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Sunday, August 1, 2021
A new month. Everything was new for my August list today. Before I left home, I started my list with American Crow, Feral Pigeon, House Sparrow, and House Finch. I went over to the Snoqualmie River Valley, hunting for an American Dipper and anything else I could find. As I drove across the valley, a Song Sparrow flew across the road and showed itself to me. There were also Barn Swallows and a Dark-eyed Junco on display. Then it was a pair of Common Ravens, followed shortly by a flock of European Starlings. I also saw 2 or 3 American Goldfinches on wires. Next, I saw this Red-tailed Hawk.
The light was poor today, with a heavy overcast and smoke in the air from wildfires in Eastern Washington and Oregon, so my pictures look kind of flat.
A couple of American Kestrels were flying around and perching on wires as I approached Sikes Lake, but I couldn't ever get close enough for a picture. At Sikes Lake, I saw a female Wood Duck and a lot of Canada Geese. I stopped at the pond at Chinook Bend and added Gadwall and Mallard to my list. Just across the Snoqualmie River at Chinook Bend, an Osprey was on the nest platform.
I saw a flycatcher there, too, and got this picture.
At the time I thought it was a Western Wood-Pewee, but after seeing my picture, I think it was a Willow flycatcher, so I put that one on my list for August. I have a difficult time identifying flycatchers, though, so I could be wrong. A Red-winged Blackbird flew across the road there, too. Swallows were flying over the river, and I watched them for a while. I ended up deciding they were Bank Swallows, an uncommon species around here. I drove into the town of Carnation and saw an American Robin on a wire on my way.
I didn't see anything new at the house in Carnation with feeders, and I didn't find a dipper at the Tolt River bridge. I drove down the west side of the river to Fall City, and on the way I saw a couple of swallows on a wire. One was a Barn Swallow, and the other one was a female Violet-green Swallow, shown here.
At the pond south of Jubilee Farms, I got this picture of a Great Blue Heron.
I was quite surprised to see a Green Heron close to the Great Blue Heron. I've never seen a Green Heron at that pond before. It was the first one I have seen in Washington State this year. I had one in the San Diego area in March, but I hadn't seen one up here this year. Here are three shots of the Green Heron.
Next I drove up to Tokul Creek, to try for American Dipper. I dipped on it today, sorry to say. I drove back down the hill and on to Carnation again. At the house with feeders, I saw several Eurasian Collared-Doves. Then, just as I was about to leave, a small raptor flew through. I looked around soon after that, and I spotted it at the top of a tree. Here are four pictures of a Merlin, an excellent one for my August list. It was only the second time I had seen a Merlin this year, and the first time was just last week.
The owner of the feeder house came out to spread some seed in the street, and we chatted for a couple of minutes, as we often do. He mentioned that the sunflowers along his front fence were volunteers, having sprouted from sunflower seeds he had put on the fence for birds. He referred to them as his sunflower garden that the birds planted for him. Here is a shot of the sunflowers along the fence.
Here is a shot of the sunflowers from another angle. You can see the giant sunflowers he planted in his back yard in the background of this shot.
Here is a closer picture of the giant sunflowers, some of which are well over ten feet tall.
You can see a Eurasian Collared-Dove in the bottom left corner of that shot, on the feeding table.
That was all I got today. I started the month off with 26 species. I got some good ones (Bank Swallow, Green Heron, and Merlin were the best ones), but I missed seeing an American Dipper.
Monday, August 2, 2021
A friend was coming over for lunch today, but I went out this morning for a couple of hours to see what I could find. First I tried stopping at Log Boom Park in Kenmore, to try for the rare (for this season) Snow Goose I had seen there last week, but the road and the park were closed for construction of some kind. Next I tried for Band-tailed Pigeon at the house in Lake Forest Park where I see them regularly. No luck today. I moved on to the town of Woodway, just south of Edmonds, to try for California Quail at my site there. I struck out again. No quail. I did see a Northern Flicker, so that one went on my list for August. There were also three Spotted Towhee fledglings scrabbling around in the dirt and bushes, and I needed that one still. Here is a shot of one of the Spotted Towhee fledglings.
I saw a flycatcher that I thought was a Willow Flycatcher, so I played its song. The bird responded strongly and flew right by me several times. It also sang back to me a few times. I got that species yesterday, but here are a couple of pictures of Willow Flycatcher from today.
I gave up on the quail and drove to the Edmonds Marsh. I took my scope out to a viewing platform, and I added Least Sandpiper and Western Sandpiper to my August list. There were also a lot of Killdeer around, so that one went on my list, too.
I drove the short distance to the Edmonds fishing pier and walked out on the pier. I saw a couple of Purple Martins around the nest boxes in the bay, and that was another August bird for me. Then I added Glaucous-winged Gull to my list, and here is a picture of one.
There were some Heermann's Gulls down the breakwater, and a couple of them flew to the water inside the breakwater. I needed that species, and here is a distant picture of a Heermann's Gull.
I had to head for home then, but on the way I tried again for Band-tailed Pigeon and missed it again. I also stopped up on Bothell Way and looked out over the lake to see if I could see the Snow Goose, but all I saw were Canada Geese. This afternoon at home I saw a female Anna's Hummingbird, so that went on my list, too.
I added 9 more species today, and now I have 35 species this month.
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
I added Steller's Jay to my August list here at home, and then I went down to Juanita Bay Park, which is only about two miles from home. I walked on the Fire Station Road, but I didn't see anything I needed and didn't get any pictures. I drove across to the main part of the park and tried playing some bird songs near the parking lot. I attracted one or two Red-breasted Nuthatches. Here are some pictures.
Two or three Golden-crowned Kinglets flew in, too, and I got this picture.
A couple of Chestnut-backed Chickadees flew in to the same tree. Here is one of them.
Next I walked in the park, and I played Brown Creeper songs. I attracted one, and here are a couple of pictures of the Brown Creeper.
Brown Creepers sure blend in with their habitat, which is usually the trunks of large evergreen trees, like this one.
I walked toward the east boardwalk and spotted a flock of Bushtits, another little bird I needed. They don't sit still, and I was pretty far away, but here are three pictures of Bushtits.
A Song Sparrow was with them, too.
I walked out on the east boardwalk to the end, to look at the bay. There wasn't much around (the doldrums of summer), but here is a male Wood Duck in eclipse plumage.
Here is a female Wood Duck, showing the colors on her wing.
I had Wood Duck already this month, but I didn't have American Coot, and I got this picture of one.
I noticed a Belted Kingfisher on a post way out in the bay, and I needed that one for August.
I also needed Pied-billed Grebe, and I saw one of those.
There were dragonflies buzzing around the water lily flowers, so I took a picture of one of the dragonflies.
On my way back to my car, I saw an excellent August bird, a Black-throated Gray Warbler. I needed that one, and I got a couple of pictures.
That was it for today. I enjoyed my walk in the park, although it was getting too hot for me by the time I got back to my car. It got into the low 80's today, and that is hotter than I like. We have had 49 or 50 consecutive days without measurable rain in Seattle, and I am darn tired of the heat and dryness. The webs between my toes are drying out, and we need rain.
I got 10 more species for my August list today, and now I have 45 species this month.
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
I had a lunch appointment up in Everett today, so I went up early to look for birds. I tried for California Scrub-Jay at my Marysville site, but came up empty. Next I stopped at the Everett Water Treatment Plant (Sewage Lagoons). I played Marsh Wren songs in several places, but never got any response. I did see one duck on the main pond at one point, and it was a female Northern Shoveler, one I needed. The tide was out, and there were some Least Sandpipers on the mud in the tidal area. I had that one already, but here is a picture of two Least Sandpipers.
Then I spotted what might be a bird in a dead tree, and I got out my camera to get a better look. It turned out to be a Peregrine Falcon, an excellent one for my August list. It was pretty distant, but here are three pictures of the Peregrine Falcon, anyway.
It stuck its neck out for this next picture.
I stopped at the 12th St boat ramp parking lot and looked for birds. A Caspian Tern was fishing near the boat ramps, so that one went on my list. The tide was pretty far out, and gulls were scattered around. I got lucky and this Ring-billed Gull, which I needed, was pretty close and posed for me in the sun.
All three Osprey nestlings that I have been watching were still in the nest today, with no adult in sight. I guess they are big enough now to look after themselves. The only real threat to Osprey nestlings in this area is Bald Eagle,.and I didn't see any around. They seem too big for an eagle to get one of them now, anyway. Here are the three Osprey nestlings on their own.
I saw a gull in the mud and I decided it was a California Gull. California Gulls take 3 years to reach maturity, and they have a different plumage each year until then. This one is what birders call a 2nd winter California Gull, which I think means it hatched in 2019.
Up on the parking lot, I got this picture of a mature California Gull in its adult plumage.
That was all I had time for today. I added 5 more species to my August list, and now I have 50 species so far this month.
Thursday, August 5, 2021
I was thinking of going up to Skagit county today, or maybe up to the North Bend area and coming back through Carnation, but in the end, I decided I just didn't feel like making an expedition today. I stayed home, but I needed to go to the grocery store for some lunch vegetables, so I stopped at the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park for a short walk, on my way to the store. I was hoping for Virginia Rail or Marsh Wren, and I played both species' songs. I got a response from a Virginia Rail once or twice, so that one went on my list. I also saw a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, and I needed that one as well. There were a lot of House Finches flitting around, but I had that one already. At one point, while checking out the House Finches, I got a brief view of a male Downy Woodpecker, and I needed that one, too.
The only pictures I got were of Black-headed Grosbeak, which I needed. Here is the first one I saw. It is a female, and I think it is a juvenile, hatched this year.
A little later I saw a second Black-headed Grosbeak. I think this second one was a juvenile male.
Here is a shot of the second Black-headed Grosbeak from the back.
That was all the birding I felt like doing today. I'll sure be glad when our hot summer weather goes away. It was mid-80's again today, which is way too darn hot for me. I added 4 more species to my August list today, and now I have 54 species this month.
Sunday, August 8, 2021
We had a little respite from the heat this weekend, and we even got about 0.2 inch of rain on Friday overnight, but it is supposed to get up to 90 again by the middle of the week. Today my first stop was at the Redmond Retention Ponds. I had read of a species that had been seen there the last couple of days, and I didn't have it yet this year. Soon after I got there, I saw my first SOLITARY SANDPIPER of the year. I took pictures, but these first ones were kind of distant, so they aren't very good.
There were actually at least two of them, and maybe three. Here are two Solitary Sandpipers in the same shot.
As I was trying to get into position to get better pictures, I saw 5 or 6 little peeps. They turned out to be Least Sandpipers, a species I already had this month. Here are a couple of shots of Least Sandpiper.
As usual, there were Killdeer around.
Here are a couple of closer Solitary Sandpiper pictures.
I was leaving at that point, but as I left I noticed a Solitary Sandpiper at the other end of the pond, probably one of the same ones. At one point, I thought I saw two of them flying and one in the water. I got this picture of two Solitary Sandpipers at the south end of the main pond. One or both of them were no doubt the same birds I had seen at the north end a few minutes earlier.
As I once again started to leave, I noticed a female Hooded Merganser, another species I still needed this month.
The Least Sandpipers were flying around a lot, and I got a couple of pictures of Least Sandpiper at the south end of the pond, too.
Then I noticed one duck on the north end of the pond, where I had been a few minutes before, was quite a bit smaller than the others around it. Here is a distant picture of what I thought was some kind of a female teal.
There are three possible teal species it could have been - Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, or Green-winged Teal. I walked back to the north end of the pond and got some good close pictures of the female teal.
After consulting my field guides, I decided it must have been a female Blue-winged Teal. The forehead is too steep for Cinnamon Teal, and the bill would be larger in Cinnamon Teal, too. Green-winged Teal would have a beige patch on the back, just in front of the tail, and the legs on a female Green-winged Teal are supposed to be gray. It doesn't have the look of a Green-winged Teal, either. So, I'm calling it a female Blue-winged Teal, although I am not 100% sure of it by any means. Juvenile Cinnamon Teal supposedly have slightly smaller bills than adults, so it could possibly be a juvenile Cinnamon Teal. I put Blue-winged Teal on my list.
Meanwhile, the female Hooded Merganser had swum across the pond and was standing on the north shore.
She had been preening and pulling out feathers from her underside, and that's what is on her bill.
Next I headed out to the Snoqualmie Valley to try again for American Dipper, which I had missed last Sunday. As I drove across the valley, I stopped briefly at the Snoqualmie River, on the east side of the bridge. I saw several Brewer's Blackbirds at the edge of the water, so that one went on my August list. At the house in Carnation with feeders, a single Mourning Dove was eating seed in the street, and I got this picture of that August bird.
I stopped at the bridge over the Tolt River, just south of Carnation to look for dipper, but I didn't see one. I drove on up to Tokul Creek to see if I could find one there. Bingo! An American Dipper was working its way up the creek toward the bridge, so I took pictures.
It had something small to eat in that last picture, but then it caught something pretty large.
It fooled around with it for a couple of minutes, but finally it either ate it or gave up on it. Here is another look at the dipper's prize.
It continued to look for food under the water.
It kept coming toward me, so I kept taking pictures.
It caught another one of those big things.
This time it made short work of it, although I didn't see it actually swallow it. It continued to look for food, coming closer all the time.
It was almost right under me by then, and when I looked away for some reason, it must have flown off, because I didn't see it again. A successful dipper hunt, though.
I headed for home, but I stopped at the feeder house in Carnation again, since it is right on the way. This time there were some Eurasian Collared-Doves around, so I took this picture of one of them.
I was looking at the American Goldfinches on one of the feeders, and I realized that there was a female Purple Finch on the feeder as well. I needed Purple Finch. The female Purple Finch is the larger bird, on top.
I continued on my way home, and as I was driving across the valley, I stopped and got out of my car to check out a bird near the top of a dead tree. It was only an American Robin, but while I was out of the car, I heard a Common Yellowthroat calling from across the road. It kept calling, but it never showed itself. It went on my August list as a "heard only" bird.
I added 8 species to my August list, including my first Solitary Sandpipers of the year and my primary target for the day, American Dipper. Now I have 62 species this month. Solitary Sandpiper brings my yearly total to 247 species.
Monday, August 9, 2021
I had a lunch appointment up in Everett today, and I drove on up to Tulalip Bay early to try for Black-bellied Plover and possibly the rare (for this area) Ruddy Turnstone that had been reported there a couple of days ago. The tide was out when I got there, and there were 20 or so Black-bellied Plovers scattered around on the spit, but I couldn't spot the Ruddy Turnstone, if it was still there. There were two Double-crested Cormorants, which I needed, on the log boom for the boat harbor. I tried from a couple of other vantage points, but all I added was Pigeon Guillemot in the distance and this immature Bald Eagle on the beach.
I drove back to the 10th Avenue boat launch in Everett to check out the Osprey nest I've been watching there. I also wanted to look for Semipalmated Plovers with the low tide, but all I saw were Least Sandpipers and Western Sandpipers. All three young Ospreys were still in the nest.
One of the adult Ospreys was on guard on the post next to the nest.
They didn't do anything interesting before I had to leave for lunch. After lunch I went back, and an adult and all three nestlings were in the nest.
There was another adult Osprey on a nearby piling, and it seemed to have a fish that it was eating.
The adult left the nest and flew around a bit. Here are the three nestlings in the nest.
Here is the adult flying around.
After a while, the adult (or another one) came back to the nest, but without a fish.
The adult left again, and some time later that one or another one landed on a nearby piling and started preening and drying itself. It had gotten very wet, either bathing or maybe by diving into the water after a fish.
Here are the three young Ospreys in the nest.
Meanwhile, the adult with the fish kept eating it. I expected it to eat what it wanted and take the rest of it to the nest, but it never did so. In the nest, one of the young Ospreys started experimenting with its wings, flapping and hopping and down, as if learning about wings and flying.
I was watching the nest when I noticed a couple of gulls flying toward me. One of them seemed quite large, and when I looked with my binoculars, I saw that it was a Great Egret, being harassed by a gull. Great Egret is semi-rare around here, so that was an excellent one for my August list. I got out of the car and found it after it landed on the beach. Here is a distant shot of the Great Egret.
I drove closer and took more pictures of the Great Egret.
It was time to leave, and I stopped at the Osprey nest, but nothing new was going on. The three youngsters were still in the nest and the adult that had been in the nest earlier was still drying its wings on a nearby piling.
That was the extent of my birding adventures today. I added 5 species to my August list, including the uncommon (for this area) Great Egret, and now I have 67 species this month. After our nice cool weather over the weekend, today was a transition day back to summer. It was about 70 degrees on the waterfront, with a nice breeze and it was about 80 at home when I got here. By Thursday, we are supposed to be in the 90's again, for a three day heat wave. Ugh.
Thursday, August 12, 2021
I didn't do any birding on Tuesday or Wednesday, but today I drove north. I picked up a sandwich at Subway and stopped at Leque Island, just west of the town of Stanwood. At the pullout near Davis Slough, I saw some shorebirds on a small pond. Here are two Lesser Yellowlegs (I think - more on that in a minute).
Here is a single Lesser Yellowlegs, I think.
I needed Lesser Yellowlegs and I also needed Long-billed Dowitcher. Here is a picture of a Long-billed Dowitcher and a Lesser Yellowlegs.
Here is another shot of a dowitcher and the Lesser Yellowlegs.
While I was watching the birds and taking pictures there, another birder came along. After he had watched for a while, we chatted, and he thought all the yellowlegs in the little pond were Greater Yellowlegs. I had thought they were all Lesser Yellowlegs, but I was starting to think that maybe some of them were Greater Yellowlegs. There is a size difference between the two species (10.5 inches long for Lesser and 14 inches long for Greater) and the bill lengths are also different. Greater Yellowlegs has a relatively longer bill. Dowitchers are 11.5 inches long, and I think the yellowlegs in the pictures above is much closer to the size of the dowitcher than a Greater Yellowlegs would be. The bill length looks much shorter than the bill on a Greater Yellowlegs, too, I think (see below). The dowitcher in that picture looks to me like a Short-billed Dowitcher, as opposed to the one in the first picture, which I am sure is a Long-billed Dowitcher. I'm not sure enough to add Short-billed Dowitcher to my August list, though. Anyway, I'm going with Lesser Yellowlegs for the one in the pictures with dowitchers, and also on the first pictures I showed.
Here is a Least Sandpiper and a Killdeer. The smaller bird is the least Sandpiper.
Here is another yellowlegs, a little farther away. I think that bill looks longer compared to the head than the bills on the birds in the earlier pictures. I suspect it was a Greater Yellowlegs, but I wasn't sure.
Here is a picture of three yellowlegs, also fairly distant.
The sizes seem pretty similar to me, although maybe the one in the back left is a bit larger. Here is another shot of that one, and I am calling it a Greater Yellowlegs, based on the bill length.
Here are two yellowlegs together.
To my eye, the one in the back looks larger and the bill length looks longer, but I would have expected more difference between Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs. Maybe the apparent size difference is just due to variation among individuals. I am almost certain about the yellowlegs I showed at the beginning of this report (Lesser Yellowlegs) and I'm going to say that at least one of the other ones is a Greater Yellowlegs. Here is one last picture of what I think must have been a Greater Yellowlegs, although I am not certain.
I moved on to the main parking area for Eide Road, still on Leque Island, and I scanned around with my scope. There was very little there, but I did see a half dozen or so distant Semipalmated Plovers, the one I was looking for there and one for my list.
Next I drove to Wylie Slough. The tide was in, so I didn't do any walking. I was hoping for Black Phoebe, but I never found one. The only thing I got there was a Savannah Sparrow (which I needed) on a wire.
I saw a lot of Barn Swallows on wires today, but I had that one. I kept checking them out, though, and eventually I found a female Tree Swallow, which was one I needed. Here is a picture.
As I drove up Wylie Road, I stopped to look at all the starlings on the wires. Among the many starlings, I found this juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird, a species I still needed this month.
Juvenile European Starlings look quite different from adult starlings, and I got this picture of a juvenile European Starling that has already started getting its adult colors. The tail is still long like a juvenile's, though, not short like an adult's. Juvenile European Starling.
There were a few other blackbirds mixed in, too, and here is a male Brewer's Blackbird, another species I already had this month.
I moved on across Fir Island, and at one point I spotted an interesting hawk in a tree. I pulled over on the busy road and turned my flashers on, so I could get pictures. Here is what you get when you are about one second too late in snapping the picture.
You can see that the hawk's feet are still on the branch it had been sitting on, and it was just taking off. Fortunately, it only flew a short distance, and I was able to back up and get these next two shots of the juvenile Cooper's Hawk, which I needed for August.
In that last picture, the hawk was just getting ready to take off again, already leaning forward.
After that I drove around March Point. I saw the American White Pelicans that spend the summer there, in the far distance. I had expected to get that one, which I needed. I was hoping for maybe a loon or a duck, but I saw nothing but Double-crested Cormorants and Canada Geese on the water as I drove around the point. I was also hoping for Black Oystercatcher, and I didn't see any on the east side of the point, but as I drove down the west side, I saw some black birds on a point, so I stopped and got out my scope. I figured they would just be crows, but there were 5 or 6 Black Oystercatchers on the point, so that excellent species went on my August list.
It was getting hot by then (90 degrees eventually), and it was also quite smoky from wildfires in Oregon and Eastern Washington, so I headed for home. I stopped at Wylie Slough again, but I again missed Black Phoebe and everything else.
I added 10 more species to my August list today, and now I have 77 species this month. It was over 90 degrees at home when I got here, but at least it was clear of smoke. The air conditioner on my new car works really great, and I was only out of my car a few times today, so the heat didn't bother me today. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter, the last I heard, and smokier.
Friday, August 13, 2021
My first stop this morning was my site in Lake Forest Park for Band-tailed Pigeon. I had missed them there the last few times I had been there, and nothing was around today again. I wondered about the feeder, but the vegetation in the back yard had grown, and I couldn't really see. I think the large decorative feeding table was gone, though. If so, that would explain why I haven't seen the pigeons there recently. Band-tailed Pigeon is an uncommon species, and it will hurt if I can't find them at that site any more.
I drove on to my California Quail site in the town of Woodway. There was a truck in the driveway and the noise of tree trimming. There is no way any self-respecting quail would hang around with that activity, so I moved on.
I drove to the Edmonds waterfront, but it was smoky and there weren't any birds out on the water at all. I ended up seeing just one Pigeon Guillemot, but I already had that one this month. Next I tried Ocean Avenue, and darned if there wasn't a Horned Grebe there, fairly near shore. Horned Grebe is a winter resident, and this was a very early returner. I looked on eBird tonight, and there are only a small handful of reports yet, anywhere in Western Washington, so I was lucky to see it this early. It was still partially in breeding plumage. Here are a couple of pictures of my early Horned Grebe.
That was a nice surprise, and I moved on. I stopped again at my quail site, but they were still trimming trees there, so I gave that up. I had a late lunch appointment up in Everett, and I drove up early to the 10th St boat launch area. I wanted to check on the Osprey nest I have been watching there. There appeared to be only two nestling Ospreys in the nest that has had three in it for weeks.
An adult Osprey was on a nearby piling, keeping watch on the nest.
I watched, but the third chick never showed itself. One of the two in the nest started flapping its wings and hopping up and down, so I took pictures.
I presume it was getting ready to take its first flight. There were several Ospreys on various pilings around the bay. I got out my scope to check them out, and one of them was a juvenile, presumably the third one from the nest I was watching. I haven't seen any other fledglings around the bay this year. The adult on the nearby piling just sat there for a long time.
I was hoping an adult Osprey would bring a fish or the fledgling would come flying back to the nest. While I was waiting, I noticed a couple of gulls in the water in front of me. A recent fledgling Glaucous-winged Gull was following an adult around, looking like it wanted to be fed. The posture of the youngster is interesting, I think.
I didn't see it get fed, but it kept following the adult around, maintaining that begging posture.
At about that time, I saw an Osprey flying toward the nest from the deeper water. The two nestlings saw it, too, and were watching.
Sure enough, dad (or mom) was bring a fish. Here is the adult Osprey bringing home the bacon, so to speak.
The adult dropped off the fish and flew off.
The one that brought the fish landed on a nearby piling on the opposite side of the nest from the adult that had been there all along. Here is the one that brought the fish to the nest.
I thought that maybe the fledgling that was several pilings away would come back to the nest to eat, but it stayed where it was. Maybe it wasn't hungry, or maybe having flown to that piling, it wasn't feeling confident enough to fly again. I drove down the edge of the parking lot and got a picture of what I believe was the third juvenile from the nest I have been watching. Juveniles have spots on their wings, which is how I knew it wasn't an adult.
It was looking down at the water, so maybe it was looking for a fish. I drove back to where I watch the nest, and I could only see one nestling in the nest. I wondered if the other one had flown. I kept watching, and took this picture.
At the time I could only see the one bird, but in the picture, you can just barely see the beak of the other nestling, under the chin of the one in front. They moved and I got a picture that clearly showed me that both nestlings were still in the nest.
That was it for me today. I went to lunch then, and didn't look for birds this afternoon. The Horned Grebe added one more to my August list, and now I have 78 species this month. We are supposed to have one more 90 degree day tomorrow, and then it is supposed to cool into the 80's for the next week. I don't like the 80's, but it is better than 90's. The smoke is supposed to clear out, too, by Sunday. It is pretty bad tonight.
Monday, August 16, 2021
The smoke cleared out pretty well over the weekend, and today the temperatures finally got better (a high of 72, which is great for me). I drove up to Marysville, about a half hour north of home, just north of Everett. I parked and walked out on the Eby Slough trail, which leads to the Marysville Sewage Treatment Plant ponds. I carried my scope and my camp chair because I would need the scope and it was about a 15 or 20 minute walk each way, and I wanted to be able to sit and take the weight off my back from time to time. The camp chair also gives me a much more stable base for picture taking than if I am free standing.
There were ducks on the main pond, as expected, but most of them were Northern Shovelers, a species I already had this month. Here is a distant picture of a couple of female Northern Shovelers.
I spotted a single Ruddy Duck, a good one for my list. There were some Mallards and some Gadwalls, but I had those two species this month. Then I saw a couple of Lesser Scaup on the log boom. Here are two distant pictures of Lesser Scaup, which I needed.
I kept looking, and eventually I saw a couple of what I believe were Cinnamon Teal, another one I needed still this month. They weren't in a position for pictures.
I walked back to my car, and I drove to the 10th St boat launch area on Gardiner Bay, on the Everett waterfront. I wanted to check out the Osprey nest there that I have been watching. When I first got there, I couldn't see any birds in the nest, so I thought maybe all three youngsters had fledged now. On Friday, two were still confined to the nest, and one was flying. I looked around and found a fledgling on a nearby piling.
I kept looking around and when I looked back at the nest, two young Ospreys showed themselves.
One stood up, but I didn't see either of them fly.
The fledgling I had seen on the nearby piling had flown off, and in a while it came back to the nest. Here it is approaching the nest.
I wonder what the two in the nest think about their sibling flying. Here is the fledgling just as it landed in the nest.
They stood around a while, as I wondered where the parents were. One of them started flapping its wings.
I think that was the fledgling, the one that could fly. I don't know what it was doing, but it hopped up and down and flapped its wings.
To put a human slant on it, maybe it was showing off for its siblings, or maybe it was trying to show them how to fly. The two non-fliers seemed to be watching intently. I had to go soon after that, and I never saw either adult around the nest today.
So, my walk to the Marysville Sewage Treatment Plant got me three more duck species for my August list. Now I have 81 species this month. That's a really low total; with the smoke and the heat, I just haven't been out very often this month. I have felt fatigued and unenergetic, but some of that was due to the smoke and heat. I have had some other things to take care of this month, too. It is hard to get motivated to go out there when the bird activity is so low, too, and July and August are really the doldrums of birding around here. Shorebird migration is getting underway now, and ducks and sea birds will start coming back soon, so maybe that will motivate me.
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Today I drove up to Skagit county to look for migrating shorebirds and anything else I could find. My only real birding stop was at Wylie Slough. I drove back and forth on the roads in the reserve and saw my first Cedar Waxwing of the day and the month.
I got closer and just as I took another picture, the Cedar Waxwing took off.
I parked and checked out the mud flats near the east parking lot. I had the species already, but here are a couple of pictures of a female American Goldfinch eating weed seeds.
There were swallows flying around, and most of them were Barn Swallows, but there were some other species, too, including Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and I needed that one. There were Western Sandpipers foraging in the mud, and here is a picture of three of them on a log.
The one in the middle is very large, but I think it is just another Western Sandpiper that happens to be big. I have seen very large Western Sandpipers before. Most of the peeps on the mud were Western Sandpipers (with black legs), but here is a Least Sandpiper (with yellowish legs).
I had both Western Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper already this month. I noticed a sparrow-like bird near the edge of the water, and I took this picture.
I think it was a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow, and I needed that one for August.
I drove around to the west parking lot and walked out on the dike trail. There were dowitchers feeding in the mud, and while I was looking at them and trying to identify the two dowitcher species, another birder mentioned that the rare sandpiper I was hoping to see was out there, too. He pointed it out to me, and I added STILT SANDPIPER to my year list. Here is the Stilt Sandpiper, a juvenile, I think.
Here is the Stilt Sandpiper with a couple of Short-billed Dowitchers, the dowitcher species I still needed for August.
Here are two more pictures of the Stilt Sandpiper, since it is so uncommon around here.
Here is another picture of a Short-billed Dowitcher.
Here is a Short-billed Dowitcher with its wings up, showing the interesting patterns under the wings and on its body. Too bad about the out of focus reed that cuts across the picture in the foreground.
I went into the blind to see what was on the slough on the north side of the dike trail. I was surprised and pleased to see a juvenile Red-necked Phalarope, a cute little shorebird that is migrating through here now.
Phalaropes are shorebirds, but they swim more than they walk, when they are foraging for food. There were several Green-winged Teal on that little slough, too, and I needed that one for August. Here is a Green-winged Teal preening, showing its green patch on the wing.
I continued on out the dike trail to the fork in the trail at the bridge, and then returned. On the way back I found another migrating shorebird species I was looking for, Pectoral Sandpiper. Here are two pictures of Pectoral Sandpiper.
There were actually two Pectoral Sandpipers, and I got this picture of the two of them in the same picture.
The Pectoral Sandpipers are the two larger birds, and the smaller one in the foreground is a Western Sandpiper. Here is another picture that shows the size comparison between Pectoral Sandpiper and Western Sandpiper (on the right).
Most of the dowitchers seemed to be Long-billed Dowitchers, and I think this one is a Long-billed.
Here is another picture of a Least Sandpiper, with its yellowish legs.
At the boat ramp, I saw another one for my August list, a Spotted Sandpiper.
I looked for Black Phoebe all the time, but I didn't see one today. I couldn't call up a Marsh Wren, either.
It was about 1:30 by then, and I decided not to go anywhere else except up to the little town of Lyman, where I look for Barn Owl in the barn of a birding acquaintance. I found the Barn Owl today, so that one went on my August list. After that, I headed for home, arriving at about 3:30. I had been out there for about 6 hours, but it is an hour of driving each way, just to get to and from Skagit county, so I spent about 4 hours actually looking for birds and taking pictures.
It was a good birding day, for this time of the month. I added 10 species to my August list today, to bring it to 91. The Stilt Sandpiper brought my year total to 248 species.
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
I didn't feel like doing much birding today, but I went up to a local park, Big Finn Hill Park, mainly to look for Bewick's Wren. I sat in the sun and I walked a little. I played Bewick's Wren calls where I had seen two of them last month, and one came in to check me out. It didn't stick around much, but I got this one picture of a Bewick's Wren, which I needed for August.
There were a couple of chickadees foraging in the area, and I got this picture of a Black-capped Chickadee, one I had this month already.
I didn't see anything else except two large raptors flying around overhead. I thought they must be Red-tailed Hawks, and I took some pictures. It is hard to get a good picture of a bird overhead when you are free standing and trying to point the camera while focusing and trying to hold the camera steady. Here are two pictures of the raptors. This was the first one.
Here is the second one.
After seeing my pictures, I think they were actually juvenile Bald Eagles, maybe second year birds.
I only spent about a half hour at the park, and I added one more species to my August list (Bewick's Wren). Now I have 92 species this month. My goal now is to reach 100 this month, which is a pathetic total, compared to the last three years. There are 13 days left in the month still, so maybe I will get motivated and surprise myself.
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Today I ventured across Puget Sound. I caught the 9:35 ferry out of Edmonds, and before the ferry left the dock, I took this picture of a Pigeon Guillemot in breeding plumage, through a ferry window.
Pigeon Guillemot was about the only bird I saw on the water today, and several times one was close enough for a picture. I had it already, but pictures were few and far between today, so I took what I could. On the crossing, I spotted a Western Grebe, a good one for my August list that I hadn't expected today. At the ferry dock in Kingston, I added Pelagic Cormorant to my August list, and here is a picture.
The Pigeon Guillemot I showed earlier was in breeding (summer) plumage, and in the Kingston harbor, I got this picture of a Pigeon Guillemot that was molting to its non-breeding or winter plumage, which will be all gray and white, with more white than this bird has now.
There was also a Pigeon Guillemot in breeding plumage there, so I took its picture. It was flapping its short little wings.
Here is the Pigeon Guillemot in breeding plumage and the one that was molting, in the same frame (top and bottom).
My first stop on the west side of the sound was Point No Point, at the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula. There was almost nothing out on the water, so I drove back and forth, looking for California Scrub-Jays. I never saw one. I did see some gulls down the beach that looked interesting, but they were too far away to identify, due to heat distortion. I drove to Norwegian Point to get a closer look at the gulls, and some of them were Bonaparte's Gulls, which I needed for August.
After that I moved on across the Hood Canal floating bridge to the town of Port Townsend. At Point Hudson, I saw dozens of Black Turnstones (for my August list) and there were some SURFBIRDS in with them. Surfbird was a new bird for 2021 for me. Again there were no birds out on the water, and that was disappointing. There were some Black-bellied Plovers there, in various stages of molting from their breeding plumage to their winter plumage, but they were a bit too far away for any pictures. Likewise, the Black Turnstones and Surfbirds were too distant for pictures. I did get a couple of pictures of an otter, a River Otter, I think.
I thought about trying other places, like Fort Flagler, but I decided to head for home. I thought I could easily catch the 2:20 ferry out of Kingston, and that would get me home early. On the way, while crossing back across the Hood Canal bridge, I saw a number of small dark birds on the water. I got a good look at one of them in profile, and it was the distinctive profile of a Rhinoceros Auklet, a good August bird.
I stopped at Port Gamble because I thought I had lots of time, and I saw 5 or 6 Red-necked Grebes in the distance, another species for August.
When I got to Kingston, I was surprised that I had to stop and wait outside the large parking area. It turned out that the information on the ferry system website wasn't accurate, and I missed the 2:30 ferry, despite being there at 2:00. I caught the 3:10 ferry, and before leaving the dock, I got a closer picture of a Pigeon Guillemot that was molting into non-breeding plumage - probably the same bird I had photographed in the morning.
There were a few cormorants on the pilings, including a Pelagic Cormorant and a Double-crested Cormorant. Here is the Double-crested Cormorant, a species I already had this month.
The third local cormorant species was also there, Brandt's Cormorant, which I needed for August. Here is the juvenile Brandt's Cormorant.
That was it for the day, and I got home just after 4:00. I added 8 more species to my August list, although it sure seemed like birding was slow today. I did a lot of driving, waiting in ferry lines, and riding across the sound in ferries, but I got my 8 birds, too. Now I have an even 100 species in August. Surfbird was new for the year for me, and now I have 249 species this year. The weather was beautiful and I had a nice day out, so the day was a success in that way, too. I missed a number of sea birds I had been hoping to see, and I guess I'll have to take a trip up to the north end of Whidbey Island to see if I can find some of them there.
Friday, August 20, 2021
I stayed local today, and my first stop was Marymoor Park in Redmond. I drove through the park and checked out the Osprey nest at the ball fields. One of the young Ospreys there had fledged the last time I was there, and I expected them all to be flying by now. I also expected they would still be hanging around the nest and being fed by their parents. When I got there, there were two fledglings at the nest, and I got pictures of them.
Ospreys are large birds, with a big wingspan.
I didn't want to spend too long waiting around to see if they got fed, so I drove back through the park. The two young Ospreys at the new nest also seemed to have fledged. I took pictures of each of them.
I drove through the community garden, looking for the male pheasant that hangs out there, but didn't see him today. I parked in the west dog park parking lot and walked along the slough. I saw a bird across the slough, too distant to identify with my binoculars. Something about it made me interested, so I took pictures.
It was a Western Tanager, one I needed for August still. A short time later, I saw a couple of birds flying around, much closer. I played the Western Tanager song, and they flew over me into some trees behind me. They flew back and forth, and I got some pictures of a Western Tanager in the willow trees in the middle of the slough.
I don't know if it was a particularly bright female or a male in winter plumage, but it was definitely a Western Tanager. A little farther along the slough there was a Belted Kingfisher looking for fish.
A little later he turned around, and I could see it was a male Belted Kingfisher.
At the weir, there was a Spotted Sandpiper on the rocks. I didn't need either the kingfisher or the Spotted Sandpiper, but pictures are always in order. Here is the Spotted Sandpiper.
A duck flew up the slough, and based on the white wing patches and the overall look of it, I am convinced it was a female type Common Merganser, another one I needed for August. A juvenile Osprey was flying around, looking like it was fishing, which I found interesting. One had been missing from the ball fields nest, and I suspect this was it.
I continued walking upstream, hoping that the merganser had landed, and I saw another kingfisher.
That one was a juvenile female, indicated by the brown feathers in the breast band, the brown band across the belly and the brown flanks. I turned back and didn't see anything else of interest except a couple more kingfishers. Here is a male Belted Kingfisher, maybe the one I had gotten pictures of earlier.
I drove back across the park to check out the Osprey nests again. Nothing new at the new nest, but at the ball fields nest, an adult was in attendance now, and the two fledglings were still around. Here is the adult Osprey.
The young ones have white spots on their wings, which makes it easy to tell them from the adults.
I was basically done then, but I decided to go home by way of the Redmond Retention Ponds, in the hopes that maybe I would find something there I needed, like an early returning migrant duck or a flycatcher. What I found there was some Purple Martins flying around and calling constantly. There were four of them, and I was able to identify a male and a female. With all the calling going on, I wonder if they were feeding fledglings in midair.
There were shorebirds there, and they stayed put as I approached. Here is a Lesser Yellowlegs.
Here is one of its larger cousins, a Greater Yellowlegs.
Greater Yellowlegs is larger and has a bill that is longer compared to its head than the Lesser Yellowlegs has. Here is a picture of the two yellowlegs, showing how much larger the Greater Yellowlegs is than the Lesser Yellowlegs.
Here is another one, in which the two birds are closer to each other.
There were also three Solitary Sandpipers there, a high number of that uncommon migrant. Here are two of the Solitary Sandpipers together.
There were several teal there, too. There are three species of teal that we get locally, and I think all three were there today. First, here is the most common of the three species of teal, a Green-winged Teal, showing a bit of the bright green patch on its wing.
Here is what I think was a Blue-winged Teal, the least common of the three local teal species.
The wing colors are indicative, although Cinnamon Teal has very similar colors. The best way to tell the difference is the face and head. This bird has a broken white eye ring, a dark line through the eye, and a dark cap. All of those things indicate Blue-winged Teal, compared to Cinnamon Teal. Here is what I think is a Cinnamon Teal.
The face is plainer, with no dark eye line and no dark cap. The bill is also quite long and wide, which is usually how I identify Cinnamon Teal. It also has a more reddish tint to it.
Here is another Blue-winged Teal, I think.
The eye ring, the dark line through the eye, and the dark cap are all evident. It was sticking its tongue out at me, too.
Here is a teal that I'm not sure of.
I would guess Cinnamon Teal, but it isn't as obvious to me as the other picture I showed.
That was it for the day. I already had all three teal species for August, although I wasn't completely sure of the Blue-winged Teal I had seen at the same location a couple of weeks ago, so it was nice today to see all three species in the same place at the same time.
I added two more species to my August list today, and now I have 102 species this month.
Saturday, August 21, 2021
I drove up to the Edmonds area this morning. On the way I stopped at my Band-tailed Pigeon site in Lake Forest Park. I hadn't seen them there in the last several visits, and I suspected that the homeowner that had been feeding them had stopped. I looked around when I got there, and didn't see any. I pulled forward a bit and scanned the trees again. Eventually I spotted one Band-tailed Pigeon near the top of a pretty distant tree.
I still wonder if they have stopped feeding them at that house, and I'll check back again next month.
I drove on to my quail site in the town of Woodway. I didn't see or hear any quail today, and the only picture I took was of a Song Sparrow, a common species I already had this month.
I decided to try one more place, and I drove to Yost Memorial Park in Edmonds. I parked at the back and walked a little on the trails. I played various bird calls, and managed to attract a male Wilson's Warbler, an excellent August bird for me. There wasn't enough light under the trees on an overcast day to get a picture.
That was it for today. I added 2 more species to my August list, and now I have 104 species this month.
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Today I went over to Seattle. My first stop was my scrub-jay site near the University of Washington. Sunday is the best day to go there because there aren't many people around and I can park for free. I walked up and down the street, playing scrub-jay calls from time to time, but I never had a sniff of one.
Next I went to the west side of the Union Bay Natural Area, known to birders as the Montlake Fill, or just the Fill. Sunday is the day to go there, too, because I can park in the university parking lot behind the stadium on Sunday. I walked along the edge of the lagoon there, playing Marsh Wren songs. No Marsh Wrens showed themselves, but I saw a Green Heron flying on the other side of the lagoon. I had only seen Green Heron twice before this year, but one of those times was this month, so it wasn't an August bird today. I took a distant picture, and you can barely make out the Green Heron.
I walked to the bridge and back, continuing to play Marsh Wren songs from time to time. I was almost back to my car when I decided to take a picture of a Great Blue Heron that was sitting on a dead branch over the water.
Here is the Great Blue Heron with its neck pulled in.
Look at all the different kinds and colors of feathers it has.
There was a pair of Wood Ducks sitting on another dead branch, sleeping. From time to time they would open their eyes.
The male is the more colorful one, but it isn't nearly as colorful as during the breeding season. The male Wood Duck looked up and I snapped a picture.
Eventually the female Wood Duck looked up, too.
While I was taking those pictures, a Marsh Wren came along. It must have heard the calls I was playing a few minutes earlier. I only got a couple of quick looks at it, and I couldn't call it out for a picture. Marsh Wrens will sit up and call back during breeding season, but not usually in the winter, which makes it much harder to get one. It was an excellent August bird. A Pied-billed Grebe was snoozing in the little bay, so I took its picture.
It looked up, so I snapped another one.
A little later it woke up and dove a few times. Here is one more picture of the Pied-billed Grebe, with water drops on its back.
I made one more stop on the way home, at Magnuson Park. I parked and walked in the wetlands there. I talked briefly with another birder, and a few minutes later he pointed out a flycatcher to me. Flycatchers are tough, and I only got a short look at it. After discussing it, we each decided that it was a Western Wood-Pewee, one I needed for August. A few minutes later, we flushed a Green Heron, and we both got good looks at it as it flew away from us. I have only seen Green Heron four times this year, and two of those times were today. Go figure. I went back to my car and drove over the north shore, looking for Cliff Swallow, but I didn't see any.
I added 2 more species to my August list today, and now I have 106 species this month.
Monday, August 23, 2021
Today the wind forecast was good, so I drove up through Skagit county to the north end of Whidbey Island. I stopped at Wylie Slough and drove through. There were a lot of Cedar Waxwings feeding in the trees and berry bushes, and I got a couple of pictures of a juvenile Cedar Waxwing that was eating blackberries. Juveniles have streaks on their breasts.
I didn't need Cedar Waxwing, but I did need Black Phoebe, and I got a quick look at one. I moved on after that and drove to Whidbey Island. At the pullout on the water near Joseph Whidbey State Park, I found a group of scoters that included both Surf Scoter and White-winged Scoter, both of which I needed for August. On Swan Lake, I saw a group of 8 or 10 Northern Pintails, but the light was terrible and I didn't even try for a picture. I needed that one for my August list. At the south end of the lake, there were some yellowlegs and some ducks. The ducks turned out to be Green-winged Teal, and the yellowlegs were Greater Yellowlegs. I had both of those species this month already. Here are pictures of a couple of Greater Yellowlegs, in the terrible light, which was coming from behind the birds.
I drove to the Hastie Lake Road access, and ate half my Subway sandwich there. I looked around and found three Common Loons, another one I needed. After that I stopped at Libbey Beach, but I didn't see anything I needed there. There were a couple of Western Grebes, a good bird, but I had it already this month.
I drove to Crockett Lake, mainly hoping to find a Northern Harrier there. On the way, a raptor flew by and landed ahead of me. I had hopes it was a Northern Harrier, but it was only a Red-tailed Hawk. I pulled over and took a picture in the poor lighting, anyway.
At Crockett Lake, I ate the second half of my sandwich while I watched for Harriers, but I never found one. By the time I finished there, it was time to head for home. I had planned to get gas in Oak Harbor, but the price at the Safeway gas station there was higher than what I had seen on my way north, back on I-5 at the Angel of the Wind casino exit. It was marginal to go that far, but I figured I could make it. As I drove across state highway 20 to I-5, I spotted a Turkey Vulture swooping around fairly near the road. I was able to pull over off the busy highway and get a good look at it, and then I got back into the flow of traffic. It was only a three minute delay in my schedule, and I was glad to have Turkey Vulture for the month.
I made it to the gas station with plenty of gas to spare (I think. I am still learning about my new car. I put in 17.5 gallons, and it is supposed to hold 19.3 gallons. The needle was below empty, but I have had it lower.). I had a nice outing on a nice day, and I added 6 species to my August list. I have 112 species in August now. I don't expect to get many more, but there are 8 full days left in August, so who knows?
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
This morning I went down to my local park, Juanita Bay Park. I stopped at the fire station road, but I didn't see anything there. Over in the main part of the park, I walked out onto the east boardwalk. At a likely point, I played a Warbling Vireo song, and I was rewarded by three of them coming in close. They flitted around a lot, but I managed to get three pretty good Warbling Vireo pictures.
That was an excellent August species. I went on out to the end of the boardwalk and looked around. There had been reports of a Sora and also a Green Heron in that vicinity. I had Green Heron already, but it is a good bird, and Sora would be excellent. There were three or four Green-winged Teal around. I had that one tis month, but they aren't common here in the summer. I guess they are just starting to come back from their summer migration. Here is a distant Green-winged Teal.
The light was great today, and an American Coot was showing off in the sun, so I took this picture.
A Pied-billed Grebe was diving, and it caught a nice fish. It thrashed the fish around for awhile, softening it up to swallow it, I guess, and it finally got it down. Here are two pictures of the grebe with its fish.
After it swallowed that fish, it continued to hunt, and it caught a smaller one.
The grebe managed to swallow that one, too.
I spotted a couple of American Wigeons in the distance, and I needed that one for August. That is another duck that goes somewhere in the summer and is just now starting to return for the winter. Here are two distant American Wigeons.
I walked over to the west boardwalk and a photographer there pointed out a juvenile Green Heron at the edge of the lily pads. It was kind of distant, but here is a picture of my fourth Green Heron this month, after only seeing one in the first seven months of the year.
That was all I got, but I had a nice outing in the sun and a nice walk in the park. It was only 74 degrees by the time I stopped, at about noon, but I was hot and I rested in the shade a couple of times while walking back to my car. I added 2 more species to my August list today, and now I have 114 species this month. I have hopes of getting a couple more, but we will see. I could add 5 or 6 more if I were willing to drive over the mountains, I think, but I don’t think I want to do that.
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Today I went up to Tulalip Bay, which is about a half hour north of home, just north of Everett. There were four species I was looking for, but one of them was a rarity, one was a returning gull that I thought I had a prey good chance at, and the other two were uncommon birds that would be hard to pick out of a flock of similar birds.
I got the rarity first. BAR-TAILED GODWIT, my first of the year, and the first one I have ever seen in the U.S. Not quite a lifer, but close. I saw Br-tailed Godwits in Britain in 2010 and in Australia on all 6 of my trips there. The ones on this side of the world breed in the far north of Alaska, and in our fall, they migrate to New Zealand. Usually they would fly nonstop for about 7000 miles in 8 to 12 days. This one stopped off here, for some reason. They are seen along the Pacific coast in the summer, on their migration, and they have been reported regularly around Westport this year, on the Washington coast. They don't show up on Puget Sound very often, which is why I hadn't ever seen one in the U.S. before. I had good looks with my scope, but my attempts at a picture are pretty sad, due to the distance and the low light. Here are my attempts to show my first Bar-tailed Godwit in the U.S.
The Bar-tailed Godwit is the bird with the long bill in the center of the picture. The other birds are Black-bellied Plovers, in various stages of molt. Here are two more attempts.
In addition to the Bar-tailed Godwit, I also spotted a Short-billed Gull, which I needed for August. Short-billed Gull is a brand new species name, and the species here in the U.S. was called Mew Gull up until this month. They have been gone for the summer, and are just now starting to come back for the winter, when they will be fairly common in the right habitats.
I added 2 species to my August list, and now I have116 species this month. A week or ten days ago, I was worried I might not get to 100, so I am finishing the month strongly. The Bar-tailed Godwit brings my total US list to 572 species, but 11 of those species aren't officially recognized by the American Birding Association, for one reason or another. That also doesn’t count Hawaii. Counting Hawaii, I have about 50 more species, so a total of about 622 species in the U.S., including Hawaii. I don't add new ones beery often, and I have added two more this year now. Earlier in the year, I added Common Crane. The Bar-tailed Godwit didn't add to my life list, worldwide, because I had seen that species in Australia and Britain before, but the Common Crane I got earlier this year brought my worldwide life list to 1173 species.
Saturday, August 28, 2021
This morning I went up to Woodway to look for California Quail. I sat in my car and watched and listened, but I didn't see or hear anything. Then I noticed that a gate to a large piece of vacant land was open. Normally it is locked, but today it was open. I got up and walked through the gate. Almost immediately, I saw three California Quail. They saw me and scurried into the blackberry bushes, but I had my bird for August. That brings me to 117 species this month.
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Today I went over to Marymoor Park, in nearby Redmond. I was hoping to see Vaux's Swift, but I didn't see any. I also wanted to check to see if the Ospreys were still hanging around their nest, because they will be leaving on migration very soon, and tomorrow is a new month. I wanted to se if I should bother stopping there tomorrow on my way out to the Snoqualmie Valley. I guess I will, because there was one juvenile Osprey still at the ball fields nest, but none at the new nest. Here is the juvenile Osprey.
It was calling a lot, so I guess it is still being fed by the parents. I hope it will still be hanging around tomorrow.
It's no use looking at me, kid. I'm not going to feed you.
I drove along the side of the community garden, but I didn't see or hear Lonesome George, the male pheasant that has been hanging out there for a couple of years now. I couldn't call up a Lincoln's Sparrow, either. I hadn't seen a Lincoln's Sparrow since March, but they are just now starting to come back from their summer migration, and one had been reported in the community garden last week.
I drove over to the viewing mound, where I have seen Lincoln's Sparrow often in past years. I played the song, and eventually a Lincoln's Sparrow flew in. I managed to get one picture before it flew down into the grass, and I never could get it back up for a better picture. Here is my August Lincoln's Sparrow, which has just returned from migration.
I had gotten a very late start, and that was all I had time for today. The Lincoln's Sparrow brought my August total to 118 species, barely beating out last year's total of 117. In 2018 I had gotten 130 species in August, and in 2019 I got 137. I didn't go anywhere I didn't go last year and this year, but I had much more success in 2018 and 2019. That might be partly because I don't walk as much as I used to, and that cuts down the number of species I can get. I was also lucky in 2018 and 2019, I think.
Tomorrow is a new month, and I'm looking forward to it. I haven't felt real motivated to get out birding in recent months, but I feel more motivated now than I have for months, and we'll see if that lasts.