. I walked on the road, and a Red-tailed Hawk flew in and landed in a tree almost right above me.

Toward the north end of the road, 2 or 3 male Red-winged Blackbirds were calling loudly, proclaiming their territories, I guess. The light was nice, so I took pictures. Here is a male Red-winged Blackbird, just posing for me.

He was calling from time to time.

Here's a picture from a little different angle.

A couple of minutes later, I saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and that was one I needed for March still. It flew off before I could get a picture, unfortunately, but I had a third species for my March list.

As I drove into the garage at home, a Downy Woodpecker was feeding on the almost empty suet feeder, so I took pictures of it, in the nice midday light.

Males have red on the back of their head, and females don't. This one had a few light red feathers, and my field guide says that sometimes females will have a few red feathers, so I guess this was a female. Here are a couple of other pictures of her.

She was reaching into the feeder to get the last few crumbs of the suet.

After that, I put a new block of suet into the feeder.

So, I got 3 more species for my March list today, and now I have 109 species this month.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

I don't have much of a report today. I didn't get any new species for March, but I have some mediocre pictures to share. I went over to Marymoor Park and looked for the usual suspects - Green Heron, Western Meadowlark, a couple of woodpeckers, 2 or 3 raptors, etc. As I said, I didn't see any of them. I walked a bit in three places, mostly along the slough. An immature Bald Eagle was making passes over the slough, presumably trying to catch a fish, but it didn't get anything. It landed in a tree across the slough.

I moved up the slough and got a closer picture from a different angle. Immature Bald Eagle.

Check out the size of that bill and those feet. It was having a difficult time balancing on that relatively small branch, in the wind, and from time to time it had to flap its wings to stay there.

I walked along the slough, and later I got this picture of a male Common Goldeneye.

A male Common Merganser came along, too, so I tried for pictures. Taking pictures of black and white birds is always tough, and these next two pictures are the best I could do for the male Common Merganser.

There is a Great Blue Heron rookery along the slough, with 40 or more nests in it. Great Blue Herons are usually standing on or near the nests. I don’t think they have laid their eggs yet, but I think that one of each pair stays at the nest to guard it and keep other herons from stealing it for themselves. While I was walking near the rookery, something (maybe the Bald Eagle) flushed the herons, and they flew around overhead. Here is a picture of some of the Great Blue Herons flying around.

Here's a shot of some of the flying herons and some of the nests.

That's it for today. I am at 109 species for the month, and it's hard to get more at this point. I have two or three places I want to go, but the weather has to cooperate. There is still plenty of time left this month, though. I had been planning a trip to California, like I did the last two years, but with the coronavirus crisis, I've cancelled that, so I have three more weeks to look for birds for my March list in Washington.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Today I went north, up to Skagit county and Bellingham. My first stop was at Wylie Slough, to look for my nemesis bird, the rare Northern Waterthrush that has spent the winter there. I must have looked for it 15 times this winter, and never found it. I blanked on it again this morning.

I drove on to Hayton Reserve, to look for Peregrine Falcon and Lincoln's Sparrow, but I blanked on those, too. Undaunted, I drove north to Burlington, where I had seen a rare (for this area) juvenile Golden Eagle in February. When I looked for it earlier this month, a mature Bald eagle was sitting in the Golden Eagle's tree. I had read that the Golden Eagle had been seen there since then, though, and it was indeed there this morning, in the same tree. Here is a shot of the juvenile Golden Eagle, a great March bird.

I went around the corner and got this shot from the rear.

Next I drove north to the community of Fairhaven, in south Bellingham. I count the small crows near saltwater as Northwestern Crows in Whatcom county, and I saw several of them today, for my March list. I also was hoping for Black Oystercatcher at Padden Lagoon, but I missed that one. I had a burger at a little burger joint and then drove down Chuckanut Drive to the town of Edison in Skagit county. I tried for Savannah Sparrow where I have seen them before, and then looked for Western Meadowlark where I have seen that species several times, but I missed on both of those species. From there I drove to March Point, which sticks out into Fidalgo Bay, across from the town of Anacortes. I was looking for Black Oystercatcher there, and I didn't see any until I was on the west side of the point. At that point I saw a pair of black birds on the shore, across a little bay. I pulled over and stopped, partly out in the road, and looked with my binoculars. It was at the limit for binoculars, but I was able to see the bright red bills of the birds, and Black Oystercatcher went on my March list. It would have been an easy scope view, but there was no place to put my car.

I backtracked to the Skagit Flats, and near La Conner I got these pictures of Tundra Swans.

I think the one with the darker neck is a juvenile. Here is another shot of the mature Tundra Swan.

For comparison, here is a picture I got a little later of a Trumpeter Swan.

Trumpeter Swan is a bit larger, and the bill and head are a bit different from Tundra Swan. Most Tundra Swans also have that yellow mark on the bill, in front of the eye.

On Rawlins Road, I got this picture of a male American Kestrel.

I stopped again at Hayton Reserve, but again didn't find anything I needed. Near Wylie Slough, dozens of swallows were swooping over the fields. I could pick out Tree Swallows and Violet-green Swallows. Some of the swallows landed on the road, and I got this picture of a juvenile Barn Swallow.

Here's a Tree Swallow and a juvenile Barn Swallow.

At Wylie Slough, I dipped again on the Northern Waterthrush, but the tide was out then, so I tried for another species that has been seen there recently. There were a number of Greater Yellowlegs feeding on the mud, and I scanned them and walked out on the dike to see more of them. Then I spotted one that was clearly smaller. I had my uncommon Lesser Yellowlegs for March. Here is a distant picture of the Lesser Yellowlegs.

While I was taking distant pictures, one of the Greater Yellowlegs came along, and I got some pictures of the two species of yellowlegs. As the name implies, Greater Yellowlegs is larger than Lesser Yellowlegs. Here are three pictures of the larger Greater Yellowlegs and the smaller Lesser Yellowlegs. In this first shot, the Greater is closer to the camera.

In this next one, the Greater is on the left.

In this third one, the Greater is again on the left.

It was great to get Lesser Yellowlegs, and I liked getting the combo pictures with both species, even though they were so distant.

There was a Bald Eagle sitting on a log there, too, and I couldn't resist pictures, although they didn't come out great.

As I headed for home, the swallows were still swooping around and landing on the road, and I got this picture of three juvenile Barn Swallows.

It was a good day of birding. I did a lot of driving, and it seemed like I missed a lot of species I might have found, but I did manage to add 4 more species to my March list, and they were all good ones. Now I have 113 species in March.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

For the second day in a row, I spent most of my time in my car. I'm very fortunate that my hobby allows me to spend my days alone, with little contact with other people, and no contact with crowds. I always enjoy that aspect of birding, but in these days of the coronavirus emergency, that is especially nice. Today I caught the ferry across Puget Sound, to the Kitsap Peninsula from Edmonds. I stayed in my car for the entire crossing, (about a half hour), rather than wander around the ferry, like I usually do. I picked up a sandwich at Subway and drove to Point No Point, at the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula.

I have read that the number of birds you see from there depends very much on the stage of the tide. I think you want to be there as the tide is starting to go out, which brings the fish to the surface and makes them easier for the birds to catch. I must have hit it right today, because there were thousands of birds out on the water. 95% of them were gulls, mostly Mew Gulls, which I already had this month. There were several hundred Bonaparte's Gulls mixed in with them, though, and I needed that one for March still. There were 2 or 3 dozen Rhinoceros Auklets out there, mostly on the edges of where the gulls were feeding. That was another one for March. At one point, several dozen Red-breasted Mergansers joined the feeding frenzy, but I already had that one. I kept scanning the water with my scope, and eventually I spotted a pair of Marbled Murrelets, an excellent one for my March list. I had 3 of the 4 sea birds I was looking for there, missing only Common Murre.

I got those species so quickly that I decided to make the one hour drive to Fort Flagler, to look for 2 or 3 other species. On Indian Island, I stopped at Lagoon Beach and looked at the rocks across the channel with my scope. I found several Black Turnstones and several Surfbirds, both of which were excellent March birds. I had hoped for Black Turnstone, but Surfbird was a pleasant surprise. I often see Black Oystercatchers there, but not today. It made me glad I had seen a couple of Black Oystercatchers yesterday, up at March Point in Skagit county.

I drove on to Fort Flagler. As I drove through the park to the beach area, I stopped to use the outdoor bathroom, and I heard some loud woodpecker drumming. It was very loud and very distinctive, and when I compared it to the drumming sound on my phone bird app, it was clearly a Pileated Woodpecker. I have never counted a woodpecker based on the sound of its drumming, but this was a very distinctive sound, so I added Pileated Woodpecker to my March list. It was drumming repeatedly.

When I got to the beach campground area, the tide was out, which made finding shorebirds more difficult. They were out feeding, rather than roosting on the grass or the shore of the bay. I scanned the water offshore, hoping to find the Common Murre I needed, but had no luck at that. I did see 6 more Marbled Murrelets, though.

I saw a few Black-bellied Plovers and a few Dunlin on the beaches, neither of which I needed for March. The one I wanted was Sanderling, but I didn't find any today. I took pictures, though, of birds I didn't need. Here is a Black-bellied Plover, in winter plumage.

In the summer, the bird will live up to its name, and not only the belly, but the whole underside of the bird, from the face to behind the legs, will be black. Here is a male Harlequin Duck.

Here is a female Harlequin Duck.

Here's a picture of a pair of Harlequin Ducks.

There were some Red-breasted Mergansers around. Here is a male Red-breasted Merganser.

Here is a female Red-breasted Merganser.

You can see that they have the same bill and the same hair stylist, but their colors are different.

Here is another Black-billed Plover.

Here is a Dunlin.

There were three Black Turnstones on the beach, and here is one of them.

I like pictures of more than one species in the same frame, to show the size differences, and here is a shot of that Dunlin and that Black Turnstone together.

Here's a shot of the Black-bellied Plover, the Dunlin, and the Black Turnstone, all together.

Here is one with the Black-bellied Plover and the Black Turnstone.

After that, I headed for home. When I got on the ferry at Kingston, I saw some birds next to the ferry, and I took pictures from the car deck while they finished loading. Here is a male Barrow's Goldeneye.

There were some Surf Scoters around, and here is a picture of two of the male Surf Scoters. Is that a crazy bill, or what?

The Surf Scoters were feeding at the pilings around the ferry terminal. They seemed to be eating the mussels that cling there. Here is a pair of Surf Scoters eating whatever they were finding there, I'm guessing the mussels, although I don't know how they would open the shells.

Here is a female Surf Scoter reaching for a tasty morsel.

That was it for me today. I again stayed in my car for the trip across Puget Sound, and I got home about 5 PM. I added 6 species to my March list, and now I have 119 species. It is supposed to be wet and windy for the next two days, but then we are supposed to be in for another stretch of dry weather.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The weather cleared by this morning, and I headed over to Marymoor Park. Christina went with me to walk, while I looked for birds. All of her usual activities have been suspended as part of "social distancing", and she was bored enough to accompany me. She has always brought me good luck when she is with me and I'm birding, so I was hopeful. As it turned out, though, she was off on her own walking, while I meandered along the slough. I didn't find a thing that was interesting, and I didn't get any pictures.

It was time to leave, and just as my lucky charm, Christina, showed up, I spotted a raptor across the slough. It was quite distant, but I used my camera, and I could see it was a juvenile accipiter, a family of hawks that included both Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper's Hawk. The differences are quite subtle, and I often can't tell which species a particular bird is until I look at my pictures. I took pictures, and I also got my scope from the car to get a better look. Here are my very distant pictures.

That last picture was to show a size comparison with the crow above the hawk.

I checked out some online sources and ended up deciding to call it a Sharp-shinned Hawk. For my own future reference, the things that indicated Sharp-shinned Hawk were the color of the back of the head (dark), the streaks on the breast (thick), the body shape (wider at the breast than at the hips), the squared off corners of the tail, the location of the eye (toward the front, rather than in the center of the head), and the rounded head (rather than a flat head). Size was ambiguous. Sharpies are smaller than coops, but in both species, males are smaller than females. Female Sharp-shinned Hawks are about the same size as male Cooper's Hawks. I am assuming this one is a juvenile female Sharp-shinned Hawk. That was a great one for my March list.

Back at home, a few Bushtits came to the suet feeder, and I went out with my camera. I got these next two pictures of a female Bushtit.

So, I only got one new species for March today, and now I have 120 species this month. We are supposed to have a week of dry weather now, but it is going to be cold. I don't have a lot to look for, but maybe I can get out there and give it a go, anyway. Before the end of the month, I'd like to go over the mountains and bird around Ellensburg, but the birding would probably be better in the last week of the month than in this coming week, because more migrants will have started to come back by then. Weather is a big factor, too.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Today the governor of Washington ordered the closure of all restaurants and bars, along with a lot of other things, but outside of King county, the order doesn’t go into effect until Tuesday. After due consideration, my lunch buddy and I decided to do one more lunch at Wendy's today, taking appropriate precautions (hand washing and disinfecting our table). On my way to lunch, though, I stopped at the Everett Sewage Ponds. Yesterday afternoon a rare duck had been seen there, and I wanted to look for it.

When I got there, I saw half a dozen birders looking out at the big pond, so I walked down and joined them. No one had seen the rare duck today, though, so I went back to the parking lot and set up my own scope. I scanned the hundreds of ducks on the pond, but I couldn't find it. Eventually I gave up and drove toward the east end of the road, to look for falcons, which I have seen there in the past a couple of times. On the way, I slowed down as I passed the one remaining birder, and I rolled down my window and shrugged at him, to ask if he had seen it. He beckoned to me, so I pulled over and went over to him. He said he had it, and he showed it to me in his scope. It was a distant male TUFTED DUCK, a Eurasian duck that shows up on our coasts once in a while.

It was a pretty easy identification with my scope, which was more powerful than his, but I actually tried for some very distant pictures. Here is a very distant picture of the male Tufted Duck, with a male scaup closer to the camera. The Tufted Duck is the one in the center of the picture, and the similar duck closer to the camera is a male scaup (either Lesser Scaup or Greater Scaup, probably the latter).

There are two differences you can see in this picture, between the two ducks. The back of the Tufted Duck is black, while the back of the scaup is gray. Also, the white side of the Tufted Duck has a little upward point near the head. The Tufted Duck has a tuft on the back of its head, but you can't see it in these first two pictures. Here is another shot, like the first one.

Here's a picture in which you can sort of barely see the tuft on the back of the Tufted Duck's head.

Here's another one showing the tuft, just barely.

I would have liked to have seen the duck with his head up, but he was snoozing the whole time I was watching.

The Tufted Duck brings my March total to 121 species and my 2020 total to 139 species.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

It sure is nice to have a hobby that gets me out of the house, but still allows me to practice social distancing, like a good citizen. This morning was sunny and cold, and I went over to Marymoor Park. At the rowing club pond, there was no Green Heron, as usual this winter, but I walked down to the slough and enjoyed the crisp morning. There were half a dozen Steller's Jays calling loudly and interacting. I don't know what they were doing, but they sure were noisy. I also saw a small flock of Bushtits. I didn't need either of those species, but on my way back to my car, I spotted a Red-breasted Sapsucker, which I did need. I couldn't get any pictures in the tree where I first saw it, but it flew across the road to another tree, and I got some pictures of the Red-breasted Sapsucker.

Sapsuckers get their name from one of their feeding practices. They drill holes in trees, and leave them for a day or two. The holes, called wells, fill up with sap from the tree, and the sapsucker comes back and sucks up the sap. Here's a shot of the Red-breasted Sapsucker with some of his wells.

Some of those look like old wells, and some are new this year, I think. Here is another shot of the sapsucker and his wells.

Here's a picture of the bird flying away. It is blurry, and I wouldn't normally show it, but there is something about it I like.

There was a female Hooded Merganser on the pond, so I took her picture.

After that I drove around to the main part of the park, and I walked along the west side of the East Meadow. I was mainly looking for Rufous Hummingbirds. They have just started to come back from migration, and I've seen them before at the south end of the East Meadow. There is a bench there, and I sat and watched for Rufous Hummingbirds. I saw a couple of hummingbirds chasing each other around, up high, but I wasn't able to get my binoculars on them before they flew off. Based on their behavior, I think that most likely at least one of them, and probably both, were Rufous Hummingbirds, but I didn't count them because they could possibly have been the other hummingbird species we have here, Anna's Hummingbird. I walked farther down the path toward the lake, and I saw a hummingbird in a spot where I have seen Rufous Hummingbirds in past years. I thought I had my Rufous, but the bird was too distant to be sure, with the bright backlight. I got out my camera and took some shots for identification. Here is what I got.

It was only a male Anna's Hummingbird. A male Rufous Hummingbird would have had golden brown on its back, where this bird had green. Too bad.

I tried some more, but never found a Rufous Hummingbird today. There were four flickers flying around and interacting vocally. Here is a shot of a female Northern Flicker.

I walked back to my car up the east side of the East Meadow, and near the north end of the meadow, a small group of 5 or 6 Western Meadowlarks flew across the trail and landed in a small tree in front of me. That was another one I needed still this month. Here are three pictures of Western Meadowlarks.

That was it for my birding today. I added two more species to my March list, and now I have 123 species this month.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Today I drove over the mountains to Central Washington. It was a long day trip, but I didn't want to stay overnight, so I did it. I got off the freeway at Cle Elum and drove along Red Bridge Road and then Ballard Road. From Ballard Road I spotted a herd of about two dozen elk, and I took this picture of some of them.

Also on Ballard Road, I stopped at my spot for a nuthatch that doesn't live on the western side of the mountains. I played the song, and 2 or 3 PYGMY NUTHATCHES responded. They mostly stayed in the greenery of the trees, but I got a couple of mediocre shots of a Pygmy Nuthatch.

A little farther up the road, I saw a couple of birds fly up into a tree, and on a hunch, I played a song on my phone, and they showed themselves - a couple of MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES. (Reminder - when I use ALL CAPS, it indicates that it is the first time this year I have seen that species.) I tried for pictures, but didn't get any that are worthwhile. It was an excellent one to get, though.

I drove through the old Swauk Cemetery, but I didn't see anything there. On Swauk Prairie Road, I saw 3 or 4 pairs of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, another year-bird. Here is a female Western Bluebird.

Here is a male Western Bluebird.

I tried for White-breasted Nuthatch where I have seen them before, but I couldn't call one in. Next I drove along Bettas Road, and then I started down Hayward Road. Almost right away on Hayward Road, I saw a couple of HORNED LARKS. Here are a couple of pictures of Horned Larks.

That one has distinct "horns", but this next one doesn't seem to have them, unless they can raise and lower them.

Maybe it is a gender thing, I don't know.

I got my first MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS of the day along Hayward Road, too. Here is a male Mountain Bluebird.

He isn't as blue on his front as most Mountain Bluebirds, but I think that's what it is. Later I got pictures of a more typical male Mountain Bluebird.

Here is a female Mountain Bluebird.

I drove down toward Ellensburg, and along Faust Road I saw my first BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE of the year.

It was getting late by then, and I had a long way to go still, so I boogied down the freeway to the town of Kittitas. I saw a pair of magpies from the freeway. They are common in that area, but I don't always see them, so seeing three of them today was good. I drove along Parke Creek Road, hoping that Yellow-headed Blackbirds had come back to the pond on that road, but it was still too early, I think. I drove out the Old Vantage Highway to the Wild Horse Wind Farm. I have a very reliable site there for sage species, but the road to the visitor center was closed for the winter still, so I couldn't go to my site. It will open again on April 1, so I was two weeks early.

It was disappointing not to be able to access that site, but I stopped at a couple of other places along the Old Vantage Highway to try for sage species. It was too early for Brewer's Sparrow, and I never could call up a Sage Thrasher. I did manage to call up three SAGEBRUSH SPARROWS (formerly called Sage Sparrow), though, and I got these pictures.

The white in that picture is the remains of snow patches.

I saw more Mountain Bluebirds along the Old Vantage Highway, and I got these pictures of a male Mountain Bluebird that had caught a caterpillar.

He swallowed it down and looked proud of himself.

I drove down Recreation Road, which leads down to the Columbia River, but the parking area there was closed. I tried for Rock Wren, but couldn't attract one. I did see a SAY'S PHOEBE, though, and I got a couple of pictures of it.

After that I had to head for home, because I was over 2 hours away from home by then.. I ended up driving 290 miles today, and I was gone for almost 8 hours. It was a lot of driving, but I added 8 species to my March list, to give me 131 species now for March. As it happens, I had exactly 131 species in 2018 in Washington State, but then I started my California trip and I got a lot more in California. I had 23 days of birding in Washington State in March in both 2018 and 2019, so I still have 5 days to beat 2018's Washington State March total, without using more days than 2018. In 2019, I only got 127 species in 23 days, so I have already exceeded that.

All 8 of my species today were also new for 2020, and now I have 147 species this year so far.

It was a long day today, and now I feel like taking it easy for a day or two.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

On Thursday I went over to Marymoor Park and walked a little, looking for birds. I didn't get anything I needed, but I got these two pictures Tree Swallows in the sun.

I went to Marymoor again today. Savannah Sparrows have been seen, just back from their winter holiday in the south, but I didn't see any. I walked and I sat, and eventually I spotted one of my target species, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, my first of the year. They have just returned, too. Here are a couple of pictures of a male Rufous Hummingbird.

When I got to the park at about 9:30, it was emptier than I have ever seen it. There were fewer people at the off-leash dog park than I have ever seen before. By the time I left, about 11, there were a lot more, but still nothing like a normal sunny Sunday morning. Here are three women talking, maintaining a good social distance.

I saw a male Anna's Hummingbird and I got pictures for comparison with the male Rufous Hummingbird above.

While I was shooting the Anna's Hummingbird, a male Spotted Towhee flew in and chased it away. It was as if the towhee wanted the pictures to be of him.

I decided to drive home by a circuitous route, and as I left the park, there was a male Purple Finch singing away near the top of a tree. Here is the male Purple Finch.

I drove through the Evan's Creek Natural Area and stopped at the Redmond Retention Ponds. There wasn’t much there, but I got these last two pictures of a female Northern Flicker. You don't usually see the white rump when a flicker is perched, only when it is flying away from you. Here is a female Northern Flicker, showing her white rump.

The Rufous Hummingbird today brings me to 132 species in March and 148 species this year so far. That beats my 2018 (131) and 2019 (127) totals. In both of those years, I went to California at the end of the month, but I had those two totals (131 and 127) before I left Washington, after 23 days. This year I have 132 species in 22 days. There is very little more I might get, and the weather looks like some rain this coming week, so I might not even get out much at all. Some people on my birding boards think that birding is against the social distancing rules, but I don't see that at all. They encourage people to go for walks, and I just drive alone in my car to the places where I want to take my walks, alone. Seems legitimate to me.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

I didn't add any more species to my March list after March 22, and I only went out looking a couple of times. Most of the parks are closed now, and the coronavirus "lockdown" is stronger than ever here, and that has also discouraged me from going out. I don't see how driving my car alone and walking a little from time to time, keeping away from other people, is a violation of the spirit of the lockdown, but it's a gray area, and I don't feel comfortable doing it. It appears we have turned the corner here in Washington State, and it is more important than ever to be unified in our response, so my plan is to just bag birding for the month of April. I'm not planning on even keeping a list for April, and I'm hoping I can resume (with appropriate social distancing) in May.

Meanwhile, I miss writing these reports almost daily. In order to keep my interest up and to give myself something to do, since I won't be going out birding, I plan to write a report each day, but it will contain pictures from past years on that same date. April is a great month to do that for, because I was in California at the start of the month for the last three years, and later in the month I had trips to Arizona and Texas in recent years. That means I can show a broad selection of birds from past Aprils.

As a pilot run, I am going to show some pictures from March 31st for the last three years.

2017

I was in the San Diego area on March 31, 2017. At San Elijo Lagoon I attracted a male California Gnatcatcher, using playback on my phone. He sang back to me and posed for pictures very nicely. Here is the very cute little male California Gnatcatcher.

A Ridgway's Rail (formerly Clapper Rail) walked right out in the open, and I got its picture there as well.

A pair of Lesser Goldfinches were gathering grass, presumably for a nest, and here are a couple of shots of the female Lesser Goldfinch with some nesting material.

2018

I was again in the San Diego area on March 31, 2018, and I got this picture of a House Wren singing, at Diary Mart ponds, less than a mile from the Mexico border.

Along the San Diego River, I got these next two pictures of a Little Blue Heron, fishing.

At Crown Point, on Mission Bay, the usual flock of Black Skimmers was roosting in the sand. Here are two pictures of Black Skimmers.

The first time I saw a Black Skimmer flat out like that last one, I thought it might be dead, but that is just the way some of them sleep in the sun.

2019

Last year once again found me in the San Diego area (as this year would have, if it weren't for the coronavirus crisis). In La Jolla, I got these next four pictures. First, here is a Double-crested Cormorant in full breeding plumage. For most of the year, it wouldn't have those white feathers around the head or the pattern on its wing.

Here is a pair of Brown Pelicans in breeding plumage.

One of the birds I was looking for at La Jolla was Wandering Tattler, and I found this one.

Brandt's Cormorants were nesting on the cliff side, only a few feet from people at the top of the cliff. Note the blue throat pouch, which is only blue during breeding season.

Later that day I visited the San Dieguito River, near the Del Mar race track. There were Cliff Swallows collecting mud for their nests, and I got pictures.

A male Allen's Hummingbird perched on a wire and gave me this shot.

Here is a California Towhee.

Northern Mockingbirds are quite common in California, but we rarely see one up here in Washington, so here is a Northern Mockingbird, posing for me.

So, there is a selection of California birds that I saw on March 31st, over the last three years. I enjoyed re-visiting those days and choosing the pictures. I think it is something I would enjoy doing in April this year, while I stay home in isolation, due to the coronavirus situation.

Meanwhile, back here in 2020, my final count for March this year is 132 species, and I have 148 species so far this year.