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Friday, May 1, 2020
I actually went out birding today, for the first time in over a month. My first stop was Logboom Park in Kenmore. Before I even left home, I started my May list with Feral Pigeon, and on the drive to Logboom Park I added American Crow. I added Song Sparrow as I walked to the dock at Logboom Park. From the dock I saw Mallards, some Buffleheads, a pair of American Wigeons, and a number of scaup. I ended up identifying both Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup. Here's a picture of a male Greater Scaup.
I looked around with my scope and managed to find a Common Loon in breeding plumage. Next I drove to Kayu Kayu Ac Park in Richmond Beach. On the way I saw an American Robin singing in a tree. I knew that a lot of parks were still closed today, but both Logboom Park and Kayu Kayu Ac were open. From the lookout platform, I spotted both Red-necked Grebe and Horned Grebe, so they went on my list. There also were some gull sitting on a log, and I was able to identify both Mew Gull and Ring-billed Gull, two good species that will be leaving our area this month. I also got Red-breasted Merganser and Pigeon Guillemot, and then I got a quick look at a Pacific Loon. Most of these saltwater birds will be leaving this month, so I wanted to get them as early in the month as possible.
Next I drove to my California Quail spot in the town of Woodway, but I didn’t see or hear any quail today. I did see a male American Goldfinch in his bright yellow breeding plumage, though. I moved on from there to the Edmonds waterfront. Both Marina Park and the Edmonds fishing pier were closed, as were the two rest rooms I was counting on. I drove to Yost Memorial Park and used the outhouse there, and then drove to Sunset Avenue. Most of Sunset Avenue was closed to cars so people could walk there and keep up some distance, but I found a place to park at the south end. I looked around the waterfront with my scope, and I added Pelagic Cormorant, Surf Scoter, and a pair of Rhinoceros Auklets. I also saw four Brant flying north. I tried Ocean Avenue, but didn't see anything new there.
After that I drove to Mukilteo. On the way I saw Dark-eyed Junco and a Brewer's Blackbird for my list. On the Mukilteo waterfront, both Lighthouse Park and Edgewater Beach Park were closed, so there wasn't anywhere I could look for out over the water. I moved on to Everett and stopped at Forest Park, but I didn't find anything there. On the Everett waterfront, I was glad to find that the 10th Street boat launch was open. I guess that boating hasn't been restricted, because people were launching boats and coming back in. I checked out the roosting gulls, and added Glaucous-winged Gull and California Gull. Here is a picture of a California Gull.
I sat in my car and ate my humble lunch I had brought from home, and watched for birds. There were a couple of Canada Geese around, and European Starlings flew by a couple of times. A Great Blue Heron flew by, too, low over the water. I was hoping to find a tern that should be back now from migration, and when I got out my scope to look for one in the distance, one flew right overhead, calling loudly to attract my attention. I added CASPIAN TERN to my May list and also to my 2020 list.
The other species I was looking for there was back, too. There were at least 6 or 8 OSPREYS around the bay, including one that was on the nest I watched last year.
Here's a shot of the Osprey taking off.
When I finished my lunch, I moved on to the Everett sewage treatment ponds. There I added Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, and Red-winged Blackbird to my May list. I was pleased and surprised to see 8 or 10 Snow Geese, too. They will be leaving for the far north very soon, and I wasn't sure I would get that species this month. There were some swallows flying around, too, and I added both Barn Swallow and Tree Swallow to my list.
Next I went to the neighborhood in Marysville where I have found California Scrub-Jays for several months. I walked around and played scrub-jay calls, but never found any. I did see a Eurasian Collared-Dove, a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Steller's Jay, a couple of House Finches, and a House Sparrow, though.
My last stop of the day was Tulalip Bay. There weren't any shorebirds around, but I did manage to see three Common Goldeneyes and a pair of Common Mergansers there, and that was good. Almost all of the Common Goldeneyes are gone now, and Common Mergansers will be leaving this month, too. In fact, I did very well today with my goal of trying to find birds that will be leaving this month. I have a list of 35 species that will get increasingly more difficult as the month progresses, and I found 20 of those 35 today.
I headed for home, then, but my birding wasn't over, as it turned out. When I got home, I set up my camp chair on the driveway and watched our feeder and the yard. I soon added Pine Siskin to my list. Here are some Pine Siskin photos.
I was hoping to maybe see a White-crowned Sparrow because there have been a couple of them hanging around the yard lately. I didn't see any today, but I was surprised to see a single Golden-crowned Sparrow, a good one to get because they will also be leaving soon.
I played the call of Black-capped Chickadee, and one started calling back. Eventually it flew in to the feeder, and that one added to my list. A couple of Anna's Hummingbirds were chasing around the yard, so that was another. A larger bird flew in, and I added this Spotted Towhee.
Right after that, I got the biggest surprise of the day when a male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK landed on the feeder right in front of me. Here are a couple of pictures of that beauty.
So, I had a long day of birding today. I saw some good species - Pacific Loon, Rhinoceros Auklet, Snow Goose, and the two scaup species were probably the "best" ones, meaning it was very good to get them early in the month because they will be leaving soon. I got 51 species today, and I added 3 more to my year list, to give me 151 species for 2020. It's supposed to rain off and on all weekend, but maybe I can get out there in between showers and get a few more for my May list.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
I managed to shoehorn in an hour and a half of birding this morning, between waves of the rain storm. I went down to Juanita Bay Park and first I walked the fire station road. I soon heard a bird calling repeatedly, and I couldn't figure out what it was. As I was looking for it back in the bushes, I spotted a single Bushtit, so that one went on my list. I finally saw the bird that was calling, and it turned out to be a Bewick's Wren, making a two-note call I hadn't recognized. That was another one for my May list. A little farther down the road I played Virginia Rail calls, and got two or three responses. As usual, I couldn't see one.
At the end of the road there is a little pond, and I saw a male Wood Duck cruising along there. I played Marsh Wren songs, and eventually I had two or three of them answering me. I had a fleeting look at one of them. Both of those species were new for May.
As I walked back to my car, I saw a Northern Flicker at the top of a snag, and that was another one for May. Then I saw a little bird flitting around in the small trees, and I was able to see that it looked like a warbler. It turned out to be my first WILSON'S WARBLER of the year, a migrant that had recently returned. My short little walk along the fire station road had gotten me seven more May species - not bad at all.
I drove over to the main part of the park, and I walked a bit, keeping an eye on the clouds. I played some bird calls, but wasn't getting any responses. Near the end of the east boardwalk, there was a Chestnut-backed Chickadee hopping around, and I got a picture of that one that I needed for May.
I saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler about then, but I had gotten that species yesterday. I was surprised when I got to the end of the east boardwalk and there were almost no ducks or other water birds visible. I don't think I have ever seen Juanita Bay so devoid of ducks. I only saw two ducks, and I already had both of them this month by then. There was a semi-distant male Common Goldeneye, a species I saw yesterday. Here is that guy.
The only other duck was a male Wood Duck, and I had seen one earlier at the end of the fire station road.
Male Red-winged Blackbirds were calling, establishing territories, and here's a picture of one of them.
I headed back to my car, but at the foot of the boardwalk, I spotted some small birds in a nearby tree. One was a male YELLOW WARBLER, my first of the year. Another one appeared to be a warbler, too, but I had a difficult time figuring out what species. I was able to get pictures, and when I looked at them I realized it was an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, another 2020 first for me. Here is the Orange-crowned Warbler.
Orange-crowned Warblers are one of the plainest warblers, with few distinguishing marks. You can see the broken eye ring in that picture, though, and the faint line through the eye. You can see it in this next picture even better.
The very faint streaking on the breast is also a mark of the species, as is the yellow color under the tail. You can see the yellow under the tail in this next picture even better.
When I reached the end of the boardwalk, I sat on a bench for a while and kept my eyes open. I was rewarded by seeing my first SAVANNAH SPARROW of the year, and I got this picture.
About then the rain started up again, and I headed for home. At home this afternoon, I spotted a White-crowned Sparrow under our bird feeder, along with the Golden-crowned Sparrow I had seen yesterday. The White-crowned Sparrow was new for May for me. Later I noticed a couple of little birds on the sidewalk to the back door, and I realized they were recently fledged Dark-eyed Juncos. I was glad to see that our yard juncos had successfully raised at least two young ones. Here are three pictures of the fledgling Dark-eyed Juncos, taken through the dirty glass of the back door window, in low light.
It was a pretty successful day, considering I only was out there for 90 minutes and it was heavily overcast. I added 12 species to my May list, and now I have 63 species in May. I also got 4 new 2020 species, and now I have 155 this year.
Sunday, May 3, 2020
It was supposed to be windy with rain showers today, but I headed out anyway. As it turned out, I had the wind, but no rain. My first stop was the Redmond Retention Ponds. I was hoping for a duck or two, but there were only a couple of duck species there, and I already had them this month. There were swallows swooping around over the water, though, and I added Violet-green Swallow to my May list. Then I saw my first SPOTTED SANDPIPER of the year along one shore, but I couldn't get a picture before it walked around a point, out of sight.
I drove out to the Snoqualmie Valley and there were quite a few birds around, but nothing I needed. There were a lot of American Goldfinches, and I got this picture of a male American Goldfinch on a wire, singing away.
At the house in Carnation with feeders, I added Band-tailed Pigeon to my list, and here's a mediocre shot of one near the top of a tree, in terrible light.
I watched the hummingbird feeder, and I spotted a female Rufous Hummingbird, so that was another one for my list. Next I stopped at the Tolt River bridge, south of town. The parking lot there was closed, but I parked in the entrance and walked to the bridge, hoping to see a dipper. I tried from the bridge itself, and then I walked to where I could see the river under the bridge, but the water was too high, and I didn't see any dippers.
I still wanted American Dipper, though, as that was my main target species for the day, so I drove up to Tokul Creek. I walked out onto the bridge, looked downstream, saw nothing, looked upstream, again saw nothing, and I was about to give it up. Then I looked one more time downstream, and I noticed an American Dipper almost right below me, on a rock.
In this next shot, you can see what a short little tail it has.
While I watched, it flew up to the bank of the creek and started rooting around in some moss. It appeared that it was gathering moss, presumably for a nest. Here it is back on the same rock, with a beakful of moss.
It was dipping the moss in the water, maybe wetting it so it would stick together better in the nest.
It flew up under the bridge with its moss, and in a couple of minutes it was back in the creek, this time foraging for food.
I watched it until it flew off downstream, out of sight. So, I had my dipper, and I drove back to Carnation by way of the west side of the Snoqualmie River. There is a pond along that route where I usually see domestic Muscovy Ducks, and they were on the pond today. They aren't countable, but I wanted pictures, so I got out of the car. As I was getting out of the car, I happened to notice a Mourning Dove across the road. That was a new May bird, and here are a couple of pictures of the Mourning Dove.
The dove flew off, and I turned back to the Muscovy Ducks. I presume they were being kept by a local farmer, presumably for eggs, but they seem to be feral now. Here are two shots of feral domestic Muscovy Ducks.
I continued along the road and saw a couple of Common Ravens for my May list. I picked up a sandwich at the Carnation Market, stopped briefly at the feeder house, and then moved on and ate my lunch in the car. After eating, I drove up to Duvall and drove up the west side of the river. I was hoping the Western Kingbird that has been there for the last several years would be around, but I didn't see it today. There were swallows around, and at one point I saw 4 or 5 swallows swooping around, and I decided they were NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, my first of the year. A little later, I saw three of them on a wire, and I got this picture.
At the south end of the road, a male American Goldfinch flew into the brambles next to the road, and I got these next two pictures.
That was it for today. I didn't get big numbers, but I did see my main target species and a few more. I added 8 species to my May list, and now it stands at 71. Spotted Sandpiper and Northern Rough-winged Swallow were new for the year for me, and now I have 157 species in 2020. It was nice to get out of the house and visit some places I hadn't seen for over a month. I'm looking forward to the parks and wildlife areas opening on Tuesday.
Monday, May 4, 2020
I caught the 9:30 ferry this morning from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island and did a pretty much full day of birding (well, a pretty much full day for me - real birders would call it a half day, probably). I added one species to my May list before I even boarded the ferry, Double-crested Cormorant.
My first stop on Whidbey was at Deer Lagoon. I carried my scope out to where I could see both lagoons (saltwater and freshwater), and I looked around. Before I even got any birds, I took this picture of a coyote on the shore of the saltwater lagoon.
One of the things I was looking for there was ducks. Most ducks will be leaving this area this month, and the numbers are already way down. I managed to spot Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and single pair of Ring-necked Ducks, all for my May list. Another main target was AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, and I saw about 8 of them there. Here are some of them.
American White Pelicans are pretty unusual in Western Washington, but they have been showing up at Deer Lagoon each summer for the last couple of years or so. The same thing applies to the next species I got for my year list - WHIMBREL. Pretty rare in Western Washington, but they have been regular at Deer Lagoon for a year or two now. The pelicans spend the whole summer, but I think the Whimbrels are just passing through on migration. Here are a couple of pictures of Whimbrels.
There were a lot of Caspian Terns around, but I had that one already. With some terns was a single Bonaparte's Gull, though, and I did need that one. There was a Bald Eagle in the distance, too, so that one went on my May list.
Next I drove to Crockett Lake. I was hoping for shorebirds, and I found a couple of LEAST SANDPIPERS and about 3 dozen WESTERN SANDPIPERS for my year list. They were all too far away for pictures. At the northwest end of the lake, there were PURPLE MARTINS around the nests boxes, too, so another one went on the lists. There were dozens of swallows sitting on wires, so I took a look. Many of them were Barn Swallows, a species I already had, but many were CLIFF SWALLOWS, the last of the six swallow species I'm likely to find in Western Washington this month. Bank Swallow is pretty rare, but sometimes I see them in Central Washington, and I hope to get over there this month. Here is a Barn Swallow on a wire.
Note the long, split tail, the brown breast, and the brown color above the eyes. Here is a Cliff Swallow, with a different tail, a whiter breast, and a white patch above the eyes.
I moved on, and on the next stretch of road, I saw an American Kestrel on a wire. It took off before I could get a picture, though.
I stopped where I could see the west end of Penn Cove, just south of the town of Oak Harbor, and I saw five Black Oystercatchers on a beach. I took some pictures, but they were too distant for the pictures to be worth showing. It was an excellent species to get, though.
At Libbey Beach, I didn't get anything I needed, but I did see a couple of Pigeon Guillemots on a rock, close to shore. I don't recall seeing pigeon Guillemot out of the water before, so I took some pictures. Here are a couple of Pigeon Guillemots on a rock.
As I was driving away from Libbey Beach, I had a quick look at a male California Quail by the road. I had hoped to see or hear quail at Deer Lagoon, but I had missed them there. Seeing one unexpectedly was a nice treat.
I didn't get anything I needed at Hastie Lake county park access to the water, but I did start eating my lunch. It was a finger food grazing lunch that I brought from home, and I ate it as I drove between sites for the next hour or so. At West Beach county park, I saw a pair of White-winged Scoters, an excellent species, since they have mostly all left by now for their breeding grounds. I saw Common Loons and Pacific Loons two or three times each, but I had those already. I need Red-throated Loon still, but they also have almost all left by now, and I didn't see any today.
At the pullout by Joseph Whidbey State Park (all the state parks are still closed, but they are supposed to open tomorrow), I saw a pair of Harlequin Ducks way down the beach. Score!
I stopped next at Dugualla Bay, and as I got out of the car, I saw 5 Greater Yellowlegs (which I needed) on the beach. Before I could get a pictures, they walked around a point, out of sight, though. Across the road in the freshwater lagoon, there were a number of Western Sandpipers, one of the shorebirds I had seen at Crockett Lake already. This time I got a couple of pictures of Western Sandpipers, though.
I looked through the ducks on the lagoon, and I found one female Hooded Merganser, another species I needed for May.
I left Whidbey Island then, travelling over the Deception Pass bridge. My next birding stop was Rancho Valentine, the house on Valentine Road in Skagit county where they have a large suet feeder. I soon saw Red-breasted Nuthatch and Downy Woodpecker there, both for my list. Here is a male Downy Woodpecker.
Here is a different male Downy Woodpecker at the large suet feeder.
Here's a shot that shows the male Downy Woodpecker and a Red-breasted Nuthatch in the same frame. Downy Woodpeckers are small, but nuthatches are even smaller.
Here is the Red-breasted Nuthatch on its own, cropped from that last picture. It is too tight a crop, but it was right up against the edge of the frame.
There wasn't any other action there, so I went down the street to the house on the corner that also has feeders. My main goal there is always Purple Finch, and I got lucky today. Here are two female Purple Finches on the ground.
Here's a more distant male Purple Finch.
A female Black-headed Grosbeak showed up. I already had that species but this was the first female I had seen this year. Here are a couple of pictures of the female Black-headed Grosbeak.
A male Brown-headed Cowbird came to the feeders, too. That was a good May bird.
I was heading toward home by then, but I drove around looking for birds I might need. I also wanted to check out a couple of places I thought were closed, and indeed they were. I think they will open tomorrow. Near Wylie Slough I finally spotted a female Northern Harrier, so that one went onto my list. Then, just down the road, there was a pair of CINNAMON TEAL in the ditch next to the road. That was a total surprise to me. Here is the male Cinnamon Teal.
Here is the female Cinnamon Teal.
The male preened a bit, and after that, you could see the color patches on his wings.
I again headed toward home, but as I got on the freeway, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk near the top of a snag. All day I had been expecting to see a Red-tailed Hawk, and I was surprised I hadn't. I got it at the last possible moment, though.
So, it was a very successful day in terms of numbers. It was also great to see some familiar places that I hadn't seen for over a month. I added 26 more species to my May list, and now I have 97 species this month. Seven of the ones I got today were new for the year, too, and now I have 164 species in 2020. We are supposed to have showers for the next couple of days, but by the weekend it is supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees! Heat wave!
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
I had some things to do around home today, but about 10:00 I decided to go out and look for Western Grebes on Lake Washington. At this time of year there is usually a large flotilla of them on the lake, and they can usually be seen from any of the south Kirkland beaches. I drove to Houghton Beach, in south Kirkland, and set up my scope. On the first pass around the lake, I spotted the flotilla of dozens of Western Grebes. Most of them were just snoozing. I had my May bird, but I decided to stop at Juanita Bay Park on the way home and see if could get any more.
I stopped at the fire station road, but I didn't get anything I needed there. I did see a Yellow Warbler, which is a good bird, but I already had gotten that one this month. I also think I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet, but I never got a good enough look to actually count it. A male Black-headed Grosbeak was calling all the time I was there, and moving around. Eventually it landed on a wire where I could get these next two pictures. Male Black-headed Grosbeak, one I already had this month.
I moved on to the parking lot for the main part of the park. I played Golden-crowned Kinglet songs, Brown Creeper songs, and Warbling Vireo songs, but got no responses. I was still trying when a Red-breasted Sapsucker flew in, and I added that one to my May list. Here are three pictures of the Red-breasted Sapsucker.
The sapsucker flew off, but I continued to try for Golden-crowned Kinglet. Eventually I saw a bird fly into some bushes, and then it flew out and posed for me on some shrubs. Golden-crowned Kinglet, showing its golden crown. I got one picture, but I was pointing toward the sun, and I got flare on my lens, so the picture is really crap, unfortunately. Here it is anyway, since I have so few pictures tonight. It would have been a good picture if it hadn't been for the lens flare.
That was it for today. I added 3 more species to my May list, and now I have 100 species this month. That's pretty good, considering that many parks were closed until today, but not as good as last year. In 2018 I had 92 species after May 5, but in 2019 I had 107 after five days. I had huge totals in Washington in each of those years - 150 in 2018 and 160 in 2019, and I don't see how I'm going to even come close to those numbers this year. It would certainly require at least one trip over the mountains to Central Washington, and in these Stay At Home coronavirus days, I don't know if I can do that. We will see.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
It was wet and windy this morning, so I stayed in at first. Then, about 10:30 the sun came out and the wind died down, so I went down to Juanita Bay Park. I walked out on the east boardwalk, but I stopped first and sat on a bench. While I was sitting, a Steller's Jay came along, and I got this picture, despite the terrible lighting.
I didn't see anything on the boardwalk, and out at the end, there were again
almost no ducks in the bay. I did see one pair of Gadwalls, so I took a couple
of pictures.
I don't know where all the Pied-billed Grebes are; normally I would expect to see them there. Maybe the eagles finally got them all, but I hope not. The grebes should be breeding at this time of year, there in the bay.
I still hadn't seen anything I needed, but I started back toward my car. I noticed a bird up on a dead snag, and it turned out to be my first WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE of the year. Here's a shot of it with a bright background.
The bird flew across the boardwalk and chased flying insects in better light for pictures. Here's the best picture I got of the Western Wood-Pewee.
There was a Yellow-rumped Warbler, which I didn't need, also hawking insects from the same dead tree, and I got pictures of it.
Here's an American Robin, one of the most common birds I see.
When I start showing pictures of robins, you know it is a slow birding day. As I got near the parking lot, I walked through a little grove of large evergreen trees, and played Brown Creeper songs. I was rewarded with a Brown Creeper that flew in, but I wasn't able to get a picture, sorry to say. Still, it was another one for my May list.
I debated about heading for home, but I had time, so I drove over to the fire station road. I didn't see anything I needed there, but at the end of the road in the little beaver pond, I got this picture of a male Wood Duck.
That was all the birding I did today, but the two Dark-eyed Junco fledglings I saw the other day were feeding on the sidewalk to the back door, and I took pictures through the dirty window of the back door again. Here are some pictures of the cute little fledgling Dark-eyed Juncos.
I was out there for less than an hour and a half today, and I managed to add 2 more species to my May list. Now I have 102 species in May. Western Wood-Pewee was new for the year, and now I have 165 species in 2020.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
I headed north this morning, to Fox Road, near Clear Lake, in Skagit county. As I approached Fox Road, I saw three TURKEY VULTURES, a new one for 2020 for me. Along Fox Road, I played calls, and I got a couple of responses from a SORA, an excellent bird, my best of the day. Later I heard one without even playing the call. There were also COMMON YELLOWTHROATS along the road, and I got this mediocre picture of a male Common Yellowthroat.
Overall, it was a pretty poor day of birding, other than the Sora, and my pictures aren't anything to write home about, either. There were a couple of Canada Goose families there at Fox Road, and I got these pictures, despite the fact that the light was coming from behind the birds.
When I first saw the goose family, they were all sitting on the shore, snoozing, but as I approached to take pictures, they moved into the water. Then another adult Canada Goose flew in, interacted with a couple of the youngsters, and then joined up with the rest of the family.
I drove slowly around the area, and saw a couple of American Coots for my list, which was good because most of the coots have gone to wherever they go in the summer.
When I left there, I drove across the flats to the little town of Bay View and visited the Bay View Cemetery. I had never birded there before, despite driving by many times. I saw a list on eBird, with some interesting species on it, including House Wren, which is uncommon on this side of the mountains. The cemetery turned out to be a major disappointment, and I won't bother going back there again.
Next I drove to the house on Valentine Road that has the big suet feeder, hoping to see a Hairy Woodpecker. I was prepared to spend a half hour there, eating my lunch, while watching for the woodpecker. As it turned out, the suet feeder was empty. As I sat there thinking about what to do next, the owner came out onto the porch, and we chatted, as we have in the past. He told me they had House Wrens in the yard, and showed me where they were nesting. I got out my camp chair and ate my lunch while watching the nest spot, but in the half hour I devoted to it, I never saw a House Wren. There were swallows overhead, House Sparrows all around, and this Pine Siskin that landed on a wire above me.
Oh yes, a Red-tailed Hawk flew over at one point, and I got this mediocre picture of it.
After I left there, I stopped at Hayton Reserve. I didn't get out of the car, but I took some pictures of the Bald Eagle that was sitting near its nest. It was preening, and it's poses were interesting.
Next I went to Wylie Slough. I was glad to find that it had re-opened, although the rest rooms had notices on them that said they weren't serviced daily so there might not be hand sanitizer or toilet paper. I found a Black Phoebe sitting on the same nest they used last year, and when it flew off, I got a couple of pictures. Unfortunately, it was in the deep shade, and the pictures came out lousy. Here is the rare (for this area) Black Phoebe. I guess that there still must be at least two of them in that area, since it was on the nest.
Last year the pair raised two young ones, but I don't know where they are now, of course. I had hoped to see Black-bellied Plovers and Long-billed Dowitchers there, since they had been reported there yesterday. The tide was right, but there weren't any shorebirds at all when I was there. I did see a Pileated Woodpecker flying over, at least, and I got a good look at it with binoculars.
That was it for my day. I got 6 more species for May and 3 of them were new for the year. Now I have 108 species in May and 168 so far this year. It was a disappointing birding day, in some ways, but the weather was beautiful and it was nice to be out there. The Sora was an especially good bird to get for May, and the Pileated Woodpecker was pretty good, too. We have some more excellent weather coming up, but I have a lot of things I need to take care of tomorrow, so I don't know when I'll get out birding again.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Yesterday I stayed home and took care of some business, but this morning I ventured out again. Before I even left home, a Steller's Jay was showing itself in our back yard, though, so I got these two quick pictures of it.
My first stop was Marymoor Park. I hadn't been there for several weeks because it was closed, but now it's open again, with some limitations. The off-leash dog park was packed, as expected. I drove around looking for birds, but I never saw anything interesting. I parked and walked up on the observation mound, but didn't see anything there, either. It didn't look like the new (moved to a new location) Osprey nesting platform was occupied, and I didn't see any Ospreys on the established nest that is on a light standard at one of the ball parks. I had read that an Osprey had been seen on a nest, though, so one of them must be occupied this year, at least.
I drove from Marymoor to the Evans Creek Natural Area, and I saw Killdeer a couple of places there. That was one I still needed for May. After that I drove out to the Snoqualmie Valley. I didn’t see anything while driving through the valley, so I parked at the Stillwater Access to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area and walked on the trail. It was remarkably unbirdy. Usually in May I would expect to see migrants and nesting birds, but I saw very little today. I had hoped to hear or see American Bittern, but no luck there, either. The only bird I saw there for my list was this female Belted Kingfisher.
I expected to see Pied-billed Grebe, but none showed themselves. There was a pair of Wood Ducks and this female Hooded Merganser on her own.
I saw Common Yellowthroats a few times, and here's a distant picture of a male Common Yellowthroat.
I saw a Red-breasted Sapsucker that was acting kind of oddly. It seemed to be sunning itself, laying out along a branch with its wings spread.
Here it is with its head down, seeming like it was enjoying the sun.
A little farther along the trail, a photographer was taking pictures of another Red-breasted Sapsucker that was excavating a nest hole. It was throwing out wood chips when I was there. Here it is in the opening, having tossed a bill-full of wood chips already.
At one point it came out of its nest hole and did something on the trunk, below the hole.
After that it went back into the hole and didn't show itself again for a while. I imagine it was excavating again. I moved on and got these next two pictures of a Tree Swallow in the sun.
I gave it up after that, and moved on to the Duvall area. I didn’t get anything I needed there, but I did get a couple of pictures of one of the Great Blue Heron nests across the river. Here's a shot with three Great Blue Heron nestlings.
I guess they are big enough now that the parents can leave them, because I didn't see an adult bird while I was there. Here's another picture showing two of the nestlings.
That was all for today. I only added two more species to my May list, which now stands at 110 species.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Today I went over to the Union Bay Natural Area, known to birders as the Montlake Fill. I was hoping for Green Heron or Blue-winged Teal, but I didn’t find either species, nor any of the possible migrants that I still need. I walked around in the heat, and I didn't see much. I did manage to add one to my May list, with a Pied-billed Grebe on the Central Pond. Here's a picture.
The grebe came closer, and I got another picture of the same Pied-billed Grebe.
I also got a picture I like of a male Ring-necked Duck on Central Pond.
I particularly like that picture because it shows the brown ring at the base of the neck. That ring gives the species its name, but you can't usually see it, because the duck usually has his neck pulled in, covering the ring.
Later I saw another Pied-billed Grebe on what is called the Carp Pond.
My car thermometer indicated 84 degrees when I got back to it, and it had been parked in the shade. That's too hot for this old rambler, and I headed for home.
Pied-billed Grebe added one more to my May list, and now I have 111 species in May. My year total stayed at 168 species.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Today I went north. My first stop was at Eide Road, just west of the town of Stanwood, in north Snohomish county. They have opened the dike there and it is now a big tidal lagoon. Gone is the Short-eared Owl habitat, but now there is the possibility of shorebirds and ducks. It was my first visit since they opened the dike up and refurbished the area. It needs another few years for the vegetation to grow, but there were ducks there today, and I managed to find 4 Black-bellied Plovers in breeding plumage, in the distance. That was a great May bird for me. You definitely need a scope now to see the birds.
I looked through the ducks, hoping for Blue-winged Teal, but the closest I came was a Cinnamon Teal. There were large numbers of Green-winged Teal, some Northern Shovelers, a couple of Northern Pintails, a few Mallards, and a couple of Gadwalls. While I was looking, another birder showed up with his scope, and we chatted, as birders do. I gave up on my Blue-winged Teal and went back to my car. I had already started my engine when the guy called and motioned to me, so I got out. He had seen a Blue-winged Teal in flight. I got my scope again, and he located it in the water, and he was able to give me directions so I could also see my first BLUE-WINGED TEAL of the year. As I pulled out of Eide Road, there was a Belted Kingfisher on a wire, and although I didn't need it, I got this picture.
So, with two May birds under my belt, I drove to my next stop, which was Wylie Slough. I had been hoping for Long-billed Dowitcher there, but the tide was too high. I tried for a couple of other species, but came up blank. Then I saw a Cedar Waxwing on a wire, and I needed that one for May.
The waxwing flew to a tree with blossoms, and I got these next two pictures of the Cedar Waxwing.
There were several more Cedar Waxwings in the tree, and I witnessed an interesting courtship interaction between two of them. One would pick something from the tree and pass it to the other one, bill to bill. Then the second would step away, come back, and pass it back. Here are some pictures of the Cedar Waxwing courtship interaction.
So, I had three May species, and I moved on. I had read about a very late-staying swan at Hayton Reserve, and I found it with four very late-staying Snow Geese. I had Snow Geese this month, but the Tundra Swan was new for May and was number 4 for the day.
Next I drove to Fox Road in Mount Vernon, near Clear Lake. I had again read about a species seen there recently, and I looked for it. I got lucky and found the migrating SOLITARY SANDPIPER that was still hanging around. Here is a distant picture of it.
I sometimes see Solitary Sandpipers in August, on their southward migration, but I can't recall ever seeing one in the spring before in Western Washington. I've seen them in Texas and in San Diego in the spring, but it is a great bird to get any time. It was number 5 species for today. There was a pair of Cinnamon Teal there, too, and I don't see them very often, so I got this distant picture of the male Cinnamon Teal.
When I got back in my car to move on down the road, another car pulled up, and it stopped as it went by. It was another birder, Gary, that I have seen in the field before. He is much more advanced than I am, and is well known in the local birding community. We chatted about birds, and I got some useful information. I moved on up the road a bit, and he followed along in a short while. I was looking and listening for American Bittern and Wilson's Snipe. As Gary drove by, he stopped and mentioned he was hearing snipe. He went on, and I listened some more. I heard a bird call, and I realized it was probably a snipe. I got out my phone and played Wilson's Snipe calls, and that indeed was what it was. I was familiar with another sound that snipe make, but this call was new to me. I was happy to put that one on my May list, number 6 for the day. I was cooking along nicely.
After that I drove to Fairhaven, in south Bellingham, eating my lunch as I drove. At Fairhaven I added the gimmee, Northwestern Crow, to my May list, and I headed back south, with 7 species. I stopped one more time, in Marysville, to look for California Scrub-Jay. I have a site there for them, and I walked around and played scrub-jay calls, but I didn't hear or see anything. I gave it up, but as I drove away, I stopped once more in front of the house with feeders that attract the scrub-jays. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a bird in a tree, and it turned out to be my California Scrub-Jay. Here is a picture that shows the back half of a California Scrub-Jay.
The bird flew down onto the lawn, and I tried for a picture. I got this motion-blurred picture that I snapped just a fraction of a second too late.
The bird posed for a few seconds, and the best I could do was to get a picture of the California Scrub-Jay in a kind of odd posture.
That was good enough for me, and I headed for home. I was out there for about six and a half hours, and I drove about 190 miles. It was an excellent day of birding, though, because I got 8 more species for my May list, to give me 119 species now. Two of them were new for 2020, and now I have 170 species this year. Our good weather is over now for a few days, but I'[ll see if I can get out there in between the showers.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
It was mostly cloudy this morning, with a few sprinkles, but I went over to Marymoor Park. I drove down the side of the community garden looking for Lonesome George, the male pheasant that has been hanging out there, but didn't find him today. I parked and walked along the slough through the dog park. There was a pair of Blue-winged Teal there, but they flew before I could get a picture. I had gotten that species yesterday up in north Snohomish county, but it is a good bird, and I wished I had been quick enough to get a picture. There were also two pairs of Cinnamon Teal, another good species I already had this month. Here is a male Cinnamon Teal.
Here is a picture of a pair of Cinnamon Teal.
I had Common Merganser, too, but I took this picture of a pair of Common Mergansers.
It's always a challenge to get a decent picture of a male Common Merganser because of the bright white and the dark green head. Here is the best I could do today of a male Common Merganser.
I walked along the slough, looking and listening for birds I needed, but I wasn't having any luck. Here is a shot of some Mallard ducklings.
I was playing various bird songs, and eventually I heard and saw a couple of WARBLING VIREOS, my first of the year. It is a common bird in migration, and I have seen many reports of them, and finally I heard and saw a couple of them.
There were lots of Great Blue Herons around, since they nest there, and I got this picture I like of one in the slough, displaying the plumes they get in the breeding season, on the neck and on the back.
I gave it up then, and headed for home. I drove through the park one more time, looking for Lonesome George, and I checked out the two Osprey nests. There was an Osprey sitting in the nest on top of a light standard, presumably sitting on eggs. Here's a shot of the nest, and maybe you can see the Osprey's head in the middle of the picture.
Here's a blowup of the center of that shot.
Over the winter they moved the old nesting platform that Ospreys have used for years, to make way for a light rail station, and I was wondering if the Ospreys would use the moved platform in its new location. Today there was an Osprey sitting on the perch above the nest, but it doesn't look like there is much of a nest yet. Here is the Osprey sitting there, maybe staking out a claim to the platform.
That was all for me, today. I added Warbling Vireo to my May and 2020 lists, and now I have 120 species in May and 171 this year. There are still a dozen or so species I could get around here this month, but they have been elusive so far. Later in the month I hope to go over the mountains, and maybe stay over there for two nights. If I can do that, I would hope to add another 20 to 30 species to my May list. Later in the month is better for birds, since the migrants are still returning, and I hope the weather will cooperate. Memorial Day might interfere, too, we will see. I had 150 species in Washington in May of 2018 and 160 in May of 2019, and I would love to catch up with those numbers. I need to get another 5 or 10 species on the west side of the mountains, though, and that won't be easy.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
I stated the day today down at the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park. I didn't find anything I needed, and I didn’t get any pictures. Next I drove out to the Snoqualmie Valley, out near Carnation. I picked up a sandwich at the Carnation Market and went to the Stillwater Access of the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area and walked on the trail. I did something I hadn't tried before - I took my light-weight folding camp chair with me, so I could sit from time to time. That worked out great, as it turned out. My back hurts if I stand too much, and being able to sit from time to time was very nice.
Here's a picture of a Tree Swallow.
There was a female Hooded Merganser on one pond, and I got this picture.
A little farther down the trail a Violet-green Swalow posed for me in the sun, and I took pictures.
You can see how the species gets its name, with the moss green neck and top of head, the violet rump, and the iridescent greenish-blue back. Here are a couple more shots from a little different angle.
I checked out the tree where I had seen a Red-breasted Sapsucker excavating a nest hole last Saturday. I actually set up my chair and watched the hole. Very soon a Red-breasted Sapsucker flew in to the tree by the hole.
The bird went into the nest, and I got this picture of its tail as it went in.
Nothing happened for a while, so I played the call of Red-breasted Sapsucker to see if I could lure it out, and it appeared in the hole, but never came out.
Eventually I figured it was sitting on eggs in the nest. A different Red-breasted Sapsucker flew to a nearby tree with sap wells and worked on the wells for a few minutes.
I've told before how sapsuckers drill those holes and then return to suck up the sap that fills the wells. This one flew to a closer tree and posed one more time for me.
I walked as far as the second bridge and then returned to my car. I stopped on the way a couple of times and sat in my chair and listened and watched. I was hoping to hear an American Bittern, which has a very distinctive call that it only does during breeding season. I never heard one, but one suddenly flew across right in front of me, and I had a great binocular view of a flying AMERICAN BITTERN, my first of the year. It landed in the deep grass, then before I could move down the trail to try to locate it, it took off again, chased by a male Red-winged Blackbird that was probably protecting its nest. I had another good look at the bittern, and it went down in the deep grass again, and I never saw it again. My chair plan had worked out great, though. I wouldn't have been able to stand around as long as I was able to sit and watch and listen.
Back at the car, I was getting my sandwich out of the car, intending to sit up on the trail and eat it, when I heard a "weep" bird call in the bushes. I thought I recognized it, and I played it on my phone, and I was rewarded with my first SWAINSON'S THRUSH of the year. I got a good look at it, back in the bushes, but I couldn't lure it out for a picture.
After that I sat in my chair on the trail and watched and listened as I ate. Just as I finished the first half of my sandwich, I saw a bird fly across the big meadow in front of me, and it landed in a tree right by the trail. I spotted it, high in the tree, with terrible backlight, but I could see it was a male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, another new year bird for me. Here is the only picture I got before it flew off. It was terribly backlit, and I had to process the heck out of it, but here is my male Bullock's Oriole.
When I finished my sandwich, I drove up to Duvall and drove along W. Snoqualmie River Road NE, a dead end road that runs along the west side of the Snoqualmie River. I saw a Cedar Waxwing at one point, and got this picture.
I stopped across the river from the Great Blue Heron rookery and took pictures of the same nest I took pictures of last Saturday. The youngsters were bigger, but still not ready to fly. One of them was stretching its wings, though.
There is another nest higher up in that same tree, and I could see today that it also has three nestlings in it.
While I was sitting there in my car taking those pictures, a couple of birds flew into a tree next to the river, and they were WESTERN TANAGERS, another new one for my year list. I couldn't get a picture from my car, but they flew to the next tree along the river, and I drove ahead a little and got out. I got lucky and got some pictures of a male Western Tanager catching flying insects. Here he is with a wasp or something.
It fooled around with it for a while, getting it in position to eat it, I suppose.
Then it ate it.
That didn't satisfy it for long, though, and it soon caught another bug.
It managed to get this second one down, too.
I lost track of the bird after that, and I moved on.
I was pleased to find the main species I was looking for on that road, at the halal butcher place, sitting on the wire out front, right where it has been for the last two or three years. Here's my first WESTERN KINGBIRD of the year.
I think there were actually two of them, because the Western Kingbird in this next picture looks a lot less ruffled.
I headed for home after that, but I wasn't done yet. There was a Savannah Sparrow on a wire as I got near the main road again, and it flew down onto a bramble next to the road and posed for me, with a field of yellow flowers in the background.
It just sat there and posed and even sang for me.
So, it was an outstanding birding day, as it turned out. In less than five hours I added 5 birds to my May list, and all 5 of them were new for the year as well. Now I have 125 species in May and 176 species in 2020.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
There were lingering showers this morning, so I stayed home. After lunch I went up to the Edmonds waterfront, though. I spotted a pair of Marbled Murrelets, an excellent May species to get. There were some Rhinoceros Auklets, 2 or 3 Pacific Loons in breeding plumage, a few Pigeon Guillemots, but nothing else I needed. I checked out a cormorant on the floating log, hoping for a Brandt's Cormorant, the one I still needed for May, but I decided it was a juvenile Pelagic Cormorant. Later I saw a cormorant on one of the ferry pilings, and I decided after consulting my field guide that it was a Brandt's Cormorant, the one I needed for May.
So, with two species under my belt I drove to Yost Memorial Park. I had a list of 13 species that I needed for May that had been reported there this month, and you would think I could see something. I didn't. I walked around and played bird calls, but I never saw anything of interest.
So, I added two more species to my May list, and now I have 127 species in May. Getting the two saltwater species was really good, though, since I won't see them anywhere else.
Friday, May 15, 2020
I don't have anything new to report today, but I have a few pictures, so here's a report, anyway. First, here's a picture from yesterday, taken at Yost Memorial Park in Edmonds. Spotted Towhee.
That was taken in the deep shade without much light, so it is pretty flat.
Today I went down to Juanita Bay Park. First I walked the fire station road, and the only bird of interest I saw was a Warbling Vireo, one I already had this month. I tried for pictures, and the results are a good illustration of what you see when you are looking for little birds that flit around all the time. You get a series of views, and none of them is ever complete, but you put it all together in your mind to picture the whole bird. First, here are a couple of what I call peek-a-boo shots that show the bird hiding in the foliage.
Then you get the bird out in the open, and it turns away just as you click the shutter.
I got one good picture that shows the Warbling Vireo just after it caught a little green caterpillar.
Finally, here's a frontal shot of the bird looking at me.
After that I drove across the road to the main part of the park and walked some more. There were a lot of people out there today, walking in the sunshine. I had my mask on, but 80% of the people I met didn't. Americans just don't seem to be able to get the whole mask idea. I didn't see anything of interest, but I got this picture of a female Northern Flicker.
I like the picture because you can see the orange color of the undersides of the tail feathers. I had a nice walk in the sun, with frequent stops to rest and watch the people, but I got nothing new for any lists today. I still have 127 species in May and 176 in 2020.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
I went out birding a few times in the last several days, but I never saw anything I needed or got any pictures. I've been a little under the weather with a case of diverticulitis, but now I have an antibiotic, and I'm on the mend (knock on wood). Today I went over to Marymoor Park, but the only thing I got was VAUX'S SWIFT, several of which I saw flying over the slough. (Vaux's is pronounced to rhyme with "boxes".) No pictures; they were swooping around and swifts can't perch. I'm hoping to be able to do a two-night trip over the mountains to Ellensburg and Yakima, some time in the next week or so. Meanwhile I have 128 species in May and 177 species this year so far.
Friday, May 22, 2020
Yesterday was wet, and I didn't go out birding. Today I went over to Marymoor Park. I started at the rowing club because Black-throated Gray Warbler has been reported at the parking lot there several times recently. I walked up and down the road, playing bird songs and calls, but I never got a sniff of any warblers. I did see 4 or 5 Cedar Waxwings, though. I already had that one this month, but I always like pictures of Cedar Waxwings, and I got a couple of pretty close shots today.
I like that second shot because the background shows off the yellow tip of the tail, as if the bird had dipped it in a pot of yellow paint.
I heard a Spotted Towhee singing its buzzy song, and I got these two pictures of it.
I drove around to the main part of the park and looked for Lonesome George, the male Ring-necked Pheasant that lives there. Up until now, he had eluded me this month, but I found him today in the pet memorial garden, just east of the community gardens. Here are some pictures of the male Ring-necked Pheasant, which I needed for May.
I like the little "ears", and I like the feather detail you can see in that picture.
I walked a little at Marymoor, mostly around the viewing mound and the East Meadow, but I didn't find anything else I needed and I didn't get any more pictures. On my way home I stopped at the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park. I played some bird songs, and eventually I spotted a male Hairy Woodpecker. When I played his call, he flew right over me, about two feet over my head. Then he proceeded to peck away at some dead trees, posing for pictures. Here are more pictures of a male Hairy Woodpecker than anyone needs, but he just kept posing, and I couldn't stop.
That was an excellent one to get for May. I must have gone to the fire station road 8 or 10 times this month, and finally it paid off. I've seen other birds there, but that is one of my "go to" places for Hairy Woodpecker, and it was great to finally get one today.
I added two more species to my May list today, and now I have 130 species this month. I plan to head over the mountains on Sunday, for three days of birding - two nights away, that is. My spreadsheet indicates I can expect to get 29 more May species on that three day trip, which would enable me to exceed my 2018 May total in Washington (150) and come close to my 2019 May total in Washington (160). I'm looking forward to the trip.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
This morning I drove up to the northwest end of the Rattlesnake Ridge trail, next to Snoqualmie Point Park. I was especially looking for Pacific Wren, but I never could call one up. While playing the Black-throated Warbler song, though, I got a MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER to fly in and check me out. No pictures, but it was an excellent bird to get. Now I have 131 species in May, and I now have 178 species in 2020. MacGillivray's Warbler was new for me in Western Washington, and it brought my King county list up to 195 species.
I plan to head over the mountains tomorrow, for a two night trip, but my bowels were really uncomfortable today, and I could possibly call off the trip or delay it. We will see.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Well, I didn't go over the mountains today, like I had hoped to. My bowels were crampy, and I just didn't feel like being out there birding, far from any decent toilet. I'm obviously getting very old, complaining about my bowels all the time. Talk about a stereotype!
Instead, I went over to St. Edwards Park, which is only about 10 minutes away from home. I walked one of the trails and played Pacific Wren songs, and eventually I attracted one. That was an excellent one for my May list. I had tried in that same place a couple of times before this month, and I hadn't gotten any responses at all.
The Pacific Wren perched up and sang back to me, and I tried for pictures. Unfortunately, it was pretty dark under the trees, and my pictures are all crap. I'm going to show them anyway, despite the poor quality, because they are all I have, and they do show the bird, despite the terrible quality. I sharpened them up as much as I could with software. Here are pictures of a Pacific Wren in the deep shade, from this morning.
Here are some better pictures of Pacific Wren that I took in past years.
Don't you just love the little sticky-up tail?
I had a chance to get Barred Owl, which would have been a great year-bird, but I didn't think fast enough. A guy walking toward me along the trial told me he had seen an owl just off the trail, just 50 feet or so farther along the trail from where I was. I asked him some questions, to help me find it, but he was vague and I didn't think fast enough to ask him to show me. Instead, I walked along that stretch of trail for 20 minutes or so, but I couldn't find the owl. I wish I had been able to think fast enough to have asked him to show me where it was.
So, I got one more for my May list, and now I have 132. I hope I feel up to a trip tomorrow morning, and if I do, I'll head over the mountains. If I feel lousy again, though, I'll just stay home. Today was actually better than yesterday, so I am hopeful.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
I never did head over the mountains and now I probably won't do it this month. Yesterday was rainy here, but today was overcast, but dry. I went over to Marymoor Park, going to the parking area for the rowing club first. I was hoping for Black-throated Gray Warbler, which has been reported there recently, and I ran into an expert birder who did indeed hear one singing, but I couldn't hear it, and neither of us ever saw it. What we did see was a male Western Tanager, and I took a lot of pictures. Here is the colorful male Western Tanager.
I got a lot of different views of him, as you can see. He was foraging for food and I just kept shooting.
There was a female Western Tanager, too, but I didn't get any pictures of her. Here is a female Black-headed Grosbeak, way back in the bushes.
A single Cedar Waxwing flew in and posed for about 30 seconds, and then was off again. I got a couple of pictures of the Cedar Waxwing, though.
I went around to the main part of the park and walked along the slough. I was hoping for Willow Flycatcher, and I might have seen one, but the look was too short to be sure, so I haven't counted it. Here are three distant pictures of a male Common Yellowthroat that was singing.
There were lots of Great Blue Herons around, as usual, since they have their nests nearby. Here is one of them.
There were lots of Red-winged Blackbirds around, too, and here is a male.
I gave up on the Willow Flycatcher and went over to the viewing mound, which is a little hill at the north end of the East Meadow. I was hoping for a species that I have seen there in previous years and had been reported recently, and I finally found a female LAZULI BUNTING, my first of the year. Male Lazuli Buntings are a beautiful shade of blue, but the females are much plainer.
A male Anna's Hummingbird perched for me, too, but it was pretty far away, so the picture isn't very good.
So, Lazuli Bunting was new for the year for me. Now I have 133 species in May and 179 species so far in 2020. There is very little more I can get here in Western Washington, and I don't really feel like going over the mountains on an overnight trip, so I won't get much more this month.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Today I went over to the Snoqualmie Valley and walked on the trail at the Stillwater Access. Just as I was starting to walk down the trail, there was a loud clattering sound right next to me. It was a Red-breasted Sapsucker drumming on a metal sign, at the edge of the trail. You can see the marks it had made on the sign, along the bottom of the blue area.
I've seen Red-breasted Sapsuckers drumming on metal signs before. I guess they must like the sound it makes.
There were lots of swallows flying around, and I kept looking for Bank Swallows, but I never found any. Here is a Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
Here are two Northern Rough-winged Swallows.
I had a good look at an American Bittern flying across the trail and then away from me. It flew over the trees, out of sight.
The pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers I saw making a nest hole a week or two ago seems to have hatched a brood now. Here is one of the parents on the tree, just below the nest hole.
Here's a closer shot of that bird.
Here is the Red-breasted Sapsucker going into its nest hole.
I continued on down the trail, and just before the second bridge, I saw a bird that looked interesting. I thought I heard it sing its song, so I played it. A WILLOW FLYCATCHER flew up into the tree above me. The only pictures I could get were from right underneath the bird. Here is my first Willow Flycatcher of the year.
Flycatchers in that family look very much alike, and I always have a difficult time telling them apart, but this bird was cooperative and sang its little "fitz-bew" song a couple of times, so I knew it was a Willow Flycatcher.
On my way back to my car, a saw a Song Sparrow catch a moth. Here is the Song Sparrow with its moth.
It kept beating the moth around and dropping it. I think it was removing the wings.
Eventually it got it down and the Song Sparrow flew up into a tree to digest its meal.
Three swallows landed on the trail in front of me. Two of them were Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and here is one of them.
The third swallow was a male Tree Swallow (the blue one).
The bird in the background of that last shot is the other Northern Rough-winged Swallow, with something in its beak.
Here is a Tree Swallow looking out of a nest hole.
A rather plain little bird showed up, and I got one picture of it.
Because I was looking up into the bright sky, I couldn't see the yellow on it, but it came out when I processed the picture. I guess it is a female American Goldfinch, but there are a couple of things wrong with that, mainly that the bill should be orange at this time of year. Maybe it was still changing from winter plumage to summer plumage, although it is kind of late in the year for that.
Another birder pointed out the location of a Brown Creeper nest, under a flap of bark. I wasn't able to get a picture of a creeper near the nest, but here are three pictures of a Brown Creeper on a nearby tree.
As I got close to the parking lot, I saw my only oriole of the day. Here is a male Bullock's Oriole.
I headed for home, and as I drove across the valley, I stopped on the bridge over Sikes Lake. A Belted Kingfisher flew off a wire and hovered over the water, looking for fish. I got some pictures of the kingfisher, but they are disappointing because the wings are just a blur. Nonetheless, it was cool to see, so here are some pictures of the hovering Belted Kingfisher.
It was a beautiful day today, and I enjoyed the time outdoors. The Willow Flycatcher brought my May total to 134 species and now I have 180 species this year.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Today I went up to Yost Memorial Park in Edmonds. I took my folding camp chair and walked along the main road through the park, stopping from time to time and sitting, while playing bird calls and looking and listening. I didn't see anything interesting, and I was heading back toward my car when I heard a BARRED OWL call loudly twice. While I was looking up the hill toward where the owl had called from, a guy came up a trail and told me that there are four of them there, two adults and two fuzzy owlets that have fledged and fly around. He had seen all four of them last night, as it was getting dark. He confirmed that they hang out right where we had both heard them call today. So, with Barred Owl, I now have 135 species in May and 181 in 2020.
Friday, May 29, 2020
Today I went up to Skagit county, about an hour north of home, to look for some particular species that I needed for May. My first stop was Hayton Reserve, and my main target was Red Knot, a shorebird that is migrating through here now. They are quite uncommon here in the spring migration, but they have been there this last week. I saw some shorebirds, but they were a long distance away, I was looking into the sun, the wind was blowing (which causes my tripod and scope to vibrate), and there was heat distortion from looking across the water. I think some of the birds were indeed Red Knots, but I couldn't see them well enough to be sure, so I didn't count the species. I got a consolation prize, though. I picked out a very late-staying male Eurasian Wigeon, which had been reported there recently. I hadn't expected to get that species in May because they have all gone back up north by now (except this one, I guess.)
Next I drove up to the town of Lyman, which is east of Burlington on Highway 20. I've driven past Lyman, I guess, but this was the first time I had been I the actual town, I think. I had read a report of a colony of swallows that I wanted to see, and I found it. Here are a couple of pictures of the nest holes of a BANK SWALLOW colony.
Here is a shot that shows the whole colony, on the left, and the Skagit River.
The Bank Swallows were swooping around over the river, going in and out of the nest holes.
After that I drove over to the Bay View Cemetery, on Padilla Bay. I was looking for House Wren there, and I walked around playing their calls, but I never saw any. I gave it up and drove to the house on Valentine Road where the owner had told me he had House Wrens nesting in his yard. I stopped my car and played a House Wren song out of the window, and a HOUSE WREN flew right toward me, almost coming in my open window. It landed in a tree about ten feet away, and I got a good view. I got out of the car and tried for pictures. The only pictures I could get were of the House Wren on a wire overhead.
That's the house with all the feeders, but there wasn't food in the feeders, so I moved on down the road to the house on the corner that also has some feeders, mainly to try to get some pictures. I knew that there was nothing there I needed for May. Here are a couple of Mourning Doves.
Here is a female Purple Finch, a species I usually have a hard time finding.
Here is a male Purple Finch.
A male Brown-headed Cowbird was feeding in the grass with the Mourning Doves.
Here's a shot of the male Brown-headed Cowbird and two of the Mourning Doves.
Some American Goldfinches came to the feeders, and I shot them, too. Here is a male American Goldfinch and a female Purple Finch.
Here's a male American Goldfinch at the other feeder.
I stopped by Hayton Reserve again, hoping that the shorebirds would be visible, but the tide had gone out and there weren't any shorebirds I could find. The eagle nest there is active again this year, and I got this picture of a Bald Eagle standing guard at the nest.
I stopped at Wylie Slough, but the tide was wrong for shorebirds there, and I didn't feel like wandering around looking for the one or two possible species I needed that could be there, so I headed for home.
I got 3 more species for my May list today, and two of them were new for 2020. Now I have 138 species this month and 183 so far this year. That's probably all I'll get this month, unless I decided to take a day trip over the mountains on Sunday, but I don't think I'll do that.