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Tuesday, September 1, 2020
A new month. Everything was new for my September list today. I got Feral Pigeon in our yard and left to do some birding in the Snoqualmie Valley, around the town of Carnation. I drove by some Canada Geese going down the west side of the valley, and then as I drove across the valley there were a bunch of swallows on some wires. Most were Barn Swallows, but there were also Violet-green Swallows and at least one Tree Swallow. Here are two pictures of a Violet-green Swallow.
I like that second picture because it shows the colors, including the violet rump.
Just down the road from there, a Red-tailed Hawk was in a dead tree.
At Sikes Lake I saw a Great Blue Heron and an American Coot. An Osprey flew up the river as I crossed it. At the house in Carnation with feeders, it was very quiet, and all I saw were a few American Goldfinches. I stopped at the Tolt River bridge, at the south end of Carnation and looked for American Dipper, but didn't see any. I drove down the west side of the Snoqualmie River and I had a Savannah Sparrow on a wire, but the light was wrong for a picture. At the pond on the east side of the road, I saw the usual Muscovy Ducks, domestic ducks that have gone feral. Not countable, but here is a picture of one of the Muscovy Ducks.
There was a juvenile Wood Duck on the pond, and I heard a Common Raven flying around calling, but I didn't ever see it. A bit farther down the road, there was an Osprey sitting in a tree, and I took this picture of it.
I drove up to Tokul Creek to look for American Dipper there, but this time I dipped on it. I used to see them there about 75% of the time, but in the last two or three months, it has been more like 25% of the time. I'll have to go back again this month.
I drove back across the valley on my way home. I stopped again at the feeder house in Carnation, and this time I did see a couple of Eurasian Collared-Doves, and I got this picture.
There were some Band-tailed Pigeons near the top of a tree, too, and I got this distant picture of one of them.
There were quite a few American Goldfinches around this time, and I got these pictures.
There was a Steller's Jay at one of the feeders, too. I didn't see anything new as I drove across the valley, but I stopped at the Redmond Retention Ponds and added Killdeer to my list. There were also a couple of Green-winged Teal and a Pied-billed Grebe on the main pond. I had seen those two species there in August, but this time there were also 2 or 3 American Wigeons, back from wherever they go in the summer to breed. Here are two American Wigeons.
As I drove home, I saw an American Crow fly across the road, and at home I picked up Dark-eyed Junco in our yard. I got a total of 23 species today, and 17 of them were repeaters. It wasn't really a very successful birding day, because I missed American Dipper, but it got me out of the house and I enjoyed driving around in the sunshine.
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Today I headed north. My first stop was at the 12th St NE wetland, just north of the Everett sewage ponds. At first I didn't see any shorebirds, but then I saw a small group of them to one side. There were a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers, and then I saw at least four Pectoral Sandpipers, which was an excellent species to get. While I was watching the Pectoral Sandpipers in my scope, a Solitary Sandpiper wandered through the group. That was another really excellent species to get. There a couple of dowitchers near them, too, but then I realized that they weren't dowitchers, but Wilson's Snipe, another excellent species to get. I had gotten Wilson's Snipe for every month this year until last month. It is ironic to see two of them on the second day of September, after losing the repeater last month.
There were ducks on the pond, too. Several of them were Cinnamon Teal, which was nice, but then I decided that one of them was a Blue-winged Teal, a species that looks very similar to Cinnamon Teal at this time of year. I didn't get Blue-winged Teal in August, either, so it was welcome today. I checked out the Everett sewage treatment ponds, but the road is still closed, which it has been for weeks. They are supposed to be doing a paving project, and today I heard it was supposed to be completed by August 17. Oops. I hope they finish it soon, so I can start going there again. As I drove back to the freeway, I spotted a Cedar Waxwing in a tree, so that one went on my August list.
Next I drove up to Eide Road, just west of the town of Stanwood. At the first place I stopped, I added Greater Yellowlegs to my list, but I saw nothing at all at the main stop on Eide Road. I went on to Wylie Slough, also known as the Skagit Game Range. As I approached, I saw a female Northern Harrier in a field with some kind of prey. I got these next two pictures of the female Northern Harrier.
In the reserve, I easily added House Sparrow and Red-winged Blackbird. Soon after that, I saw a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow for my list. I couldn't find a Black Phoebe, which was the one I really wanted, so I moved on. As I drove back to the main road, I got these two pictures of a male Brewer's Blackbird.
There were some European Starlings next to the Brewer's Blackbird, on the same wire, and I took this picture of one of them.
Fledgling European Starlings are a plain brown color, like this bird's head. This one is molting to the normal winter plumage of a starling, and it so it is an interesting mixture right now. Here are two molting juvenile European Starlings.
That particular plumage can only be seen for a few weeks, at this time of year. I stopped briefly at Hayton Reserve, but I knew the tide was out, and I didn’t stick around. At the house on the corner of Valentine Road that has feeders, I added Mourning Dove to my list, and got this picture.
I also added House Finch and Northern Flicker there. There wasn't much food in the feeders, so there weren't many birds around, but I soon moved on anyway, because the homeowner across the road from the feeders came out and asked me to move along. He said he has had his mail stolen, and he didn't like people stopping on the road next to his mailbox. We had a little discussion, during which he mentioned calling the sheriff, and I guess I won't be using that nice place to take pictures of birds any more, unless I decide to just put up with his unpleasantness. I told him I was in the public road, but he said my passenger side wheels were on his property. It wasn't a fun encounter.
Next I drove to the slough at the north end of Channel Drive. The tide was near the low, and there were some shorebirds there. I soon added Western Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper. I was looking through some other sandpipers and a little flock of Green-winged Teals flew in. I had that one yesterday, but then I noticed a dowitcher in their midst, and as I was identifying it as a Short-billed Dowitcher, I noticed a Lesser Yellowlegs next to it.
I ate my lunch there, and as I was almost ready to leave, I saw a dust devil in the dirt road in front of me. I watched it for 30 seconds or so, and then it disappeared. It came back, though, and that happened 8 or 10 times. After the first two or three times, I started taking pictures. It would stick around for 30 seconds or a minute each time. Here are two pictures of the dust devil.
You can't see it in the pictures, but it went up at least 50 feet in the air each time.
I thought it was interesting that it kept forming in the same area repeatedly, and disappear completely in between appearances.
I then moved on to March Point, in the hopes of finding Black Oystercatcher. As I started up the road to the point, a Turkey Vulture was landing close to the road. It posed for me, so I took some pictures of that cutie.
OK, maybe it wasn't exactly a cutie, but went on my August list, anyway.
I didn't find any Black Oystercatchers, but I did spot a Spotted Sandpiper on a rock out in the water.
Here's a shot of it calling.
It looks like it is really putting its heart into the call.
I added Pelagic Cormorant and Double-crested Cormorant there, too, and a Caspian Tern flew along the shoreline, so that one went on my list as well. On the west side of the point, a Bald Eagle was perched on a pole, the only eagle I saw all day.
I headed back toward home and stopped at Hayton Reserve because there were some birders up on the dike, looking at something. It turned out that I didn't get anything I needed there, though. I stopped again at Wylie Slough and this time I saw one of the Black Phoebes, which posed for these next two pictures.
As I drove toward the freeway, I crossed a small slough and added Gadwall to my August list. A little later, still on my way to the freeway, I saw a bunch of American Goldfinches, a species I got yesterday, and I took these next two pictures of one of them.
After that, I headed for home. For me, it was a full day of birding, which means I left home at about 9:20 and got home just before 4:00. It is a tremendous handicap for my birding that I keep such "banker's hours" for my birding, but that's what I do. The best birding is the first hours after sunrise and the last hours before sunset, and I miss those hours completely in the summer. Oh well, that's one of the reasons I call myself a dilettante birder.
I added 30 more species to my August list today, and now I have 53 this month. Fourteen of the species were repeaters today, and now I have 31 repeaters this month - species I have seen in each month so far this year.
Thursday, September 3, 2020
I had a doctor's appointment late this morning and an appointment to take my car in for service in the afternoon, but I squeezed in a quick trip down to the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park. I added Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, and Anna's Hummingbird to my September list right away, and I got responses from a couple of Virginia Rails when I played their call. I tried for Marsh Wren at the end of the road, but they are just unresponsive at this time of year, and I didn't hear or see one. A couple of female Purple Finches flew in, though, and that was a good one for my list. Then a female Western Tanager came through, and that was an even better one.
On my way back to my car, I saw several birds high in some trees, but the only one I could identify was a Red-breasted Sapsucker, another good one to get. At home this afternoon, while eating lunch and reading on our front porch, I saw a Black-capped Chickadee come to our feeder, and that was my last new one for the day. No pictures, today, sorry to say.
I added 8 more species to my September list, which was excellent considering I was only out there for about 40 minutes. Now I have 61 species this month so far. Five of those species were repeaters, and now I have 36 repeaters so far this month.
Saturday, September 5, 2020
On Friday I went to Marymoor Park, but when I got there, I discovered I had left my camera at home. Trying to bird without my camera was so disconcerting that I gave it up and went home. I felt naked walking around without my camera.
Today I tried again, remembering my camera. I couldn't find a Green Heron at the rowing club pond at Marymoor, so I went over to the main part of the park and walked along the slough. I added Belted Kingfisher to my September list, and here's a distant picture.
I drove to the dog park's east parking lot and walked up on the viewing mound. I managed to call in a Lincoln's Sparrow, which was great. It was the first one I had seen since February, and now they seem to be back for the winter. I also saw a pair of Common Yellowthroats, which was also great, because they will be migrating south very soon. I might very well not see that species again until next March.
After that I drove up to Tokul Creek and tried for the American Dipper for the second time this month, but again I didn't find one. I stopped at the Tolt River bridge in south Carnation, but I didn't find any dippers there, either. I picked up a sandwich at the Carnation Market and went to the Stillwater Access to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area. I took my camp chair out on the trail and ate my lunch, but I didn't see or hear any birds at all there. I headed for home, and as I approached the Snoqualmie River at Chinook Bend, I spotted an American Kestrel sitting on a post. That was an excellent September bird, and a repeater. Here is a distant picture of the male American Kestrel.
As I crossed the river, I saw some mergansers on the river below. I stopped and went back to look, and there were 6 Common Mergansers, another September bird. All six were either females or juveniles. Here are two of the Common Mergansers.
As I drove past the old Carnation dairy, there were a couple of birds on a wire, and I got this picture of a Cedar Waxwing, a species I already had this month.
At home this afternoon, while sitting on the porch reading, I saw our local Bewick's Wren, which was another September bird. I also took this picture of an American Goldfinch on the top of our seed feeder.
That was it for today. I added 6 more species to my September list, and now I have 67 this month. Three of those were repeaters, and now I have 39 repeaters this month.
Sunday, September 6, 2020
I started my birding at St. Edwards State Park this morning. I was able to attract a Pacific Wren, but I only got a quick look and no pictures. I tried for Brown Creeper, too, but had no luck with that. There were too many people on the trail, on a nice Sunday morning, so I moved on.
I went on over to my California Scrub-Jay spot in the University District, but I couldn't call in a scrub-jay. My back was hurting today, so I went home at that point. Pacific Wren was a repeater, and now I have 68 species in September and 40 of them are repeaters.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
I drove up to Edmonds today, stopping on the way at my quail site in Woodway. No quail, so I moved on to Deer Park, where I managed to call up a Brown Creeper. No pictures because my camera wouldn't focus in the low light. I'm thinking about getting the latest Canon super zoom camera, which reportedly has a better low light focus capability. I'm tired of missing shots because the light is too low to auto focus.
I moved on to the Edmonds waterfront, where I got Ringed-billed Gull and a single Marbled Murrelet (a good one). At Ocean Avenue, I saw two Horned Grebes, some of the first ones to return this fall.
I drove on to Yost Memorial Park in Edmonds, and walked in the woods. I spotted a bird high in the trees, and got a good look at a Black-throated Gray Warbler, one I had only seen once before this year. I played Hairy Woodpecker calls, but got no responses, although I did hear a Pileated Woodpecker, an excellent bird. I saw at least one, and maybe two, Pileated Woodpeckers several times, but again I couldn't get a picture because my camera wouldn't auto focus in the low light. Hmm. Maybe a new camera is in my future. I have taken over 40,000 pictures with my current camera, and maybe it is time to invest in a new one. Two year old technology, instead of six year old technology.
So, no pictures today, but I did add 6 species to my September list, and two of them were repeaters. Now I have 74 species this month, and 42 of them are repeaters.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
I was planning to go up to Skagit county today for an all day trip, but I just didn't feel like it this morning. Instead, I went over to Marymoor Park, which is only about 20 minutes away. At the rowing club pond, I played Red-breasted Nuthatch songs, in a place I hadn't tried doing that before, but it looked like good habitat for them. Two of them responded. I got looks at them, but they stayed high in the trees and never stopped for long. Still, it was a good repeater to get.
I didn't find Green Heron on the pond, but there were several Wood Ducks, as there have been all summer. I was interested to see that the males are starting to get their breeding plumage already. Here is a male that has molted almost into full breeding plumage.
Here is another male Wood Duck that is still mostly in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage.
Here is another male Wood Duck in eclipse plumage, or maybe it is the same one.
Here is one more picture of a male Wood Duck in almost-breeding plumage.
I'm fascinated by how much some birds can change between seasons.
I walked down the road past the actual rowing club, and on my way back to my car, I stopped to rest on a bench and watched some trees. There were a couple of little birds high in the trees, and eventually I thought that one of them looked like a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a common winter bird around here, but one I hadn't seen since March. I played the song on my phone, and eventually a Ruby-crowned Kinglet came down low to check me out, and I got these next two pictures.
After that I drove around to the main part of the park. I tried for Chestnut-backed Chickadee near the office building, and I think I might have seen one, but I didn't get a good enough look to count it. I drove through the community gardens to try for the pheasant, but I missed on that one, too. From the parking lot for the model airplane field, I noticed that one of the juvenile Ospreys was still at the nest, begging for food.
I don't know why it was begging, because it turned out that it had a fish, which it picked up and then dropped, at one point.
It proceeded to pick at its fish, and I took a couple more pictures of it when it was eating.
That was it for me today. I took care of an errand on the way home and gave it up for the day. I added two more species to my September list, to give me 76 species now. The Red-breasted Nuthatch was a repeater, and now I have 43 repeaters so far this month.
Thursday, September 10, 2020
I only had an hour this morning for birding, because we had a company coming at 10:00 to do a moss treatment on our roof. I went down to Juanita Bay Park and walked up and down the fire station road. I saw a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets, a repeater, but I couldn't get any pictures. It was too hot to go out again this afternoon. Now I have 77 species in September and 44 of them are repeaters. Our heat wave is supposedly over now, which would be great.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Today I went up to Tulalip Bay, which is about 40 minutes north of home. I was looking for gulls, Black Turnstone, and Black-bellied Plover. I found them all. The gulls I added to my list were Mew Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, and California Gull. There were Ring-billed Gulls there, too, but I already had that one this month. No pictures because everything was too far away. It was really smoky, too, from the fires in Oregon and California, so the visibility was poor.
I stopped at 12th St NE, just north of the Everett sewage ponds to check out the little wetland there. There was a nice selection of shorebirds, but I already had most of them There were several Pectoral Sandpipers, a couple of dowitchers, three or four Wilson's Snipe, a couple of little peeps, some Killdeer, and at least one Lesser Yellowlegs. Those were all ones I already had, but there was one very interesting shorebird. It was smaller than the Pectoral Sandpipers and Killdeer, but larger than the smallest peeps. I got a good look at its bill, which tapered to a fine point, and I noticed that its wings were long, sticking out past the tail. It was a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, an uncommon bird that I hadn't expected to get this month. I wasn't sure I would be able to identify a Baird's Sandpiper, but I feel good about the ID.
I added 6 species to my September list, 3 of them were repeaters, and one was a year bird. Now I have 83 species this month, 47 repeaters, and 208 species this year so far. The extremely smoky conditions are supposed to last all weekend, and I don’t know if I'll even go out birding, it is so bad.
Sunday, September 13, 2020
I did no birding on Saturday, mainly because the air quality was so poor from all the smoke from West Coast fires. It was a bit better today, and I ventured over to Seattle to my scrub-jay site near the University of Washington. I walked around, playing their calls, but I didn't attract anything. I gave it up eventually, but as I drove off, what did I see on a light standard but a California Scrub-Jay! I stopped in the middle of the road and got off one pictures before a car pulled up behind me and honked,
By the time I turned around and came back, the bird had flown. I had my repeater, though.
Next I decided to drive up to Tokul Creek to try for American Dipper, which I had missed last week. When I got there, I looked downstream from the bridge, then upstream, but I didn't see any dippers. As I was giving up, I looked downstream once more, on my way back to my car, and lo and behold, there was an American Dipper. Here is a rather distant shot of that dipper.
Then, to my surprise, I saw a second dipper. Here is a somewhat distant shot of the two American Dippers.
I usually only see them singly, and I'm not sure I have ever seen more than one at a time, except around a nest, with nestlings. Here is another shot of the two American Dippers.
The light was really poor today, everywhere I went, due to the smoke in the air, I presume. It was a bit foggy too, early on. The two dippers worked their way upstream, and I dutifully took pictures of them as they got closer. I watched them and took pictures for about a half an hour, as they slowly got closer to the bridge. Here is a picture of one of the dippers with some food.
Here are more dipper pictures, since I have posted so few pictures lately and American Dippers are one of my favorite species.
I like that last shot because it shows some water droplets from the bird's underwater foraging.
The birds were getting closer, and the pictures were getting better. Here is a shot from the back.
Here is a dipper foraging underwater for food.
In deep water, they swim completely underwater, but in shallower water, like the creek today, they just stick their heads into the water and look around for food. They eat snails and worms and other little goodies. Here is a different view of one of them.
This one seems to have caught a good sized creature of some kind.
Here is Tokul Creek, looking downstream from the bridge. Note the haze in the distance and the yellow-brown color of the light, due to the smoke in the air. All my pictures today have a yellow-brown tinge to them, and I couldn't figure out how to correct for it.
One of them got pretty close, and I kept taking pictures.
Here is another shot of an American Dipper foraging for food underwater.
Lastly, here is one final shot of an American Dipper from the back.
After half an hour, the close one flew under the bridge and then way upstream, and I couldn't find the second one at that point, so I moved on. At the house with feeders in Carnation, I got this shot of a bunch of American Goldfinches on a hanging feeding table.
Sometimes Pine Siskins will feed with goldfinches, but I couldn’t find one today. I didn’t see anything interesting while driving across the Snoqualmie Valley, but I stopped at the Redmond Watershed Reserve on Novelty Hill Road, looking for Hooded Merganser. No mergansers, but I did see a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, which I needed for September. Here is a picture of the pair of Ring-necked Ducks.
The male is on the left and the female, with her head tucked in, is on the right. Here are two more shots of the male Ring-necked Duck.
It looks like we will have one more day of poor air quality due to smoke, and then we are supposed to get some rain showers overnight into Tuesday. Maybe that will clear the air somewhat. I was quite pleased to get the scrub-jay and dipper today, two repeaters that I only find at a very few sites, and I don't always get them, by any means. Ring-necked Duck was bound to show up sometime this month, as are another 7 or 8 duck species I should still get. The ducks are coming back from their breeding grounds now, and I'll be looking for them.
I added 3 more species to my September list today, and now I have 86 species this month. Two of them today were repeaters, and now I have 49 repeaters this month. I'll see what the air quality looks like tomorrow before I decide whether to venture out or not. Getting tiny smoke particles deep into your lungs is not a good thing, especially with the risk of a respiratory disease (Covid-19). Strictly speaking, I probably shouldn't have been out there today, but I didn't exercise and I was mostly in my car with the air recycling through the cabin air filter.
Monday, September 14, 2020
I had hoped to go over to Whidbey Island today, but the air quality was still very unhealthful and to make matters worse, I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. That puts me off for the whole day, so I basically stayed home. I did venture out to Juanita Bay Park for a short walk on the fire station road, though, and there were a fair number of birds around. One of the ones I needed for this month was Hairy Woodpecker, and I saw one soon after I got there. It was high in a tree, with the bright sky behind it, but here is a picture of it, anyway. Male Hairy Woodpecker.
There were a couple of Red-breasted Nuthatches around, and I played their song and attracted them closer for pictures. I already had that species this month, but one of them posed for me on the road. Red-breasted Nuthatch.
At the end of the road, another (or the same) male Hairy Woodpecker flew in, and I tried for pictures. It kept moving around in the foliage, for the most part, but here are some pictures I was able to get.
The light had that same yellow brown cast to it that it had over the weekend, and these were the best I could do. The Hairy Woodpecker did come out into the open for one picture, anyway. You can see that it wasn't exactly crystal clear to day.
Here is one more shot, a close up in the foliage again.
There were other birds around, too, including a little flock of Bushtits, another one I needed still this month. Here are three shots of a male Bushtit.
That was it for today. After that I went home and stayed inside for the rest of the day. Now they are saying our air isn't going to really clear until Friday, or maybe even Saturday, so I don't know how much I'll get out there. It is supposed to improve gradually all week, though, so I'll see how it goes.
I added two more species today, and both were repeaters. Now I have 88 species this month, and 51 of them are repeaters.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
The air quality here was still unhealthy today, so I again postponed my trip over to Whidbey Island. To illustrate how bad the air is, the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants postponed their baseball game tonight, and they will fly to San Francisco to play their two games there, tomorrow and Thursday. I guess that San Francisco must be better than here.
Anyway, I did venture out this morning, with the intent of staying in my car with the air recycling inside as much as possible. I drove up to Woodway to my California Quail site, and as I pulled in, I spotted a scruffy looking female California Quail across the turnaround area. She scurried into the brush before I could get a picture, but I pulled over and watched for about ten minutes, in case she ventured out again or another one showed up. If there was one, there were undoubtedly more.
While I was waiting, a scruffy looking male Spotted Towhee was preening across the turnaround area. He was pretty far away, but I took pictures, anyway. He must have been molting, because he was very ragged looking, especially around the head and neck. Here is are a couple of pictures of the scruffy Spotted Towhee.
He was preening himself, and he brought out a feather from his white underside. You can maybe see it, stuck to his bill, in this next picture.
He seemed to be trying to get rid of the feather, but it stuck to his bill.
Once he got rid of the feather, he flew up into the blackberries for a snack.
Here he is eating one of the blackberries.
I was maybe 40 feet away, but he seemed to be aware of me, sitting in my car taking his picture.
When he flew off and I didn't see or hear any more quail, I moved on. I tried the Edmonds Marsh for Marsh Wren, but got no responses. Marsh Wrens just don't respond in the off-season like they do in breeding season. Up on Sunset Avenue, I looked around, but the visibility was terrible with the smoke and haze, and there was very little out there, anyway. I did add Heermann's Gull to my September list, but nothing else. I gave it up then, and headed for home. We have been running the furnace on "fan only", to circulate the inside air through the furnace filter, and the air is much better inside than it is outside.
I added two more species to my September list today, and California Quail was a great repeater to get. Now I have 90 species in September, and 52 of them are repeaters. It looks like we will have at least two more days of unhealthy air quality, and then maybe it will improve on Friday and Saturday, although as long as all the fires are burning, there will be the risk of it getting bad again. I'm hoping for rain on Thursday night through Saturday morning.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
The air was again unhealthy this morning, so I didn't take a trip over to Whidbey Island (again). I went out locally, stopping first at Juanita Bay Park, where I walked the fire station road. I didn't get anything I needed, and there wasn't much around today. I did spot a couple of woodpeckers high on a snag, and I got distant pictures in poor light. Here is a Hairy Woodpecker.
Higher on the same snag was this Red-breasted Sapsucker.
I drove to Marymoor Park and checked out the rowing club pond. No Green Heron, but there was a male Hooded Merganser, which I needed for September. It was snoozing, but I could see enough of it to identify it. Here are three shots of the resting male Hooded Merganser from different angles.
Farther down the path, I saw little birds high in some trees, but I wasn't able to identify any of them. On my way back to my car, I saw a Black-capped Chickadee that had caught a big green caterpillar. It was eating it and I got a couple of pictures in the very low light.
The caterpillar is by its left foot, and you can see some sticky looking stuff between the caterpillar and the chickadee's bill. Here is one more shot. I'm really surprised that these shots came out at all, because the light was very low, and my camera had a very hard time focusing.
I went over to the main part of the park, but I couldn't find anything there for pictures or my lists. The park was as deserted as I have ever seen it, no doubt because of the terrible air quality. The athletic fields were closed because of it, and the dog park had few people.
The Hooded Merganser was a repeater, and now I have 91 species in September and 53 of them are repeaters. The air quality is noticeably better tonight, but the winds are supposed to blow in more smoke for tomorrow. Friday is supposed to be somewhat better, with rain showers all day, and by Saturday it is supposed to be pretty good. Fingers crossed.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
The air quality was better this morning, but it still wasn't good. I decided to stay close to home again and spend most of the day indoors. Before I even left home, though, I saw a couple of little birds feeding on our walkway. They seemed smaller than House Finches, and I thought they looked like Pine Siskins, maybe. I tried for pictures through the window of the back door, but the only one that came out was this one.
After consulting my field guides, I decided it was a House Finch. The upper part of the bill is curved on top, and a Pine Siskin bill would be straight. False alarm.
So, I went to the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park, and I played Downy Woodpecker calls. One responded right away and flew in. Here are some pictures of the male Downy Woodpecker, a repeater.
I walked up and down the road, playing some other bird calls, but I didn't see anything I needed, and I didn't get any more pictures.
Next I went to the rowing club access at Marymoor Park, but I didn't get anything there, either. I drove around to the main part of the park, but I didn't find anything I needed there, either. I have noticed recently that the flocks of Canada Geese are back. We have some Canada Geese that stay here all summer and breed, but most of them go north for breeding season. The migrating ones are coming back now, in small flocks. Soon the smaller Cackling Geese will also return, and I am watching for them. Here is a Canada Goose.
I gave it up and drove home. As I drove down the driveway, one of our resident bunnies was eating grass on our front lawn, so I took its picture.
I stopped the car, as I usually do, where I could see our seed feeder, to see what might be feeding. Here are a couple of pictures of an American Goldfinch.
That was it for today. I stayed inside this afternoon. Downy Woodpecker was a repeater, and now I have 92 species this month, with 54 repeaters. It is supposed to rain tomorrow and maybe Saturday, and that is supposed to clear our air. Fingers still crossed.
Friday, September 18, 2020
It was supposed to rain this afternoon, and the air was supposed to be a bit better even before that. I had a late lunch appointment up in Everett, and it wasn't raining yet, so I went north early (which for me means about 9:45). First I checked out the road to the Everett sewage ponds, which is where I go for ducks, but it was still closed. I went around to 12th St NE, just north of the sewage ponds, where there is a little wetland. I was hoping to find one of the rare Great Egrets that have been seen there recently, but not much was around.
When I had been there before, I had noticed birders walking around a gate and up onto a dike, from which it appeared you could see a lot more water. The rain was holding off, and I felt energetic this morning, so I walked up onto the dike with my scope. As I approached it, a guy with binoculars and a camera who was already there turned to me and told me that all three of the egrets were visible. I had seen one there in August, and I had seen reports of two and even three of them, so this was exciting. It turned out they were reasonably close, so I took pictures. Here is a shot of one of the rare (for this part of Washington) Great Egrets.
Here are a couple of pictures of two of the Great Egrets.
I would estimate that they were 70 or 80 yards away, but that was close enough for my trusty little camera. Here are a couple of pictures of all three Great Egrets.
They should be down in southwestern Washington or farther south along the coast, down to Mexico. I have never heard of three of them this far north at the same time like this, before the last couple of weeks.
There were indeed more ducks visible from up on the dike, and I added Northern Shoveler (a repeater) and Northern Pintail to my September list. From the dike, I spotted this Greater Yellowlegs, one I already had this month.
I walked along the dike to where I could see the north sewage pond, and there were more ducks there. There were a couple of Ruddy Ducks, another repeater and one that doesn't show up many places in this area. Here are two very distant pictures of Ruddy Ducks. The second one is a male, and he is starting to get his breeding plumage already.
On my way back to my car, two Greater Yellowlegs were chasing each other around, and I got these pictures.
I think in that last picture, the Greater Yellowlegs was in the process of swallowing something it had caught.
Next I went to the Everett waterfront, at the 10th St boat launch. I was surprised to see that there was still one juvenile Osprey in the nest there.
The tide was out, and here is a picture of Port Gardner Bay, showing that the air wasn't really clear yet, although I'm sure it was a lot better than a couple of days ago. The Osprey nest is on the pilings in the middle of the picture.
The juvenile Osprey in the nest was calling from time to time, looking to be fed, I presume.
An adult Osprey flew in with a fish. You can see the fish on the left, as the juvenile starts to work on it. The adult was about to take off and leave again.
Here's a shot of a Ring-billed Gull in the parking lot.
I had some time to kill, so I drove through Forest Park in south Everett. I didn't see anything I needed, but I got this picture of a White-crowned Sparrow.
That was it for my birding today. The rain finally started as I was getting home after lunch, about 2:00. The air is supposed to be a lot better tomorrow and good by Sunday. I added 5 more species to my list today, and 2 of them were repeaters. Now I have 97 species this month, and 56 of them are repeaters.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
We had an inch of much-needed rain from Friday night through Saturday, so I didn't do any birding yesterday. This morning I headed north. I picked up a sandwich at Subway, filled my tank with gas, and my first birding stop was Wylie Slough, known also as the Skagit Game Range among birders. As I approached the reserve, I saw a small flock of birds on the road, and I stopped. They flew around, but then a couple of them came back and landed. Here is a picture of my first AMERICAN PIPIT of the year.
There were piles of pumpkins or gourds along one edge of a field, and I thought they were interesting, so here is a picture.
Here's a closer look at the variety of squash or gourds.
A truck was there, dumping more of them.
I don't know the story, but it appears to me like they are discarding them. Maybe they plan to plow them under, to fertilize the field. Although I would have thought they would spread them out more if that was what they were doing. Perhaps they were rejects, with flaws that made them unsalable, or maybe they just had a surplus this year.
At Wylie Slough, I parked and walked out on the dike trail. There was a good sized flock of Pine Siskins, which was a repeater. Here is one of the Pine Siskins.
A bit farther along, I spotted a Yellow-rumped Warbler in a tree, and that was another good one for September. Here is a shot of the front half of the Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Three juvenile Cedar Waxwings came through. Here is one of them.
From the bird blind, I got this picture of a female Northern Shoveler.
On my way back to my car, a small group of Purple Finches were feeding in a tree. Here is a female Purple Finch.
Here is a female Purple Finch eating a berry.
Here is a male Purple Finch about to take a bite out of a berry.
Here is another shot of the male Purple Finch.
Here is an American Robin.
As I was leaving the reserve, I got this picture of a female Wood Duck.
From there I drove to the outskirts of Lyman, to the house of my birding acquaintance, Gary, where I spotted the two Barn Owls in his barn. I've seen Barn Owl there for each of the last four months now. It's a great one to get, they are always there, but it is a long drive to get there. From there, I drove on up to Fairhaven, in south Bellingham and got Northwestern Crow, a repeater.
That was the last one I got for my lists today, but I drove several places looking for things. I went down Chuckanut Drive, through the tiny town of Edison, across the Samish Flats, and then to March Point. I tried for American White Pelican and Black Oystercatcher there, but didn't see either species. I headed toward home, and along Dodge Valley Road I got these two shots of a Red-tailed Hawk.
At the house with feeders, on the corner of Dodge Valley Road and Valentine Road, I got this picture of finches - House Finches and American Goldfinches.
I stopped one more time after that, at Hayton Reserve. I took my scope up on the dike, hoping to see a Peregrine Falcon or something else, but the tide was way out, and I saw nothing of interest.
It was a long day, over 7 hours on the road. I put 210 miles on my car, and I got 5 more species for September. Two of those were repeaters. Now I have 102 species in September, and I have 58 of the 66 possible repeaters I could get. American Pipit was new for the year, and now I have 209 species in 2020.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Today I finally made it over to Whidbey Island. I've been trying to get over there all month long. Early in the month, I was sort of waiting because the birds I wanted to get there (the saltwater ones) are just coming back from their breeding grounds, and the later in the month, the better. I wanted to go last week, but the smoky air kept me close to home, and I was also worried that the low visibility would keep me from using my scope effectively. Then we had rain. Summer weekends aren't good for riding the ferries, either. Anyway, today I got away early and caught the 9:30 ferry out of Mukilteo. I was there early, and I went down to the waterfront while waiting. Here's a shot of a Great Blue Heron, kind of hunched down, with its neck pulled in.
Something in the water caught its attention, and it straightened up.
On the crossing, my car was near the front of the ferry, and as we came into the ferry terminal at Clinton, I spotted a small gull on the water, near one of the ferry pilings. I grabbed my camera out of the car and got one shot of a Bonaparte's Gull, a repeater I didn't really expect to see today. Here is the Bonaparte's Gull in winter plumage.
A month ago, its whole head would have been black. That was a great start to my day. I was expecting to have to take a longer ferry trip over to the Kitsap Peninsula to get Bonaparte's Gull at Point No Point, and now I won't have to do that.
I picked up a tuna salad sandwich at Pickle's Deli and drove to Deer Lagoon. I saw my main target species as soon as I got on the trail, a group of American White Pelicans in the distance. Here is a distant picture, through the remains of the morning fog.
I walked out to where I could see both the saltwater and the freshwater lagoons, and I got this closer shot of some other American White Pelicans.
I didn't get anything else there, and I drove to Crockett Lake. I saw a small group of American Pipits, a species I got yesterday for the first time this year. I just missed getting a picture, but I didn't take the time to chase them. I saw nothing at Crockett Lake itself, but from the parking area next to the ferry landing, I scoped the cormorants on the old pier. I was looking for Brandt's Cormorant, and I thought I saw a couple of them, but I wasn't sure. Then I noticed a half dozen cormorants out in the water, and they were definitely Brandt's Cormorants, so that one went on my list. Here is a shot of some of the Brandt's Cormorants. It is lousy, but it does serve to identify the species, I think.
The shape of the head is a bit different than that of Pelagic Cormorant, and you can even see the buffy patch on the throats of a couple of them. I took this picture of a Heermann's Gull from that same point.
After that, I stopped by the end of Penn Cove to look for Black Oystercatcher, but all I saw there were about a dozen Greater Yellowlegs. I drove to Libbey Beach, and I saw three Harlequin Ducks well up the coast. That was a good repeater to get. There were also some Surf Scoters around, another repeater. A couple of Common Loons were in the area, too, which was still another repeater.
I moved on to the Hastie Lake Road beach access, where I ate my lunch. I also looked around, of course, and saw 2 or 3 more Common Loons. Here is a rather distant picture of a Common Loon in breeding plumage.
Here is another Common Loon picture, either the same bird or another one.
Those pictures were quite distant, but I was sitting on a bench, which helps a lot to keep the camera steady, and I'm pleased with how well they came out.
There were a lot of Horned Grebes in the distance, and I looked through them, hoping to find an Eared Grebe. I found a couple that looked like they might be Eared Grebes, and I was sure enough to count the species for September, but I wasn't certain. At my next stop, I saw a bird fairly close, and it was definitely an Eared Grebe, and I got this picture to document it.
Meanwhile, before I left the Hastie Lake Road access, I saw a group of 5 Western Grebes cruise by. That was an excellent September bird. There were also several Pacific Loons, another one for my list.
Next I stopped at West Beach Park, which is where I got the Eared Grebe picture above. I also saw one Rhinoceros Auklet way out there. That was another repeater. I drove along Swan Lake, or Swantown Lake, or whatever it is called, and saw some shorebirds at one point. One of them was a Pectoral Sandpiper, an excellent species, although I already had that one this month. Here is a picture of a Greater Yellowlegs and the smaller Pectoral Sandpiper.
Here's the best shot I got of the Pectoral Sandpiper, with some long grass in the foreground blurring some of it.
There were a couple of dowitchers there, too, and here's a shot of a Long-billed Dowitcher.
From there I drove to Deception Pass State Park, where I looked for Black Oystercatcher and the 2 or 3 saltwater birds I had missed, but I got nothing there. I drove over the Deception Pass bridge to Rosario Beach, where I again looked for Black Oystercatcher. I didn't get that repeater, but I did get Chestnut-backed Chickadee, another repeater. Here is a shot of the chickadee that doesn't show its head well, but you can identify the species.
Just as I took this next shot, the bird took off, which ruined the picture, but it came out kind of interesting, I think.
Finally, here is the best shot I got of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
After that I headed for home, but I detoured around March Point, trying for Black Oystercatcher, which is now the last repeater I need this month. No joy and no pictures. I was out there for almost 8 hours today, and I drove about 160 miles. That's two long days in a row, and I'm glad to report I stood up well to the effort.
I did great with the numbers today. I added 12 species to my year list, to bring me to 114 species this month. That is way down from the last two years (130 and 137), but there is a week left in the month and this month was challenging for several reasons. I lost a week, basically, because of the smoke in the air, and then it rained. I also had physical issues that kept me close to home some of the time. Then there is the coronavirus, which limits me somewhat in terms of what is open and not crowded. I hope to get a few more species, but this summer has not been a good one for birding. Seven of the 12 species today were repeaters, which gives me 65 repeaters this month. Only Black Oystercatcher remains to be found, of the 66 species I had recorded in each of the months so far this year, after August. It is a tough one, and I'll make one or two more trips to try to find one, if the weather allows it. Finally, Pectoral Sandpiper was a lifer for me in Island county, and it brings my Island county list to 104 species.
Friday, September 25, 2020
On Tuesday I had other things to do, and then it rained for a couple of days, so I didn't get out birding until today. It was still raining this morning, but I headed north anyway. My car was in for service, but I had a loaner, a RAV 4. It was a smaller car than mine, with a lower trim level, and it made me appreciate my Highlander. The hardest thing to get used to was starting it with a key and having to push a button on the fob to lock or unlock the doors. How quickly we get spoiled.
Today was a quest for Black Oystercatcher, my only remaining repeater for this month. I drove to Ala Spit county park, on north Whidbey Island, but there weren't any oystercatchers there. The rain stopped about then, and I had three hours with only a few sprinkles. I stopped at Deception Pass State Park, but I had no joy there, either. I drove around to Rosario Beach and ate my lunch in the car. I saw a female California Quail while I was eating, but I already had that one this month, and it spooked when I moved the car a little to try for a picture. After I ate, I walked out and used my scope to look for oystercatchers, but found nothing. Next I drove around March Point, but saw nothing there, either. I even tried the south end of the Swinomish Channel, where oystercatchers had been reported, but I couldn't find a way to see the part I wanted to see. I suspect the oystercatchers reported were seen from a boat.
So, my quest for Black Oystercatcher failed, and I headed for home. I stopped at Hayton Reserve, and I spotted a Peregrine Falcon way out in the bay on a snag. It was too far for pictures, but here are two of them, anyway. A very distant Peregrine Falcon, an excellent September bird.
I drove to Wylie Slough for my last stop. I showed pictures of pumpkins or squash in a field on Monday, and today there was another row of piles of them, and the first row had been spread out and broken up a bit. Here is what it looked like today.
I drove through the Wylie Slough reserve, and I saw a group of 3 or 4 Golden-crowned Sparrows, the first ones I have seen since May. Here is a picture of one of the Golden-crowned Sparrows.
There were Cedar Waxwings eating the fruits in a tree, so I took some pictures. Here is a juvenile Cedar Waxwing, with streaks on its sides.
Here is a juvenile Cedar Waxwing grabbing one of those little fruits.
Here's an adult Cedar Waxwing.
Finally, here is one more picture of a juvenile Cedar Waxwing.
It looks like it is missing one of its tail feathers. I don't know when they molt into their adult plumage.
So, I missed my Black Oystercatcher today, but I got two new month-birds, anyway. That brings me to 116 species this month. I plan to make one more all-day trip looking for Black Oystercatcher, early next week. Today I put 165 miles on the loaner car, using their gas. I kind of liked that, but I would have rather driven my own car. Mine was in for a recall, having something replaced.
Monday, September 28, 2020
Today I went on another quest for Black Oystercatcher, my only remaining repeater this month. This time I caught the 9:35 ferry out of Edmonds and drove to Jefferson county, near Port Townsend. My first stop was the Lagoon Beach unit of Indian Island county park. I have seen oystercatchers there a number of times. As I drove in to the beach area, some sparrows flew up into some bushes, and I got some pictures. Here is an immature White-crowned Sparrow. Note the bright orange bill and the red-brown stripe on the head.
There were a couple of Golden-crowned Sparrows as well, and here are a couple of pictures of one of them.
I looked around, but I couldn't find any oystercatchers, so I moved on to Fort Flagler State Park. At the boat ramp at the campground there, I got these pictures of four male Harlequin Ducks.
In that last picture, two of the ducks decided to dive just as I took the shot. Here is a female Harlequin Duck for comparison.
I couldn't find any oystercatchers there, and I couldn't find anything else I needed, either. On my way back off Marrowstone Island, there were three or four Greater Yellowlegs at Nordland, in the mud at the end of the bay. Here are some pictures.
There was a Killdeer in the mud, too.
I was heading for Port Townsend, to a place where Black Oystercatcher had been reported last week, but I stopped again at Lagoon Beach, mainly to use the rest room there, but also to look again for oystercatchers. As I was leaving, I spotted a black bird that flew in to a line of rocks, quite a distance away. I got my binoculars on it, and it was a Black Oystercatcher! It was too far for decent pictures, but I took some anyway. They are lousy images, but good enough to confirm my identification. Black Oystercatcher.
I had my target species, but I also had some time, so I drove around to Port Townsend. I found the trail along the water, south of the marina and I walked a little. I saw a Belted Kingfisher, but no shorebirds at all. Here is a picture of the Port Townsend marina with the Cascade Mountains in the background. Mount Baker is in the middle of the picture.
I drove on to Point Hudson, where I have seen shorebirds before, but there was nothing interesting there today. I took another picture, though. The land across the water is Whidbey Island, and that's Mount Baker in the distance.
You can see that it was a beautiful day. I had more time, but I headed for the Kingston ferry, and I managed to just barely make the 2:30 ferry, which got me home by 3:30. I got my Black Oystercatcher, and now I have 117 species this month. It was also my final repeater, and now I have 66 repeaters, species I have seen in each month so far this year.
The weather is supposed to continue to be great, so maybe I can add another species or two to my September list still. I have two days left in the month.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Today, I went up to Marysville to look for ducks and a gull. I parked and walked out along Ebey Slough to the Marysville sewage treatment plant ponds. I found several Lesser Scaup, which was one I needed for September. There were a lot of Bonaparte's Gulls there, and I looked through them for the Franklin's Gull that has been reported there. Here is a raft of Bonaparte's Gulls.
I didn't find the Franklin's Gull, but I did find the male Redhead that has been reported there. That was a great September bird. I also couldn't find the Canvasback that has been reported there. While I was there, a Bald Eagle flew over and scattered the ducks. It caught something, probably a coot, and took it to a piling, where it proceeded to eat it. Later a Peregrine Falcon flew through and scattered the Bonaparte's Gulls, but I don’t think it caught one.
After that I went to lunch with a friend, and after lunch I checked out the Everett sewage ponds. I was glad to find that the road to Spencer Island was open now. It has been repaved, and now I can go there to look for ducks again. I parked and scoped the big pond, but I didn't find anything new. Here is a Red-tailed Hawk.
There were dozens of Bonaparte's Gulls there, too. Here are some Bonaparte's Gulls.
Bonaparte's Gull is a small gull, and here is a size comparison with a Bonaparte's Gull and a "normal" sized gull.
That was all I got today. I added two species to my September list, and now I have 119 species this month. One more day this month, and maybe I can add another species or two.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
This was the last day of the month, and I didn't really expect to get much, but I went over to Marymoor Park to try my luck. I stopped first at the rowing club pond, hoping to see a Green Heron. No heron, but I did see a family group of California Quail. I have see or heard California Quail two or three times before at Marymoor, over the years, but this was the first time I had seen them in the area of the rowing club. There was a female and 5 or 6 youngsters foraging on the gravel road. Here is one of the juvenile California Quail.
Here are three juvenile California Quail.
Here is the mom and a couple of the youngsters.
Here is mom and four of the young California Quail.
Here is my best picture of the female California Quail, with one of her chicks.
I never saw any sign of a male. Some rowers came along then and the quail scurried into the brush. I already had California Quail this month, and it is a great species. I sure would have rather seen them tomorrow.
I drove around to the main part of the park, and while I was driving through, checking out all the geese, looking for Cackling Goose, which should be back about now, I spotted a family group of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, year bird. There was one adult and five juveniles. Here is the adult Greater White-fronted Goose and three of the young ones.
The juveniles are smaller than the adult, and they don’t have the white patch behind the bill, which gives the species its name. Here is another shot that shows the white "front" better.
Here is a shot of the adult Greater White-fronted Goose, showing why some people call them "speckled-belly" geese.
That was exciting, but then I spotted an interesting looking bird at the top of a tree in the distance. I took a picture, which identified the bird as a Western Meadowlark, a species that is absent around here in the summer and is uncommon in the winter. Here is a very distant shot of my September Western Meadowlark.
It was far enough away that I wasn't sure of the identification with my binoculars. I thought it might have been a robin, but I used my camera to identify it.
That was two species for the month, which was great, but then as I drove more through the park, still checking out the little flocks of geese, I discovered a Snow Goose in with some Canada Geese. That was my third September bird. Here is the Snow Goose.
Here is a Canada Goose, which I already had this month.
Here is another shot of the Snow Goose, showing its black wing tips.
It was hanging out with the big guys. Here is a picture that shows how much smaller the Snow Goose was, compared to the larger Canada Geese it was hanging out with.
After that I went over to the community gardens, to look for the Ring-necked Pheasant that hangs out there. I didn't find it, but as I drove down the north side of the gardens, I saw this Cooper's Hawk at the end of the road.
That was an excellent September bird, number four for the day. I parked and walked around through the gardens, hoping for the pheasant. All I saw were crows, so I took these next two pictures of American Crows on sunflowers, the seeds of which they had been eating.
I moved my car to the west parking area for the dog park, and I walked along the slough. I spotted a Wilson's Snipe, one I had this month already, but one I was glad to see had returned for the winter. Here are a couple of pictures of the Wilson's Snipe.
I walked around, playing Fox Sparrow songs, but never attracted one. I headed toward home after that, but I drove through the park once more, on my way to a stop at the Redmond Retention Ponds. While still in Marymoor Park, I kept checking out the flocks of geese, and in one of the flocks of Canada Geese, there were about ten Cackling Geese, another one I needed for September. Here is a distant picture of a Cackling Goose.
Note the short, stubby bill, and compare it to the longer bills on the two geese to its right. Cackling Goose is also a lot smaller than Canada Goose, and this next distant shot is a good size comparison. The larger Canada Goose is on the left, facing left, and the smaller Cackling Goose is on the right, facing right.
So, I had four goose species today, and I needed three of them for my September list. Not bad. I stopped at the Redmond Retention Ponds on the way home and got this picture of a couple of Hooded Mergansers.
There were also Mallards, Gadwalls, American Wigeons, Green-winged Teal, and one female Northern Shoveler on the main pond. Here is the female Northern Shoveler with her oversized bill open.
It was quite a successful finish to the month for me. I added 5 species to my September list, and I am ending the month with 124 species. I had 137 and 130 in September in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but considering that we had a week of very smoky weather and at least four days of rain, I'm satisfied. I got all 66 possible repeaters this month, too. Now I need to do some planning for October, but our internet is down, and the repair person isn't coming until tomorrow afternoon, so I will have to wing it tomorrow. I plan to fire up the app on my phone that allows me to connect my laptop to the internet via my cellular connection, so I can send this out.