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Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Another new month. I had a dentist appointment and a lunch date, but in between I went to a couple of places up in Everett. Before I left home, I got Feral Pigeon for my list. My first birding stop was at the little wetland on NE 12th St, north of the Everett sewage ponds. I saw a couple of Killdeer, some Cinnamon Teal, some Blue-winged Teal, a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds, and a Spotted Sandpiper.
As I drove to my next stop, I added European Starling, Eurasian Collared-Dove, and American Crow. At the main Everett sewage pond, there were very few ducks. In the winter there are always many hundreds of ducks, if not thousands, but today there were fewer than 20. I did add Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, and Ruddy Duck, though. I had especially wanted to get Ruddy Duck, since they are uncommon around here and many of them are gone now as well.
I also saw a Northern Flicker, some Canada Geese, some Barn Swallows, a Cliff Swallow, and a singing Marsh Wren. I had to leave for my lunch appointment, but I stopped again at the NE 12th St wetland, and I got Song Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, and an Osprey that was circling overhead.
After lunch I went down to the boat launch on the Everett waterfront, and I added Glaucous-winged Gull and California Gull.
No pictures, today, but I did start my month off with 23 species. 17 of those species were repeaters, which is what I call species that I have seen in every month so far in the current year.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Today I headed over to the Snoqualmie Valley, with two "American" targets - American Dipper and American Bittern. I stopped on the way at Redmond Watershed Preserve to try for a couple of duck species, but I got nothing. In the valley, my first species for my list was indeed an "American" one - American Robin. Next, I had a White-crowned Sparrow on a wire, and I needed that one, too. At Sikes Lake, I didn't get anything I needed, but I took this picture of a Great Blue Heron sunning itself. Check out the weird position of the wings.
I have only ever seen Great Blue Herons assume that position once or twice before.
At the house in Carnation with feeders, I added American Goldfinch and Band-tailed Pigeon to my June list. Next I stopped at the bridge over the Tolt River, on the southern outskirts of Carnation. I was looking for American Dipper there, but I dipped on it. I did take this picture of the nest there, under the bridge.
Two weeks ago, the dippers were flying to the nest, but I sat there for about 15 or 20 minutes today, and none showed up, so I guess the youngsters must have fledged. I moved on, and my next destination was Neal Road, where a rarity (for this area) has been seen recently. I went to the place it has been seen and heard, but I never saw or heard the male American Redstart. I guess that was a third "American" target for the day. My consolation prize there was a Spotted Towhee for my list.
I went on from there to Tokul Creek to look for dipper there. I dipped on it again, a double dip on the dipper. I did hear a Swainson's Thrush singing, and I played its song and lured it closer for pictures. Swainson's Thrush.
I also got a couple of looks at a Red-breasted Sapsucker (for my list) there at the creek, but I couldn't get a decent picture.
I headed back down into the valley and drove north. I stopped again at the bridge over the Tolt River to look for a dipper, and while I was sitting on a rock waiting for a dipper to show up, I saw a female Common Merganser, which I needed, on the far side of the river. She was leading a pack of over a dozen ducklings up the river. I tried to get a distant picture, but while I was doing that, a dipper flew in on my side of the river. The lighting was very tough, with the bright light coming from behind the bird, but I took some pictures and processed them as best I could. Here is my American Dipper for June.
In that last picture, it had found something to eat under the water.
It was lunch time by then, and I had gotten a sandwich from the deli counter at the Carnation Market. I drove to the Stillwater Access to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area and took my sandwich, a Diet Coke, and my camp chair out onto the dike trail. I set up in some shade where I could look for birds and listen for the call of American Bittern, my other target for the day. It was hot today (for here), in the mid-80's by the time I left there, but there was a nice breeze, and it wasn't bad sitting in the shade.
I never heard or saw a bittern, but a Black-headed Grosbeak was singing nearby, so I played its song and got it to come in for a picture. Here is a male Black-headed Grosbeak.
That was one for my list, as was the pair of Tree Swallows that landed near me. Here is a male Tree Swallow.
Here is the female Tree Swallow.
I had added Red-breasted Sapsucker to my June list up at Tokul Creek, but one came around while I was eating lunch and I got this picture of it.
I finished my sandwich and walked briefly up and down the trail. I saw a Turkey Vulture overhead, another one for my June list, and I had a brief look at a Cedar Waxwing, another June bird. I saw a bird fly into a tree and heard a call I though I recognized. I played the song of the bird I thought it was, and a male Bullock's Oriole flew to another tree and posed for me.
The oriole was another June bird for me, and I walked back to my car and headed for home. I stopped again at the Redmond Watershed Preserve to try for the two ducks I needed, but missed them again. I did add Violet-green Swallow to my June list there, though.
I was only out there for about 5 hours and I didn't walk much, but I added 16 more species to my June list, to bring it to 39 species now. Eight of those were repeaters, species I have seen in every month so far this year. Of the 39 species I have so far this month, 25 of them are repeaters.
The weather is supposed to cool down now, with showers by the weekend, so I'll hopefully have more energy to look for birds. The heat just saps my energy completely.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Today I went north, to Skagit county, which is about an hour north of home. My first stop was at Fox Road, just outside the little town of Clear Lake. As I was using the outdoor bathroom there, I saw a couple of birds chasing each other around, and they looked interesting. They turned out to be my first EASTERN KINGBIRDS of the year. Eastern Kingbird is an uncommon bird on this side of the mountains, so it was great to get it today. Here is a picture.
I drove to the end of the road and got out of my car. The habitat looked good for it, so I played Warbling Vireo songs. A couple of them flew in and sang back to me for several minutes. They stayed up high, though, and I wasn't able to get any pictures. Still, it was another good one for my June list. As I headed back out to the highway, I heard some distant winnowing from Wilson's Snipe, my main target there today. I would have liked to see one, but getting the species "heard only" was fine. Before I left Fox Road, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk circling overhead and an Anna's Hummingbird on a wire, both species I needed.
My next stop was in the town of Lyman, on the Skagit River. I was there to check out the Bank Swallow colony I had been told about last year. I saw it in May, and today the Bank Swallows were still going strong, going in and out of their nest holes in the sand bank. Here is the sand bank with the Bank Swallow colony.
Here is a closer shot, showing the nest holes better.
Bank Swallows are fairly uncommon around here, so it is great to know of a nest colony. The distinguishing feature of Bank Swallow is the bright white throat and belly, with a dark band across the upper chest. You can see those features in some of the flying Bank Swallows in these next two shots.
While I was getting pictures of the Bank Swallows, I first heard and then saw a Belted Kingfisher dive into the river. I needed that one for June.
My next stop was the barn of a birding acquaintance, also in Lyman. Today I saw two Barn Owls there, and they were in a great spot for a picture. It was pretty dark, but I managed to get this out of it with some processing and a high ISO.
It was time for lunch by then, and I met our son, Josh, at MOD Pizza in Burlington for lunch. After lunch, I continued on to Padilla Bay at the little community of Bay View. I could see about 80 American White Pelicans in the distance, across the bay, so that one went on my list.
Next I drove to Valentine Road. I tried for House Wren at the house called Rancho Valentine, where I have seen them before and I know they nest, but today I couldn't call one up. I moved on down the road to the house on the corner with feeders. Across the road from that house I heard and saw a male Purple Finch singing away. I got one halfway decent picture of that one that I needed for my list.
There were some Eurasian Collared-Doves at the house, but I had that one. I didn't see the dove I wanted, Mourning Dove. I moved on and saw a raptor at the top of a tall tree, but it turned out to be another Red-tailed Hawk. Here is a distant picture.
At Hayton Reserve, there were a couple of Bald Eagles sitting on the tree next to the nest. I needed that one still, and I got this picture of the two of them.
Here is one of the Bald Eagles.
I walked up on the dike there, and the tide was about halfway up. I saw some Ring-billed Gulls, which I needed, and in the distance, some American Wigeons, which I also needed. Then I saw five Black-bellied Plovers, another species I needed.
My final stop of the day was Wylie Slough. As I drove into the reserve, I saw a Downy Woodpecker on a snag, and that was another one for my list. Here is a poor picture of the Downy Woodpecker.
As I drove across the causeway to the west parking lot, I saw a female Wood Duck with a bunch of ducklings in the water to the left. That was my first Wood Duck of June. Here is the mom and one of the ducklings.
Here is a shot that shows more of the ducklings.
The last picture, taken as they swam away from me, enabled me to count the Wood Duck ducklings. There were 14 of them.
The Black Phoebes are using their nest, and I got this shot of one of them nearby.
Black Phoebe is quite uncommon in Washington, and I won't see one anywhere else this month in Washington, I'm sure.
In addition to getting the Black Phoebe for my June list, I wanted to see the Great Horned Owls that had nested there at Wylie Slough this year. I took the fairly long walk (for me) to where the nest was, but the youngsters seem to have fledged now, and I couldn't find any of them. As I started the walk, I saw a male House Sparrow feeding a fledgling, so that one went on my list. There were a number of Cedar Waxwings along the dike trail. I already had that one this month, but I like pictures of Cedar Waxwings, so here are three of them.
I had added American Wigeon at Hayton Reserve, and I got a picture of one at Wylie Slough.
I added Yellow Warbler to my June list, and here are three pictures of a male Yellow Warbler.
When I was almost back to my car, I saw a Black-capped Chickadee for my June list.
That was it for today. I was out there for almost 8 hours today, although a lot of the time was spent driving between birding sites. I added 21 more species to my June list, and now I have 60 species this month. 14 of those 21 species were repeaters, and now I have 39 repeaters this month so far - species I have seen in each month so far this year. Eastern Kingbird was new for the year, and now I have 235 species in 2021.
Friday, June 4, 2021
My left knee was very painful today, but I ventured out anyway. My first stop was my quail spot in the town of Woodway. A guy was using a leaf blower in the yard that has the feeders that attract the quail, and the noise made it difficult to listen for quail. I'm sure it discouraged the quail from approaching, too. I sat in my car for ten or fifteen minutes, though, and eventually I heard distant California Quail calls 3 or 4 times. Score!
Next I drove to the Edmonds fishing pier. I was hoping to see Purple Martins around the nests in the little bay, but didn't see any. I did see a singing male House Finch as I walked back to my car, so it went on my June list.
I drove around to Sunset Avenue, but it was extremely quiet out on the water today. I managed to see three species for my list, but they were all very common ones - Pelagic Cormorant, Pigeon Guillemot, and Surf Scoter. I tried Ocean Avenue, but it was just as dead there. I didn't want to walk on my bad knee, so I headed for home. It was a disappointing day on the waterfront, but at least I got my June quail.
I added 5 more species today, all of them repeaters. Now I have 65 species in June, and 44 of them are repeaters. Sorry, no pictures today.
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
My sore knee kept me home on the weekend, and I had things to take care of the last two days, including shopping for a new car, but today I finally got out there again. I didn't feel up to a big day, so I went down to my local park, Juanita Bay Park. There were workers on the fire station road, so I had to skip that today. I parked in the main parking lot and I was able to attract a couple of Chestnut-backed Chickadees, which I needed for my June list. No luck attracting a Golden-crowned Kinglet, but as I walked through the parking lot toward the main part of the park, I saw a juvenile Golden-crowned Kinglet, anyway.
There wasn't much bird activity this morning, but it was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed walking. My knee was pretty much okay, I'm glad to report. We'll see if it stiffens up tonight, but so far, so good. At the end of the east boardwalk, I took some duck pictures. Here is a male Wood Duck that is molting from his breeding plumage to his non-breeding plumage. He looks pretty scruffy.
Here is a male Gadwall, still in breeding plumage, although they don't change much out of breeding season.
I didn't need either of those ducks, but just as I was about to leave, I spotted an American Coot, one I did need. Here are a couple of pictures of the American Coot.
Here is the little bay at Juanita Bay Park.
I didn't see anything else interesting there, so I drove to Big Finn Hill Park. I was able to call up a Red-breasted Nuthatch there, one I needed still. None of the little birds I saw today would sit still for a picture. As I was about to leave there, a Red-breasted Sapsucker flew an posed for me on three little trees, one after another.
It seemed to have some kind of bug in its bill.
This afternoon at home I added Dark-eyed Junco to my June list. I got 5 more species today, and now I have 70 species this month. I have gotten off to such a slow start this month, and I have so much to do before we leave for our annual Yosemite trip next week, that I might not do much more birding this month.
Friday, June 18, 2021
Well, as I intimated last time I wrote here, I didn’t do any birding at all for over a week. I was getting ready for our annual Yosemite trip and I was taking it easy on my sore knee. I did finalize a deal on a new car, and I hope to take delivery in mid-July. Today, Christina and I left for our Yosemite trip. Since the month of June is basically lost for my lists, anyway, I decided to keep a trip list for the Yosemite trip, and see how many species I could get on the eleven day trip (ten nights away).
Today we drove to La Pine, Oregon, which is about 30 miles south of Bend, Oregon, in the middle of the state, a little south of the center. I suppose you could call it south-central Oregon. I didn’t get any pictures, but I saw some birds from the car as we whizzed by, and a few when we stopped.
The first trip list species was American Crow. Near Ellensburg, Christina saw a Black-billed Magpie flying, and I got a glimpse, so that one went on the list. There were 5 or 6 American White Pelicans on the Selah ponds, just outside of Yakima. I stopped at one of the entrances to Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge and added Brewer’s Blackbird, Western Kingbird, and Killdeer.
The next one I got for my trip list was in Oregon, when I saw an American Kestrel on a wire. I saw Common Ravens several times, too. At a rest stop in central Oregon, I added House Sparrow, American Robin, and Eurasian Collared-Dove (heard only). As we pulled out of there, there was a nest platform with a couple of Ospreys on it. A little later I saw a couple of Red-tailed Hawks on poles.
As we crawled through the Redmond-Bend corridor in the Friday afternoon traffic, I saw Feral Pigeons and a couple of European Starlings. At one point, Christina pointed out a couple of Turkey Vultures circling around overhead.
That was it. I now have 16 species on my Yosemite 2021 trip list. Not bad for a full day of driving and no birding at all, except that one stop at the Toppenish NWR. Tomorrow will be another full day of driving, although I hope to stop a couple of times to try for birds. Eventually, I hope to get pictures, too, of course, but that might not happen until we actually get to Yosemite.
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Today was another travel day on our way to Yosemite. Hopefully, this was the hottest day of the trip – it hit 101 on my car thermometer. We made a birding stop at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Klamath Falls, and I picked up California Gull and Ring-billed Gull for my Yosemite trip list. There were also grebes in the water, and I added both Western Grebe and Clark’s Grebe to my trip list. Here is a picture of a Western Grebe.
Note that the eye has black feathers around the eye and the bill is kind of yellow-green. Here is a very similar Clark’s Grebe. The eye is surrounded with white feathers and the bill is yellow-orange.
Here is another picture of a Western Grebe for good measure. Yellow-green bill and eye in the black.
Finally, here is a Clark’s Grebe. Yellow-orange bill and eye in the white.
I also picked up Mallard and Double-crested Cormorant there. Here is a juvenile Double-crested Cormorant, swimming with its body underwater and only the neck and head out of the water.
I saw American White Pelican yesterday and also earlier today, but here is a picture of one.
We moved on from there, and after lunch at our favorite rest area, Willow Creek, we stopped at Eagle Lake in the 97 degree heat. I left Christina in the car with the engine and air conditioner running, and I got out with my scope and took a look at the lake. It was tough because the water is very low this year, so the birds were far away, and with the heat, there was a lot of heat haze, which interferes with viewing at high magnifications. There weren’t many birds, but I did quite well, considering the conditions. I saw two FRANKLIN’S GULLS, my first this year, and also one Black-necked Stilt, one American Avocet, and 2 or 3 Willets. I also saw one WHITE-FACED IBIS, another year bird. No pictures, I could barely identify the birds with my scope, with the distance and heat haze, and pictures were out of the question.
That was all my birding today, two brief stops. I added 11 species to my Yosemite trip list, and now I have 27 species so far, in two long days of driving. I added 2 species to my 2021 list, and now I have 237 species this year so far.
We have come about 780 miles since leaving home, and I have gotten 26.3 miles per gallon, which I think is pretty good for a big 6 cylinder car, loaded to the gills with two bikes on a bike rack on the back. We came over a mountain pass, too, and have had a lot of hills as well. We have about 188 miles to go tomorrow, to get to Yosemite Valley. I plan to try to stop a couple of places and maybe add a few more birds to my trip list, but I already have most of the ones I could see in those places.
Sunday, June 20, 2021
Today was our short day of driving, and now we are in Yosemite Valley. I did much better today than I expected to do, even though we only stopped two places to look for birds. I added California Scrub-Jay to my Yosemite list in the parking lot at our hotel in Carson City. As we approached Bridgeport, California, I saw a male Yellow-headed Blackbird on a post. In Bridgeport, there were two Western Kingbirds on a wire. I had gotten that one on Friday, but today I got pictures. Here is a front view of a Western Kingbird.
Here is a back view of a second Western Kingbird, which was sitting next to the first one.
The ponds along Stock Road were dry this year. They are having quite a drought in California and the rest of the western states. We stopped at the view point overlooking the south end of Bridgeport Reservoir, and I broke out my scope. I saw many of the same birds I had seen at Eagle Lake yesterday, including American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, and White-faced Ibis. There were also American White Pelicans, which I have seen in many places on the trip. New ducks for the trip were Cinnamon Teal, Northern Pintail, and Gadwall. There also were several WILSON’S PHALAROPES in sight, a shorebird and an excellent species to get. I added Barn Swallow and Cliff Swallow there, too. I saw a male Red-winged Blackbird on a wire and was able to identify some Caspian Terns in the distance. Everything was too far away for a picture.
We moved on to Mono County Park, at the northwest corner of Mono Lake. We ate our lunch, bought at Trader Joes, there, and enjoyed sitting in the shade. The temperature was rising, but we were at about 6 or 7 thousand feet of elevation, so it was only in the 80’s by then. As I ate my lunch, I saw some birds for my Yosemite trip list. Without leaving my seat, I added Western Meadowlark and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Then I spotted a distant bird in the bare top of a small tree. I couldn’t identify it with my binoculars, and my scope was in the car, so I took some pictures. Here is a very distant picture of a male Yellow Warbler, a good one for my Yosemite trip list.
That bird was really far away, and I’m quite pleased to be able to get a picture of it at all. A little while later, a larger bird flew in and chased the Yellow Warbler away, and I got distant pictures of that one, too. I could tell it was a flycatcher of some kind from looking at my pictures in the camera, but when I looked at them on the computer, I could see it was a Say’s Phoebe, another new one for the trip. Here is a quite distant picture of a Say’s Phoebe.
The black tail and the cinnamon colored underside are the tells, along with the overall shape and look. We finished our lunch and moved on. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I saw a Tree Swallow, another one for my trip list. As we drove along the edge of the lake, I pulled over and was able to get extremely distant pictures of a small bird on the lake. One of my pictures was barely good enough to identify it as an Eared Grebe, a species I knew was on that lake and one I needed.
With that, we headed up the road to Tioga Pass, into Yosemite National Park. They have a reservation system this year to get into the park, and that slows down the entrance. We sat in a long line of cars for an hour and 32 minutes before we got into the park. That is a very long time to be inching ahead, little by little. The two saving graces were that the view was beautiful and it was only 73 degrees, with a nice breeze. Tioga Pass is over 10,000 feet in elevation. We were still both getting pretty irritable by the time we got into the park, though.
As we drove down the mountains to the valley, a grouse flew up at one point. I could tell it was a grouse, for sure, but there was no way to tell what species it was. I looked it up when we got here, though, and it turns out that the only grouse in that location would be SOOTY GROUSE, an excellent one for my trip list, and a species I hadn’t seen for several years.
In the valley, we checked in to the Yosemite Lodge and in the grounds I added Steller’s Jay, as we schlepped all of our mound of baggage to our room in repeated trips. Later I sat on the patio and had a drink or two, and then some snacks for dinner. I added Acorn Woodpecker, Western Tanager, and Black-headed Grosbeak (heard only) to my list. I was too lazy to even try for pictures, and it was starting to get dark, anyway.
So, we survived our three day drive, and now we are here. I added a whopping 21 species to my Yosemite trip list today, and now I have 48 species on the trip. That is a lot more than I thought I would get while driving almost all day and only stopping a couple of times each day, briefly, to look for birds. We’ll see how I do here in Yosemite now. Two of the species today were new for the year, too, and now I have 239 species this year.
What a life!
Monday, June 21, 2021
Today was my first day of actual birding on the trip. I didn’t do very well, and my pictures are very disappointing. It was hot again, hotter than forecasted, and the heat really takes my energy away. I slept poorly last night, mostly because it was so hot, and that also saps my energy. The bed is hard as a rock, too, but I knew that coming in, from past years.
Anyway, I ventured out today. My destination was the Foresta area, and I stopped a few times to try for birds. My first species for my trip list was a Northern Flicker on a dead snag. I played the songs of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Lazuli bunting, and I did manage to attract a male Lazuli Bunting, another one for my trip list. It kept flying over me when I played its song, but then it would land deep in a tree, and I never could get a picture. No sniff of a gnatcatcher. I had a Spotted Towhee at that same stop, for my trip list.
At the Big Meadow, I got this picture of a bird, and I’m not sure what it was.
I guess it was a Black Phoebe, but it doesn’t seem dark enough. A short while later I definitely saw a Black Phoebe, so that one went on my Yosemite trip list. I couldn’t call up anything at my second stop, along the creek, so I moved on up the hill to Campground Road. I saw a pair of Western Bluebirds there, but my pictures are terrible because of the strong backlighting. Here are three heavily processed pictures of a male Western Bluebird, one for my trip list.
I went up to the overlook at the highest point and got out of my car. There was some nice bird activity there. I saw a flycatcher that I wasn’t able to identify, and I wasn’t able to get a picture, either. It might have been a Western Wood-Pewee, but it didn’t look quite right for that. In the same tree, there was a male CASSIN’S FINCH, a year bird. No picture, because it stayed behind foliage until it flew off. In that same tree, a male Lesser Goldfinch showed itself, but I couldn’t get a picture of that one, either. It was one for my trip list, anyway. Today I had a difficult time finding the birds in my viewfinder. I was shaky, for some reason, maybe because of my poor sleep last night.
Then I saw a hummingbird, and I could see right away it wasn’t the most common hummingbird species here, which is Anna’s Hummingbird. It was very small, with a relatively short bill and a short tail. I got some pictures, and I think it was a female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, another year bird. I don’t think I have seen that species in Yosemite before. Here are three pictrrues of what I think was a female Calliope Hummingbird.
It was getting to be lunch time, and it was also getting pretty hot, so I headed on up a couple of thousand feet in elevation to the Crane Flat area. I checked out the two roads I like to bird on there, and both were closed because of the pandemic, although it is indirect. Because of covid protocols, there is reduced housing for staff here this summer, and because of the reduction in staff, many things are closed, including almost all of the campgrounds outside of the valley. Both of my favorite roads for birding are closed this year because they only lead to places that are closed.
I parked across the main road from the (closed) entrance to the road to Tamarack Flat Campground. There is an old road that starts there, and I thought I might walk up that old road (now closed and partially blocked by fallen trees) after I ate my lunch. I sat out in my camp chair, in the shade, of course, and had a nice lunch – ham cheese, and chips. It was about 80 degrees and there was a nice cool breeze, so it was very pleasant. When I finished my lunch, I noticed a flower nearby that was in the sun, with shade all around it, so I took some pictures. There were flying insects visiting it, and you can see them in the pictures.
When I finished my lunch, I put my chair in the car and walked up the old road a bit, playing some bird songs. I never saw anything, and I just didn’t have the energy for a hike, so I soon turned back. At that point, I should have just sat in my car and taken a nap, with the windows open for the breeze, but I foolishly drove back to the valley, where is was 92 degrees. Our room was about 80 degrees, but it wasn’t nearly as pleasant as the 80 degrees with a nice breeze that I had had at 6000 feet. I managed to take a nap, but it was hot. It is supposed to cool down somewhat for the rest of the week, but it was supposed to be cooler today, too, so I’m not taking it to the bank.
Tonight at our picnic dinner, there was a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds foraging around with the Brewer’s Blackbirds, and I needed the cowbird for my trip list. We had 33 people for our picnic dinner tonight, which we have each night at a picnic area on the river.
I added 9 more species to my Yosemite trip list today, which isn’t too bad, but I didn’t get many pictures. Now I have 57 species on the trip.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
I spent over 6 hours out there today, including driving time, and birding was very slow. I didn’t get a single picture, which amazes me. The few birds I did see stayed in the foliage or flitted around too fast for a picture.
My brother, Rick, and I went out birding today, while sightseeing and visiting. Our first destination was Glacier Point. We stopped several places on the way up there, and I got a few birds for my list. At the entrance road to Badger Pass ski area, we got out, and I saw a Pine Siskin and a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers. I needed both of those species. At McGurk Meadows, we walked a short distance down the trail and I managed to call in a Mountain Chickadee, which I needed. On our way back to the car, I noticed that the trail continued south, across the road, so we walked a short distance up it. I added Dark-eyed Junco to my trip list.
We stopped at another point where the habitat looked perfect for one I needed, and I played the song. As we were getting back in the car, I heard a response from up the slope. I played it some more and went down the road a short distance and heard and briefly saw a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, an excellent year bird.
We sat on our chairs at Glacier Point and ate our lunch as we enjoyed the view. A couple more Mountain Chickadees came around, but I couldn’t get a picture. After lunch we headed back down toward the valley. We decided to detour to Foresta, to see if we could have any luck there. On the way we stopped briefly at the view point at the west end of the valley and I picked up Violet-green Swallow for my trip list. In Foresta, we didn’t have any luck until our last stop, where I played the songs of several species. A Wrentit answered, and eventually I got good looks at two of them. That was an excellent one for my lists, but no pictures.
That was it for the day. It was somewhat cooler today, with highs only in the high 80’s or maybe 90. It is supposed to cool off more each day for the rest of the week. I added 7 more species to my Yosemite trip list, and now I have 64 species since leaving home last Friday. I’m thinking I might take tomorrow off, more or less, and relax here in the valley.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Today was a take-it-easy day for me. After breakfast, I walked over to the paths at the base of Yosemite Falls. I carried my camp chair and stopped from time to time. My first picture today is a fledgling Dark-eyed Junco.
There was an adult male junco feeding a couple of fledglings. Here is an adult male Dark-eyed Junco. You can see how different juncos look when they mature and get their adult feathers.
Next I saw a Mallard with nine ducklings, making their way down the stream. Here is mama Mallard.
Here are four of her ducklings coming downstream.
Here are some of the ducklings going over an obstruction.
Here is mama with six of her brood.
Here is one last picture of the female Mallard and some of her ducklings.
A bit later I happened upon a WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER, an excellent one for my lists. Here is the female White-headed Woodpecker.
That was exciting enough, but then a recently fledged male White-headed Woodpecker showed up.
As you might guess, the patch of red feathers on the top of his head marks it as a male. Here is the female and the fledgling male on the same tree trunk.
The female was pecking away at the tree, digging out insects, I presume, because from time to time she would feed the fledgling.
I sat for quite a while on the stone seat at the site of John Muir’s cabin, where there is this great view of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.
I headed back toward my car and my room, and I heard from my old friend, John, who arrived here in Yosemite today with his son, Ryan. I met them at the lodge front desk, where they had checked in, but they had to wait for their room to be ready. Ryan headed off to hike the Yosemite Falls trail, and John and I went to my room and had lunch. After lunch, John and I drove around a bit, ending up in Foresta. At the same place where I had seen several other species this week, I saw a female Black-throated Gray Warbler for my lists. We got a phone call from Ryan and he told us that their room was ready, so we went back to the lodge for John to move in.
On the way, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, and I picked up White-throated Swift for my lists. The swifts fly around the falls, and I got good binocular looks at several of them. There are two other less common species of swifts there, but I got good enough looks that I am sure the ones I saw, or at least some of them, were White-throated Swifts. Here is Bridal Veil Falls.
That was it for today. I only added three more species to my Yosemite trip list, but at least I got a few pictures. Now I have 67 species on the trip. White-headed Woodpecker was new for the year for me, and now I have 243 species this year.
Friday, June 25, 2021
Yesterday I totally took it easy and hung around our room, reading and enjoying the valley. Today, my old friend from high school and college days, John, and I went out for a drive and a little search for birds. We stopped at the entrance road to the Badger Pass ski area, on the Glacier Point Road, and I played some bird songs on my phone. I managed to call in one species, a MacGillivray’s Warbler. That was an excellent one for my trip list, but it was the only one I got today. It kept flying back and forth, but it never stopped long enough for a picture.
We moved on to Wawona. The spot on the golf course where I like to eat lunch and watch for birds was closed due to construction. I don’t know what they were constructing, but it was the fourth one of my favorite birding sites that wasn’t available this year. We walked a little on the north side of Wawona Meadow, but I saw nothing there. It sure is dry this year, and maybe that is part of the reason why there seem to be so few birds.
We found some picnic tables along the river and ate our lunch. A lot of Brewer’s Blackbirds, a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds, and a pair of Ravens came around and watched us. Here is a male Brown-headed Cowbird.
Here’s a female Brown-headed Cowbird.
Here is another shot of that same female Brown-headed Cowbird that shows the bill well. Note that the bill is thick at the base and forms a thick wedge.
Here is another shot of a male Brown-headed Cowbird, showing the same thick bill.
Here is a male Brewer’s Blackbird, with a yellow eye and a thin, pointed bill.
Here is a female Brewer’s Blackbird, with the same thin, pointed bill. Compare the bill to the female Brown-headed Cowbird above.
Here are two female Brewer’s Blackbirds.
Here are two pictures of one of the Common Ravens with a male Brewer’s Blackbird.
John had some peanuts in the shell, and he threw them to the ravens. Here are two pictures of a Common Raven with a peanut in the shell.
Here is another shot of a female Brewer’s Blackbird.
Finally, here is a male Brewer’s Blackbird.
Normally, I wouldn’t show pictures of such common birds, but the birding has been so poor and the pictures so few and far between that I am showing what I could get today.
The MacGillivray’s Warbler today brings my Yosemite trip list to 68 species. I was expecting to stop at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow and add some more to my trip list, but the temperature is likely to be 110 degrees or more, and I suspect we are just going to want to get to the air conditioning in our hotel in Corning as soon as possible, so we will probably skip that.
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Today was our getaway day. We got the car loaded with our tons of stuff, got the two bikes on the back, and hit the road by 10:10. We only had 5 hours of actual driving time today, so there was no hurry. It was hot, getting up to over 100 by the afternoon. My car’s air conditioning was up to the challenge, although for the last hour or so, I was a bit hot in the driver’s seat because the afternoon sun was coming in the window and hitting me.
There were about a dozen Great Egrets in a field between Stockton and Sacramento, and that was one I needed for my lists. We stopped for lunch in Stockton and most of the fast food places were doing only drive through and delivery. The Mickey D’s had a sign on the door that said “Come On In” and we could see someone sitting in the dining area. It wasn’t until after we ordered and paid that we noticed that the actual eating areas were all closed. The person we saw sitting there was an employee having a break. You could come on in and then take your food out. If I wanted to do that, I would have stayed in my car with the a/c going and used the drive-through. I thought “Come On In” was rather misleading, frankly.
One reason I had planned to stop so early was that I had thought we might drive around the auto route at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, where I could probably add several birds to my trip list, but 104 degrees was too daunting, and I preferred to just get to our hotel.
We checked in here in Corning, and it was icy cold in our room, which was welcome. We will walk across the road to the truck stop and have dinner, and hopefully their a/c will be good.
Great Egret added to my Yosemite trip list, and now I have 69 species. It is supposed to be triple digit temperatures all the way home, so I don’t know if I’ll get any more or not. More likely, we will just drive on through without stopping, other than at the border liquor store, so I can stock up at California prices. It is all a matter of priority. Sorry, no pictures today.
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
We drove home on Sunday and Monday, and it was hot. Triple digits all the way, after about 10 AM. It was 108 degrees here in Kirkland when we got home. That shattered all past records, by more than 5 degrees.
Today was cooler, with highs only in the high 80's. That is much better than 108, let me tell you. Tomorrow is supposed to have a high of only 82. I didn't do any actual birding today, but I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, and I went up a little early, to check on one of the Osprey nests at Port Gardner Bay. The temperature was a balmy 73 on the waterfront, with a nice breeze blowing. There was an Osprey on the nest, and so I took distant pictures.
I didn't know if there were any chicks yet, but after a few minutes, I got this picture showing a young chick looking around.
Then a second chick showed itself.
At that point, the adult Osprey took off and flew around, making a pass at the water, probably trying to catch a fish. It came back to the nest with empty talons.
The next action was a third chick showing itself.
I saw an Osprey flying toward the nest, and I set up for a picture as it came in. It was carrying a fish.
It left its fish and took off again, and the adult on the nest started feeding the chicks.
I guess the chicks weren't old enough yet to tear off pieces of fish for themselves, and they waited patiently for the adult to feed them, in turn.
I had to go after that, but it was fun to watch the Osprey family doing its thing. I plan to go back again and get pictures of the family as the chicks grow up.
There is one day left in June, but I don't plan on doing any birding. I still have some things to catch up on, and I plan to start on my July list on Thursday. I have only 108 species in June, including 37 species that I added on our Yosemite trip. Surprisingly, that actually beats my 2018 total of 107 species. I ended up with 69 species total on the Yosemite trip, including ones I had already seen in Washington before the trip. It was a poor June for bird count, and I basically just wrote it off when I had other things to do before we left and I was doing so poorly. We'll see how July goes. July is the real doldrums of the birding year. The winter birds are all gone, the ducks haven't started to come back yet, fall migration just barely gets started in July, and the nesting season is winding down or is over for some species. It is the slowest month of the birding year, although I actually did well in July last year, although nothing like a spring month.