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Wednesday, December 1, 2021

 

A new month begins.  I'm not going to list all the common species I saw today, like I usually do.  Instead, I'll mention some notable ones and give the day's total at the end of today's report.

 

Before I left home, I added several common species here at home, including Red-breasted Nuthatch and Chestnut-backed Chickadee.  I also heard a Varied Thrush, so I counted that species, too.  I don't recall ever hearing a Varied Thrush singing before, but I knew the song because I have played it many times, trying to attract them, usually unsuccessfully.  It is a very distinctive song, though, and once I noticed it, I knew what it was.  It is only the third time I have counted Varied Thrush this year.  Other birders are always writing about hearing them sing, but I think they usually sing early in the morning, and I am not out there birding early enough, I think.

 

I went down to Juanita Bay Park and walked the fire station road.  I got a Virginia Rail to respond to my playing of its call, and I also got this picture of a Downy Woodpecker.

 

I drove over to the main part of the park and took my scope out to the end of the east boardwalk.  On the way I saw a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but I couldn't get any pictures.  At the end of the east boardwalk, I looked around and added a lot of common duck species to my list.  There was a single Trumpeter Swan there, too.

 

Here is a pair of Wood Ducks.

 

Here is another shot of those same two Wood Ducks, with three Mallards photo-bombing the picture.

 

You can see how much smaller Wood Ducks are than Mallards.  Here is a male Wood Duck on his own.

 

Here is a female Wood Duck.

 

I saw two distant Western Grebes, which are uncommon there, and there were also about two dozen Pied-billed Grebes in close.  Here is a Pied-billed Grebe.

 

There were a couple of mature Bald Eagles around.  Here is a male Green-winged Teal.

 

There was a female Belted Kingfisher flying around, and she came close enough at one point for this picture.

 

I used my scope to scan all around the bay for the Mandarin Duck that I saw there last week.  I must have missed him the first time around, but suddenly there he was, reasonably close.  Here is a medium distance picture of the male Mandarin Duck.

 

He was close to the end of the west boardwalk, so I took my scope back to my car and hustled back over to the west boardwalk.  The Mandarin Duck was sitting there, with his bill tucked under a wing much of the time, like in this shot.

 

He took his head out from time to time and looked around.

 

By that time I was late for a lunch appointment, so I hurried off.  As I left, I took these next two shots from the boardwalk on the way back to the car.  Here the Mandarin Duck has his head tucked in, facing away from me.

 

I got one last shot of him as he looked up and posed for me.

 

The number of different kinds of feathers and different colors are absolutely amazing to me, and I was happy to get some close pictures.

 

When I got back to my car, I saw a couple of Fox Sparrows, but the light was poor and I was late, so I didn't get a picture.

 

I ended up with 37 species today, not bad for an hour and a half at my local park and some time here at home getting yard birds.  We are supposed to have a couple more dry days before the rain returns, and I hope to add to my list.

 

 

Thursday, December 2, 2021

 

Today was supposed to be dry after about 9 AM, but that turned out to be wrong.  It was only drizzling lightly when I left home, and I hoped it would soon end, but instead it got worse for most of the morning and early afternoon.  I soldiered on anyway, but the conditions were far from ideal.

 

My first stop was Marymoor Park, but it was raining too much to get out of the car there, and I got nothing at all for my list.  The only birds I saw in the park were crows and juncos.  I drove out to the Snoqualmie Valley.  I saw a Red-tailed Hawk at the Evans Creek wildlife area, and at the pond along the west side of the valley I added Canada Goose and Cackling Goose.  When I started across the valley, there was a Cooper's Hawk in a dead tree, and that was a good one for my list.  Here is the wet juvenile Cooper's Hawk.

 

A little farther on I saw an American Kestrel for my list.  For some reason I don't understand, my pictures of it didn't come out at all.  I suspect it had to do with the rain and high humidity.  I saw some European Starlings along the way, and at the house in Carnation with feeders, I saw a single American Goldfinch for my list.  I picked up a sandwich at the Carnation Market, and drove down the west side of the Snoqualmie River.  Just south of Carnation, there were many hundreds of geese and swans in the stubble of a corn field, and Snow Goose went on my list.  Here are a couple of Snow Geese with some Cackling Geese in the field.

 

I spent some time looking through the flock for Greater White-fronted Geese, but I couldn't find any.  I got nothing else on the way to Tokul Creek.  The rain was definitely affecting my birding.  With all of our recent rain, the creek was high, but as I stood there in the rain, an American Dipper came flying down the creek, and it landed almost right under me on a rock.  The light was very low, and the bird kept moving around, so I had a difficult time getting pictures.  The only one that came out at all is this one.  American Dipper.

 

That was my main target for the day, so it was a successful day, despite the rain and the low numbers of other birds.  I was ready to go home, mainly because of the continuing rain, but I stopped in Carnation at the house with feeders.  There I added Eurasian Collared-Dove, Steller's Jay, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Pine Siskin.  Here is the Golden-crowned Sparrow.

 

Here is the lone Pine Siskin I saw.

 

I headed for home, and there were a lot of Northern Shovelers on Sikes Lake, so that one went on my list, too.  I only added 14 more species to my list today, most of them very common, but I got the dipper, and that was my goal.  Now I have 51 species this month.  Cooper's Hawk was a good one, too.  Again they are forecasting dry weather tomorrow morning, but we will see.

 

 

Friday, December 3, 2021

 

Today I went north, around Marysville and Everett.  My first stop was Tulalip Bay.  I was hoping for the rare Ruddy Turnstone, but the tide was wrong, and I didn't see any turnstones or other shorebirds at all.  I did pick up Surf Scoter and Common Goldeneye for my December list.  Here's a picture of three Common Goldeneyes.

 

Next I drove to Jennings Memorial Park in Marysville.  There are California Scrub-Jays that live around there, and last month I had taken some peanuts up there and fed the Steller's Jays until a couple of California Scrub-Jays had shown up.  I thought I would try that again today.  I walked to the bench where I had sat last month, and I saw 2 or 3 Steller's Jays around, so I was hopeful.  Then I discovered I had left the peanuts I the car, so I went back to get them.  As I approached my car, I noticed a bird at the top of a tree, and it turned out to be a California Scrub-Jay.

 

That's what I needed, so I put my peanuts back in the car for next month and moved on.  Next I went to the Everett Sewage Treatment Plant for ducks.  I hadn't seen any reports of the rare Tufted Duck for 4 or 5 days, so I wasn't expecting that one.  I was hoping the American White Pelican was still around, but it seems to have moved on also.  Yesterday there were reports of it in the morning, but yesterday afternoon it was reported to be on the river, a half mile south of the ponds.  I was one day too late, I guess.

 

I did add Lesser and Greater Scaup, as well as Northern Pintail, Ruddy Duck, and Canvasback.  There were also Bonaparte's Gulls and Short-billed Gulls out on the pond, and I needed both of those species.  Here are a couple of Bonaparte's Gulls.

 

At the east end of the access road, there was a Peregrine Falcon in the usual tree, so that went on my list, too.  Here are a couple of distant pictures of the Peregrine Falcon.

 

 

I still needed some gull species, so I drove to the parking lot for the 10th St boat launch.  I guess the tide was wrong, and all the gulls were out looking for food, so there weren't any there.  I had lunch with my friend in Everett, and after lunch I went back to the boat launch parking lot to see if the gulls had come in, but a guy was operating a remote controlled toy car in the parking lot, and I guess the gulls didn't care for that.  I'll have to go back another time for the gulls.

 

I added 11 more species today, and now I have 62 species this month.  The only "good" bird today was the scrub-jay, but I needed to check off those ducks as well, and now that is done.  I guess the Peregrine Falcon was a good bird, too, come to think of it.  Tomorrow looks to be rainy again, but I hope to get out on Sunday morning.

 

 

Sunday, December 5, 2021

 

We had drizzle and light rain all day long yesterday, so I stayed home.  Today was sunny and cold, and I drove up to the Edmonds area, on Puget Sound.  On the way I drove by my Band-tailed Pigeon site in Lake Forest Park, and there were two of them in a tall tree.  My next stop was at Deer Creek Park in Woodway.  I walked a little in the woods and played the songs of Pacific Wren and Brown Creeper, and I got a Pacific Wren to show itself, but no creepers.  I didn't see or hear any California Quail at my quail site.  I did see a coyote there, and maybe that's why the quail weren't showing themselves today.

 

At Kayu Kayu Ac Park, I added Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, and Harlequin Duck to my December list.  Everything was too distant for pictures, but I did get pictures of the grebes later from the Edmonds Pier, which is where I went next..

 

Here are three pictures of a Red-necked Grebe that I got from the pier.

 

 

 

Here are two Horned Grebes.

 

Here's a shot of one Horned Grebe.

 

I walked out on the pier, hoping for Black Turnstone or Surfbird on the rocks, but not today.  I did add Rhinoceros Auklet to my list.  Here are two pictures of two Rhinoceros Auklets.

 

 

Later I got a picture of another Rhinoceros Auklet.

 

There were cormorants on the pilings at the ferry dock, and with my scope I was able to identify all three local cormorant species.  I already had Double-crested Cormorant, but I added Pelagic Cormorant and Brant's Cormorant.  There were four Pigeon Guillemots out on the water, too, so that one went on my list.

 

I also added Brant, a small saltwater goose, to my list, and here are a couple of pictures of Brant.

 

 

After that I drove up to Sunset Avenue, but the only thing I saw there that I needed was two female Black Scoters.  I stopped at Ocean Avenue, but I saw nothing new there.

 

I missed several of the species I was hoping to get today, but I did see 12 common species for my December list, and now I have 74 species.

 

 

Monday, December 6, 2021

 

This morning was gray and cold (low to mid 40's), but dry.  I drove over to North Seattle, and my first stop was Matthews Park.  I looked for two duck species, Eurasian Wigeon and Barrow's Goldeneye, but I didn't see either one.  As I was leaving, a flock of wigeons flew in, so I went back and looked through the flock.  There were no Eurasian Wigeons, though, only American Wigeons.  Here is a pair of American Wigeons, with the male closer to the camera.

 

I drove on to Magnuson Park.  There I saw Common Goldeneye, but not Barrow's.  I looked for Cedar Waxwings, but didn't see any.  As I was walking around looking for the Cedar Waxwings, I did see an immature White-crowned Sparrow, and I needed that species this month still.  None of my pictures came ou very good, but here are two I would have liked if they were sharper.  I was free standing, and the older I get, the shakier I get, and my pictures suffer from that.  Immature White-crowned Sparrow.

 

 

I drove around and played some bird songs out of my window, but I didn't get anything until I had a Fox Sparrow respond to my Lincoln's Sparrow songs.  I had Fox Sparrow already this month, but here are two pictures of today's Fox Sparrow.

 

 

A few minutes after that, I saw several very small birds fly across the parking lot to some bushes.  They turned out to be Bushtits, a species I needed still.  Bushtits are difficult to take pictures of because they don't stay still for long.  It was even more difficult today because there was very little light, due to the heavy cloud cover.  I managed to get this picture of one of the Bushtits.

 

At one point, there were some other small birds in the feeding flock.  I saw a Black-capped Chickadee, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and this Bewick's Wren, another species I still needed this month.

 

There was kind of a comedy in the parking lot then.  I was trying to maneuver my car into position to take pictures, and suddenly there was a large truck coming toward me, and a car coming up behind me.  I managed to get out of the way, but I muttered a few words about "Grand Central Station".  When they were gone,  I kept trying for pictures, although I had missed my best opportunity. 

 

At one point, some of the large flock of Bushtits were down in the long grass, foraging for food.  I got in position and had the brilliant idea of playing their call, hoping they might perch up where I could see them.  I played a call on my phone, and a dozen Bushtits rose as one and flew off to some nearby trees.  Instantly.  Then I looked at my phone and realized I had played an alarm call that indicated a predator was nearby.  It sure worked.  At least it showed that they could hear my phone just fine. 

 

A little later, in another spot, I played a more appropriate call and some of the Bushtits flew in close, showing interest in me.  Here is a Bushtit looking right at me as my phone played its call.

 

That was it for me today.  I missed the three species I was mainly looking for, but I got three others that I needed.  Now I have 77 species this month.  Tomorrow I hope to make the long drive up through Skagit county and down onto the north end of Whidbey Island.  Among many other species, I hope to find Black Oystercatcher, one of my favorite birds.

 

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

 

Today I drove up to Skagit county, with the intention of going over to the north end of Whidbey Island.  I picked up a sandwich at Subway and my first birding destination was Wylie Slough.  On the way there from the freeway, a Common Raven flew over the road, and I needed that one.  Closer to Wylie Slough, I saw a bird flying toward me, and it landed on a wire in front of me.  It was a Mourning Dove, another species I needed. 

 

At Wylie Slough, I drove through and saw some Purple Finches in a tree eating berries.  That was an excellent one to get for my list.  On the way into the west parking lot, I stopped on the causeway and saw a couple of birds flying out over the slough, catching flying insects.  I was hoping for Black Phoebe there, and that is their behavior, but these birds were yellow, not black and white.  I had excellent binocular looks at them, both flying and perched, and I ended up deciding that they were very yellow Orange-crowned Warblers.  Most Orange-crowned Warblers are more yellow-greenish, but there is a subspecies here on the west coast that can be quite yellow.  That was an excellent one for my December list.

 

As I drove out of the reserve, I stopped and looked back at the entrance slough, and I saw my target species, a Black Phoebe.  I have missed it mostly, in recent months, but I got it today, and here is a picture to prove it.

 

Black Phoebes are rare here in Washington, but one showed up here several years ago, and for the last couple of years, there has actually been a nest at Wylie Slough.  They move around, though, and it is always a challenge to find one.

 

Next I drove to Hayton Reserve.  On the way, I added Brewer's Blackbird to my list.  At Hayton, I saw a Northern Harrier, another one for my list.  I took my scope up on the dike and scanned the many hundreds of ducks out on the bay.  I was searching for a Eurasian Wigeon, and I must have looked at several hundred American Wigeons before I finally spotted a male Eurasian Wigeon.

 

Moving on from there, I drove to the north end of Whidbey Island.  At Deception Pass State Park, there were a dozen or more Common Mergansers (which I needed) on the lake, mostly males.  Here is a picture of 4 males and one female Common Merganser.

 

Here's one with 6 males and one female.

 

At West Beach, still in Deception Pass State Park, I was hoping to find Black Oystercatchers on the rock offshore, but nothing was there but this river otter.

 

I wanted to look out on the water for Red-throated Loon and Common Murre, but when I went to my car to get my scope, it wasn't there!  I was rather taken aback!  I thought about it, and I realized I had stopped at the porta-potty at Hayton Reserve as I left, and I had set my scope against the outside wall of the porta-potty before I went inside.  I guess when I came out, I just plain forgot about it.  I was at least a half hour away from Hayton Reserve by then, but it was a $3000 scope, so there was nothing to do but go back to see if it would still be there.  I didn't have happy thoughts as I drove, but when I got there, to my very pleased surprise, there it was, sitting right where I had left it.  Whew!  I felt like I had dodged a bullet.  Just a week or two ago, I was thinking I should put my name and phone number on it, just in case something like this happened, but I hadn't done it, and there was nothing on it to identify the owner.  There were probably always several people around the Hayton Reserve parking lot during that hour that I left it there, so someone would have had to be fairly bold to just walk off with it, but I really didn't expect it to be there when I got back.

 

While I was driving back to Hayton Reserve, I was figuring out times and distances in my head, just in case the scope was still there, and I decided to go back to Whidbey Island.  My little adventure had cost me about 70 minutes, but I thought I would still have time to look for at least some of the birds I wanted to see.  I stopped at Dugualla Bay, but I got nothing there.  At Joseph Whidbey State Park, I added Red-throated Loon to my list.   At the overlook at the south end of Swan Lake, I added Common Loon.  Here is a Common Loon I saw a little later.

 

At Hastie Lake Road Access, the tide was too high to find any oystercatchers on the beach, and I was disappointed at that.  There were several Long-tailed Ducks there, though, and that was an excellent one for my list.  I also saw a couple of Marbled Murrelets, and I was very pleased to get that one, too.  There were more Red-throated Loons, and then I saw a slightly larger loon with a couple of them, and I was able to identify it as a Pacific Loon.  I also got this picture of a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, a species I already had this month.  The female is the one in front, on the left.

 

It was getting late by then, so I skipped going on to Libbey Beach and headed toward home.  I stopped again at the overlook at the south end of Swan Lake because that has always been my best place to get White-winged Scoter, and sure enough, I spotted one, a male.  I was really doing well, but it was getting dark fast.

 

Since I had been doing so well, I stopped again at West Beach, at Deception Pass State Park, and I was very pleased to find 4 Black Oystercatchers on the usual rock.  Here are a couple of pictures of two of the Black Oystercatchers.

 

 

I looked around with my scope, and there were two or three dozen Red-throated Loons there, but I couldn't find a Common Murre, the last seabird I needed.  I saw another pair of Marbled Murrelets, too.  Before I left, I noticed that a fifth Black Oystercatcher had shown up, so I took one more Black Oystercatcher picture.

 

By that time it was after 3 o'clock, and I was almost an hour and a half from home, so I boogied on down the road and got home right at 4:30.

 

Despite losing about 70 minutes on my little scope adventure, I managed to add 16 species to my December list today, and now I have 93 species this month.  I didn't see a lot of birds today, but I saw some good ones, and adding 16 exceeded my expectations for the day.  I dodged a bullet, too.

 

 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

 

I had a lunch appointment up in Everett today, so I went up early to look for birds in that area.  It wasn't raining and the temperature was in the high 40's.  There was a stiff wind blowing, though, and that made it feel pretty cold.  I had noticed on eBird that the rare (for this season) pelican that I had seen there last month was still around, although I had missed it last week.  It was there today, though, so it went on my December list.  Here is the American White Pelican that should be in Southern California or Mexico now.

 

The sun was behind a cloud when I took that last picture, and here is a picture taken a couple of minutes later, after the sun came out.  The lighting is noticeably different, I think.

 

I'm always going on about "good light", and this illustrates one difference the lighting can make.  The pelican was preening, and I thought it was interesting how it can use that long bill to fix its feathers.

 

 

In those last four pictures, you can see a hint of the black wingtips, but in this next picture you can see them better.

 

Here is one last shot of the American White Pelican preening and showing off its black wingtips.

 

I didn't see anything else I needed there, and I moved on to the 10th St boat launch parking lot, to look for gulls.  Here is a California Gull, one I still needed this month.

 

I already had Short-billed Gull (formerly called Mew Gull, until this year), but here is a picture of one.

 

Likewise Ring-billed Gull; I had it and here is a picture.

 

I also added the common Glaucous-winged Gull, but I didn't bother with a picture.

 

I was looking for Herring Gulls, and my way of identifying them includes a light yellow eye.  I saw 2 or 3 that had light eyes, but not yellow enough or light enough to satisfy me.  I think they were probably hybrid Herring Gulls, crossed with Glaucous-winged Gull or maybe California Gull.  Here is one of the ones that had light eyes, but I think it was a hybrid Herring Gull.  I show the picture because it shows how strong the wind was.

 

While I was taking those pictures and looking for Herring Gulls, a large flock of Dunlin flew by, and that was another one I needed.  Dunlin is a small shorebird that is abundant in the winter here, in the right places.  It is kind of surprising I didn't see any yesterday, but they move around a lot, and you never know.  There was also a large raft of 70 or 80 Canvasbacks out in the bay.  Here are a couple of pictures of some of the Canvasbacks, a "good" species, but one I already had this month.

 

 

I went to lunch then, and after lunch I drove to Edgewater Beach Park in Mukilteo.  That's a pretty reliable site for Barrow's Goldeneye in the winter, and I needed that one still this month.  Sure enough, as I arrived, there was a small group of Barrow's Goldeneyes just offshore.  Here is a male Barrow's Goldeneye.

 

Here's a female Barrow's Goldeneye.

 

Finally, here is a picture of a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes.

 

I ended up adding 5 more species to my December list, and now I have 98 species this month so far.

 

 

Monday, December 13, 2021

 

The weather has been cold, rainy, and windy, but I did go out on Friday.  I picked up Brown Creeper and California Quail (heard only)for my December list, up in the town of Woodway.  I didn't get any pictures, so I didn't put out a report.

 

Today I went up to Tulalip Bay and promptly found a Ruddy Turnstone and four Black Turnstones, both of which I needed.  The tide was high and they were on the log boom at the marina.  There were five or six juvenile goldeneyes near the shore.  There are two species of goldeneye in this area - Common Goldeneye and Barrow's Goldeneye.  I had both species this month already, but they are cute little ducks, so I took pictures.  It is fairly easy to determine the species for adult goldeneyes, especially the males, but juveniles are another story, and these appeared to be juveniles to me.  Here are some pictures of the goldeneyes.

 

The one on the lower right is a male, and the others are females.  The one in the upper right corner appears to me to be a female Barrow's Goldeneye, due to the head shape and the color of the bill, but I'm not certain.

 

Here is a male (on the left) and a female (on the right), but I'm not certain which species they are.

 

I like the way the feathers on the head appear like a helmet or something.

 

 

This next one is the bird that looks like a female Barrow's Goldeneye to me.  Note the orange bill and the steep forehead.

 

This next one is a male, but I'm not sure which species.

 

 

After that I had time before my lunch appointment to stop at the 10th Street boat launch on Port Gardner Bay in Everett.  I looked through the gulls in the parking lot, and I found what I think was a Herring Gull, an uncommon species around here that I needed still this month.

 

Note the pink legs, the black wing tips (which look like the tail, since they stick out farther than the white tail does), and the yellow eye.  It is the eye that sets it apart from other larger gulls in the area.  Here is a close up of the head, showing the yellow eye.

 

After lunch I drove to the Everett Sewage Treatment Plant ponds.  I didn't get anything I needed, but the American White Pelican was in its usual place, and it stuck its head up once and I got this picture.

 

Immediately after that, it tucked its head under a wing again and resumed its nap.

 

That was it for today.  There weren't any Black-bellied Plovers at the sewage treatment plant, so I'll have to try again or find them somewhere else.  I added 3 more species today, and with the 2 I got on Friday, I now have 103 species this month.  The weather is supposed to continue to be wet, cold, and windy, but I'll get out there when I can.

 

 

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

 

Before I get into today's adventures, I want to add Killdeer to my December list.  I saw three Killdeer on Saturday down at Juanita Beach Park when I was looking for Wilson's Snipe, but I neglected to put the species on my December list because I mistakenly thought I already had it.  So, I'm adding it today.

 

It was dry this morning, although still cold and somewhat windy.  I drove over to Marymoor Park and tried for Hooded Merganser on the rowing club pond.  No luck with that, so I moved across to the main part of the park.  I had no luck there, either, dipping on several species.  I moved on to the Redmond Retention ponds, again looking for Hooded Merganser.  Nope.  Strike two on that species, and I didn't see anything else either.  I gave it one more try at the Redmond Watershed Preserve.  There is a pond there where I have seen Hooded Mergansers before.  I finally got lucky and found a single male Hooded Merganser there.

 

I kind of like how that branch and its reflection frames the merganser.  Here is another shot with a nice reflection.

 

It was pretty dark with the woods that surround the pond, and the bird was fairly distant, but I think male Hooded Mergansers are quite handsome, so I wanted to show him.  There were a couple of female Buffleheads, too, a species I already had this month.

 

While I was taking those pictures, a Belted Kingfisher flew in, so I shot it too.

 

That was it for today.  I was glad to head for the warmth of home at that point.  I thought about stopping at Juanita Beach Park to look for Wilson's Snipe, but it was too cold and breezy, so I left it for another day.  The Killdeer from Saturday and the Hooded Merganser today bring me to 105 species this month now.  I'd like to get to 120 this month, but 115 is about the best I can hope for, I'm afraid.  Still, I am usually overly conservative in my forecasts, so maybe I can do better than 115.  We will see.

 

 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

 

I had an outstanding day of birding today.  The birding gods smiled on me.  I went up to Skagit county, which is about an hour north of home.  My first stop was on Green Road, north of Burlington.  I had read a report of Redheads (a duck species) on a flooded field up there, and I found them.  Redhead is pretty uncommon around here, and I wasn't expecting to see any this month.  After that I headed for the Samish Flats, between Edison and Bow.  On the way, I was looking at a couple of swans along the road as I drove past, and I noticed what looked like geese near them.  I turned around and went back, and there were five Greater White-fronted Geese there.  That is another uncommon one in December around here, and I hadn't expected to see that one this month, either.  Here are the five Greater White-fronted Geese.

 

Here is a closer look at a Greater White-fronted Goose.

 

A little farther along the road, I stopped and looked at a small flock of swans, and I found at least one that was a Tundra Swan, which I needed.  Trumpeter Swans are much more common around here, so getting Tundra Swan was excellent, because it meant I didn't have to stop at every group of swans and check them out.  I had Trumpeter Swan already this month.

 

At the East 90, along the Bow-Edison Road, I looked for Western Meadowlark, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Shrike, and Short-eared Owl.  I thought I would find a couple of those species, at least, and maybe three.  My luck had temporarily run out, though, and I found none of them, although I stuck around for about a half hour.  I moved on to the West 90, and I found a Rough-legged Hawk on a wire, just up the road from the West 90 corner.  Here is the Rough-legged Hawk.

 

I looked for Short-eared Owls all around that area, but I never found one.  No meadowlarks or shrikes, either.  Back at the East 90, I took this picture of a Bald Eagle and a Common Raven on the ground.

 

It was near the East 90 corner, and around the corner I took a picture of the eagle from the front.

 

At the next corner, I took this shot of a windblown Great Blue Heron.

 

It was fairly windy today, and maybe that kept the owls from flying.  It was in the mid-40's, and rather chilly in the wind.  I gave up on the Short-eared Owl and moved on.  Just south of the little town of Bay View, I saw a Peregrine Falcon in a tree near the road.  I had that one, but it is a good bird, and pictures are always welcome.  Peregrine Falcon.

 

Here's the Peregrine Falcon looking right at me.

 

My next stop was along March Point Road.  I was looking for a rarity that has been seen there off and on for several days.  I missed it at the first place I stopped, so I moved on to another lookout point, where I could look at the spoil islands at the south end of Padilla Bay.  I ate half my sandwich in the car, and by the time I was done with that, another birder had pulled up behind me and was looking through his scope.  I decided to try once more for the rarity and got out my scope.  He told me he had seen the goose a few days ago, but only for six seconds, after looking for 6 hours.  That didn't seem real encouraging, but I looked around anyway.  In a couple of minutes, I spotted it!  EMPEROR GOOSE, a true rarity in Washington State or anywhere else in the lower 48.  They live up in the arctic all year round.  I had seen Emperor Goose just once before, in 2012, in Ocean Shores, Washington.  I had a good, long look at it through my scope, but it was much too distant for a picture.  Here is a picture of the one I saw in 2012 in Ocean Shores.

 

While I was looking for the Emperor Goose, I heard a Greater Yellowlegs call, and I looked around and saw it flying away.  I needed that one, and it was another one I hadn't expected to get this month, as was the Emperor Goose, of course, since it wasn't even spotted until last week.

 

I was feeling good, with a year bird and 6 species for my December list, and I moved on.  I ate the second half of my sandwich at Rancho Valentine, the house on Valentine Road with the big suet feeder.  I didn't get anything I needed there, but I took a few pictures.  Here is a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

 

Here is a male Downy Woodpecker, with a red patch on the back of his head.

 

Here's a female Downy Woodpecker, without the red.

 

I was heading toward home, but I drove across Fir Island, looking for more birds.  On Rawlins Road I saw flock of swans, and the ones I checked out were Tundra Swans, which had seen in the morning for my list.  These were closer, so I took a couple of pictures of Tundra Swans.

 

Tundra Swans are a little smaller than Trumpeter Swans, the head shape is subtly different, and most of them have an irregular yellow mark on their bill, just in front of the eye.  The yellow mark on the one above is about average in size, but they vary all over the map, in size and shape.  Here is another Tundra Swan that has a quite small yellow mark.

 

In case you can't see the yellow mark in that picture, here is a closer crop that shows it.

 

At the west end of Rawlins Road, I got out and went up on the dike to look for Short-eared Owls or Northern Shrikes, but found neither.  I did see four Western Meadowlarks, which I needed for December.  Next I stopped at Hayton Reserve and walked up on the dike there with my scope.  It was darn cold and quite windy, though, and I didn't stay long.  The tide was too high for shorebirds, anyway, so I moved on my last stop, which was Wylie Slough.  I didn't see any of the species I needed, but I did see a Black Phoebe actively hunting flying insects and insects on the surface of the slough.  Here is the Black Phoebe.

 

That's the second time I have seen Black Phoebe (a rarity around here) this month, after missing it last month.  It had been cloudy for most of the day, but as I was heading for home, I saw that the clouds had lifted over Mount Baker, so I took this shot with Mount Baker in the sun and the foreground in the shade of the clouds.

 

It was much more spectacular in person, because the human eye can see a much wider range of light than a camera can record, so the mountain was really bright.  Here is one more picture of it.

 

I drove out along Wylie Road to check out the flocks of starlings and blackbirds, hoping to find a Brown-headed Cowbird, but I didn't find one.  When I stopped at one point to look at some starlings on wires, I noticed some little birds in the flooded field next to my car, and they turned out to be Least Sandpipers, another one I hadn't expected to find in December, and a great one for my list.  Here are three pictures of Least Sandpipers.

 

That's water in the background, at the top of the picture.

 

 

I ended up getting 8 more species for my December list today, which is outstanding.  I had hoped for 5 and hadn't really expected to get that many.  My only real miss was Short-eared Owl, and I got several unexpected species.  It was quite satisfying to find the rare Emperor Goose and get a good look at it as it was swimming.  Now I have 113 species this month, so maybe I have a shot at 120, although that would still take some unexpected ones.  The Emperor Goose brings my year total to 259 species.

 

 

Friday, December 17, 2021

 

Today I went over to Marymoor Park in Redmond.  I drove along the edge of the community gardens, but all I got was this picture of a male Spotted Towhee, which I already had this month.

 

Next I parked in the dog park west parking lot and walked along the slough.  There were some sparrows feeding on the ground, and I got these next two pictures of Golden-crowned Sparrows.

 

 

At the weir (which is underwater now, with all our recent rain), I looked on the other side of the slough and found a Wilson's Snipe, which I needed.  Here is a distant picture of the Wilson's Snipe, blending in with its surroundings.

 

The snipe, with its long bill, is in the middle of the picture, facing right, with its back to the camera.  I didn't really expect to find more than one species today, but I had plenty of time and the weather was good, so I kept looking.  I was playing Lincoln's Sparrow songs when a Bewick's Wren perched up for me.  Here is the cute little Bewick's Wren, which I already had this month.

 

 

Another species I already had perched up for me, too.  Here is an immature White-crowned Sparrow.

 

A little later, I was again playing Lincoln's Sparrow songs and a Marsh Wren showed up.  I needed Marsh Wren, and I hadn't expected to find one today in that habitat.

 

I had two for my list, and I was pleased.  I kept trying for Lincoln's Sparrow, and a Fox Sparrow flew in for me, another species I already had.

 

 

I decided to drive over to the east parking lot for the dog park, to try there for Lincoln's Sparrow.  As I left the west parking lot and was going by the community gardens, I noticed some sparrows feeding on the ground.  I pulled in to the parking lot for the gardens and went to check out the sparrows.  They were mostly Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrow.  Here is a mature adult White-crowned Sparrow.

 

Here's another White-crowned Sparrow.

 

Then I spotted the sparrow I was hoping for, a White-throated Sparrow.  They tend to hang out with Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows, but they are uncommon.  This was only the second White-throated Sparrow I had seen this year.  You can see where it get's its name.

 

This one was what birders call a tan morph White-crowned Sparrow.  The stripes over the eyes are tan in color.  There is also a white morph, which has white stripes.  Both morphs have the characteristic white throat, though.

 

 

That made three species today for my list, which exceeded my expectations for sure.  I drove on over to the viewing mound, at the north end of the East Meadow.  I kept playing Lincoln's Sparrow songs, and eventually I saw one.  That made four species today!  Then, while I was trying to get a picture of the Lincoln's Sparrow, I heard a call that I thought sounded like a pheasant.  There has been a sole male pheasant hanging out at Marymoor Park for 2 or 3 years at least.  I hadn't seen it since May, despite 20 or 30 visits to Marymoor in that time.  As a result, I wasn't expecting to get it this month.  After a few minutes, the male Ring-necked Pheasant (called Lonesome George by birders) came out into the open, and I was able to confirm the species for my list.  Here are three shots of the male Ring-necked Pheasant.  Species number five for my list today!

 

 

 

That was it for me today.  I added a whopping five species to my list today, much to my surprise.  Now I have 118 species this month.  It is looking good for getting to my goal of 120 species, but it isn't a slam dunk, because there are so few species left for me to find.  We will see.

 

 

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

 

After staying home for several days, I finally ventured out again today.  I went up to the Edmonds waterfront and walked out on the fishing pier.  I was looking for a "rockpiper" called a Surfbird.  Rockpipers are shorebirds that hang out on rocky shores.  As it turned out, I didn't see a Surfbird or anything else I needed, but I took a bunch of pictures.  Here is a female Common Goldeneye, in the marina.

 

Here is her mate, a male Common Goldeneye.

 

Outside the breakwater, there was another female Common Goldeneye.

 

I scanned along the breakwater for rockpipers, but at first I didn't see any.  There were some Dunlin roosting on the rocks.

 

Here is a Red-necked Grebe.

Some Brant (a small goose) flew in, and here are five of them.

 

There were Pelagic Cormorants diving for food, and here is one.

 

A Horned Grebe had caught some food and was caught in the act of swallowing it.

 

Eventually I did spot a couple of rockpipers, but they were Black Turnstones, not Surfbirds.  Here is one of the Black Turnstones.

 

Eventually I saw five Black Turnstones.  One of the Dunlin was working its way down the rocks toward me, and I took this picture of the Dunlin.  Note the fairly long, slightly drooping bill.

 

Here is another Pelagic Cormorant, and I think this one was a juvenile, because of the brown tone to it.

 

Here is a Pigeon Guillemot that had caught something to eat.

 

Here is the Pigeon Guillemot looking for more food.

 

In the summer, Pigeon Guillemots are all black, with white patches on their wings.  Here are three close up shots of Horned Grebes.  I like the water in the first two.

 

 

 

Here are two more pictures of a Black Turnstone.

 

 

I was out on the fishing pier for about an hour and a half, and it was about 37 degrees when I got there.  With a light breeze blowing, it was downright chilly out there.  I stopped up on Sunset Avenue and got this picture of a Brant.

 

My last picture of the day is a rather distant shot of a male Black Scoter.

 

So, I didn't get anything else for my December list today, but at least I got out of the house and took some pictures.  Now we have some very cold weather coming, with overnight lows in the mid-teens by next week.  For three or four days in a row next week, it isn't even supposed to get above freezing all day.  I might not get out again this month, and even if I do, I will not likely get anything new for the month.

 

 

Thursday, December 30, 2021

 

We had rain on the days before Christmas, and then it snowed on Christmas.  Since then, it has been below freezing here, until today, when it got up to 33 for a few hours.  By Saturday, the temperatures are supposed to get back above freezing.  I didn't venture out much for the last ten days, but today I did go over to Marymoor Park in Redmond.  It was just above freezing, and there was standing water on the roads, where there was traffic.  I went over there because there was a report this morning of a Bohemian Waxwing, a rarity around here, and also an American Pipit, which is one I needed still for December.  I parked in the western snow-covered parking lot for the dog park and walked to the slough.  I never found a waxwing of any kind, but I did find the American Pipit, foraging along the slough.  Here are some pictures of that addition to my December list.

 

 

 

There were at least a half dozen Killdeer along the shore of the slough, too.  Here are pictures of two of the Killdeer.

 

 

There might have been two American Pipits, or maybe the same one just moved around a lot.  Here are two more shots of an American Pipit.

 

 

There were sparrows foraging along the water's edge, too.  Most of them were Golden-crowned Sparrows, but there were a couple of Lincoln's Sparrows, too.  Here are four pictures of one of the Lincoln's Sparrows.

 

 

 

 

Here is a Golden-crowned Sparrow that still has much of its summer plumage.

 

A dog came through about then and scattered the birds.  The dog was on the wrong side of the fence, and I had a few words with its owner, who was trying to get the dog back where it belonged, but the dog was ignoring him.  People like that give all dog owner's a bad name.  I moved on a short distance, and more sparrows were foraging in the blackberry brambles.  Here is a Fox Sparrow that was so intent on finding food that it let me get very close.

 

 

 

Snow has been covering most of the ground for five days now, and the ground feeding birds are getting pretty hungry, I would guess.

 

There were a couple of Spotted Towhees in the brambles, too, but all the birds were so actively looking for food that it was difficult to get pictures.  Here is the only one I got of a Spotted Towhee.

 

Back along the slough, the dog had moved on, and the sparrows returned to their foraging in the grass.  Here are two more shots of a Golden-crowned Sparrow.

 

 

It was only within a few feet of the water that any grass was showing for them to forage in.  Here is a Song Sparrow.

 

 

 

Song Sparrows look somewhat like Lincoln's Sparrows, so here is one more picture of a Lincoln's Sparrow for comparison.

 

It was nice to get out of the house, and adding American Pipit to my December list was a nice bonus.  Now I have 119 species this month, and I doubt I will go out again tomorrow.  My total for the year stands at 259 species.