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Friday, April 1, 2022
I had an appointment here at home today at noon, and I was only able to go out birding for a brief while this morning. Before leaving home, I added Feral Pigeon, American Crow, Steller's Jay, Red-winged Blackbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, House Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and Anna's Hummingbird to my new April list. I drove to the neighboring town of Kenmore in search of the rare (for this area) Glaucous Gull that has been wintering there, but I didn't find it. It is probably gone now, but I wanted to at least try for it.
I picked up Great Blue Heron at the rookery at the Park and Ride lot. I drove to the marina in Kenmore, in case the gull was hanging out there. No gull, but I did add House Finch, European Starling, and Double-crested Cormorant there. Back at the Park and Ride lot, there was a Red-tailed Hawk soaring around overhead. At home this afternoon I added Mallard to my list, as I spotted a pair of them flying away from our yard.
No pictures, and it is a slow start for April. I got 17 species today, and all of them were repeaters. I still have 138 species this year.
Saturday, April 2, 2022
The weather forecast for today was kind of marginal, but I decided to go up to Skagit county and then onto Whidbey Island. I knew it was going to be windy on Whidbey, but I went anyway.
On my way to my first birding stop, which was Wylie Slough, I saw a Northern Harrier for my list, and some wigeons. Most of the wigeons were American Wigeons, which I needed, but I spotted one male Eurasian Wigeon, which I particularly wanted because the Eurasian Wigeons usually migrate before the American ones for some reason, and they will be leaving soon. No pictures in the morning, but I got some later in the day. See below.
At Wylie Slough I saw a couple of Wood Ducks and a Eurasian Collared-Dove for my list. At the west parking lot, I saw a Black Phoebe hanging around, still looking for a mate, I imagine. I thought I might have seen two of them, but I never could verify that. Still, it was great to get Black Phoebe again, after they had disappeared for a couple of months.
I saw my first Bald Eagle of the day and the month as I left Wylie Slough, and then Brewer's Blackbirds as I drove to the highway. There were three or four flocks of Snow Geese still around; they must be getting ready to leave for Alaska soon. A common Raven flew over the road, and then there were about a dozen Trumpeter Swans in a field. They will be leaving soon for the frozen north, too.
At the house on Valentine Road and Dodge Valley Road, I saw a male Purple Finch right off the bat, and that was great. Here are three pictures of male Purple Finch.
I already had Red-winged Blackbird and House Sparrow, but these next two pictures are interesting, I think. The first one has a female Red-winged Blackbird and a female House Sparrow.
A couple of minutes later on the same feeding table, there was a male Red-winged Blackbird and a male House Sparrow.
I guess the male Red-winged Blackbird must be an immature one, just getting his black color.
I got Golden-crowned Sparrow for my list there, too. After that I drove to Whidbey Island, where I got some excellent birds, but took no pictures. Driving in to Deception Pass State Park, there were Buffleheads on the lake. At the overlook at West Beach, I added Red-necked Grebe, Pigeon Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, and a distant Black Oystercatcher across the bay. I saw a pair of Rhinoceros Auklets, too, and that was an excellent one. As I expected, it was pretty windy, which made sea birding difficult. The birds bob up and down in the waves, and the wind makes my tripod vibrate, which makes viewing much less sharp.
At Dugualla Bay, there were Canvasbacks on the lagoon, as well as Green-winged Teal and a pair of Gadwalls. Across the lagoon there were four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, my first of the year.
At the view point next to Joseph Whidbey State Park, I saw my first Surf Scoters of the month, and some Red-breasted Mergansers. I didn’t add anything new at the West Beach county park overlook, but at the Hastie Lake beach access, I saw a pair of Harlequin Ducks, three or four Long-tailed Ducks, a male White-winged Scoter, and a Horned Grebe. White-winged Scoter is fairly tough, and I was afraid that the long-tailed Ducks had already migrated north, so that was good. I missed seeing any loons today, but they are also migrating now. I could see a couple of them at Edmonds this month still. Still, considering the wind and the fact that migration is well underway, I did pretty well with sea birds. Since everything is leaving soon, I wanted to get up there as early in the month as possible.
After that I headed back toward home. I drove around March Point as I went by there. I found a single Mourning Dove near where I have seen them the last couple of month. Here is the Mourning Dove.
A couple of Black Oystercatchers were on an offshore rock. I had seen that species in a couple of other places today.
Here are the wigeon pictures I promised earlier in this report. First, here is a male American Wigeon, the most common one around here by far.
Here is a much less common male Eurasian Wigeon, a bird that should be in Asia at this time of year.
On the north end of March Point, I got this picture of my first Common Goldeneye of the month. They are in the process of leaving now, too.
I had a little extra time, so I drove up to the Samish Flats to look for Rough-legged Hawk, a species that winters there. I was afraid they had all gone already, and I didn't find one today. On my way home down Farm to Market Road, there were half a dozen Greater Yellowlegs in a flooded field. Here are two Greater Yellowlegs.
Here's a picture of a single Greater Yellowlegs.
I realized as I was driving home that I had seen Canada Geese a number of times today, but had not remembered to put the species in my notebook, so I added one more to my day. I ended up driving 213 miles in a 7 hour period, and I added 33 species to my April list. Now I have 50 species this month. 18 of those 33 species were ones on my 70 species repeater list, and now I have 35 repeaters this month so far. Greater White-fronted Goose was new for the year, and now I have 139 species this year.
One final note, I filled my tank with $4.239 gas on the way home, which is the lowest I have seen around here recently. It was an excellent day, and I got most of the species I was hoping for.
Sunday, April 3, 2022
The weather forecast wasn't very favorable today, but it looked like it probably wouldn't rain in the morning near here. I went over to the Snoqualmie Valley, around Carnation. Before I started, I realized I had seen a group of Hooded Mergansers yesterday at Dugualla Bay, and I had forgotten to put it on my list. I corrected that today by adding Hooded Merganser to today's list. I also saw a Chestnut-backed Chickadee at our feeder today, so that one went on my list as well.
As I crossed the Snoqualmie Valley, there was a White-crowned Sparrow singing on a wire, and I needed that one still. Here is the White-crowned Sparrow.
At the farm pond along 100th, I added Northern Shoveler and American Coot to my April list. At Sikes Lake, there were a lot of swallows flying around. Most of them seemed to be Tree Swallows, but I saw at least two Violet-green Swallows as well. I needed both of those for April. I didn't get anything else until I got to the house with feeders in Carnation. There wasn't much around, but I sat there for a few minutes and some Band-tailed Pigeons flew in to the top of a tree. That was one I wanted to get today there. Here are two Band-tailed Pigeons at the top of a tree, fairly distant.
I continued on my way, and I decided to stop at the Tolt River where the road crosses it on a bridge. As I had hoped, there was an American Dipper in the water just downstream from the bridge. Here is the American Dipper.
It was foraging for food by looking underwater.
Here's one more picture of the American Dipper.
The dipper flew up under the bridge, where I'm sure it has a nest. I hope the nest is successful this year, as it would be a reliable place to see dippers in that case. When the water in the river is lower, I should be able to get pictures of the nest, too.
Since I got the dipper at the Tolt River, and the weather was looking worse, I headed for home after that. I did stop once more at the feeder house in Carnation. Here is a picture of a couple of Eurasian Collared-Doves.
I added Pine Siskin to my April list when a couple of them landed on the fence and ate some seeds. Here are pictures of a couple of Pine Siskins.
More Band-tailed Pigeons had flown in, and they were cautiously approaching the feeding stations. Here is one at the top of a closer tree.
Here's a good shot of the head and neck of a Band-tailed Pigeon that landed on the roof of the house.
Here are three of them on the roof.
A couple of Eurasian Collared-Doves were approaching closer, too. Here is one of them.
It started to sprinkle about then, so I headed for home. While driving across the valley, I saw a small flock of Cackling Geese, so that one went on my list. Soon after that, I saw a pair of American Kestrels on a wire, and I needed that one, too. I took pictures of both the male and female kestrel, but my pictures are blurry. That has been happening a lot lately when I take pictures looking up into a bright background, like a cloudy sky. I am trying to figure out what I can do to prevent that, but so far, I just lose pictures that I would have liked to have. I was excited about being able to illustrate the differences between male and female kestrels, and I was disappointed when I processed my pictures.
I was home in time for lunch, and I got 12 species for my April list today, to bring it to 62 species now. Nine of the species today were repeaters, and now I have 44 of the 70 species on my repeater list for this month. Tomorrow is supposed to be wet and windy, but after that I should be able to get out there again.
Monday, April 4, 2022
It was cold and very windy on Monday, and I stayed home. I did see a couple of bright yellow male American Goldfinches at our feeder, and I needed that one. That brought my total to 63 species in April. It was a repeater, so my repeater total for April was 45 after that.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
It was still pretty cold and still somewhat windy this morning, but I went down to Juanita Beach Park anyway. I was hoping for Mandarin Duck or Wilson's Snipe, but neither one was on offer today. There were remarkably few ducks on the bay on this windy day. I did see a single Killdeer on the beach, though, and I needed that one.
I gave that up and went over to the fire station road at Juanita Bay Park. I heard a couple of Virginia Rails calling loudly, so that one went on my list. A couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitted around, too, and I needed that one as well. I saw a Northern Flicker, too, but that was it. It was cold and windy, so I gave it up and went home.
As I came in the driveway, there was a male American Goldfinch at our feeder. It has mostly gotten its summer plumage, but you can see patches of a much duller color where the yellow feathers haven't come in yet.
A Dark-eyed Junco came around, too, so I took its picture with the quince flowers.
That was it for today. I added 4 more species to my April list, bringing it to 67 species. Three of them today were repeaters, and now I have 48 of my 70 repeaters this month. We are supposed to have two days of nicer weather now, so I'll see what I can get.
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
It was a beautiful spring day today. I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, so I went up to that area to look for birds first. At the gull roost in the parking lot at the boat launch on 10th Ave, I added California Gull and Ring-billed Gull to my April list. Here is a California Gull.
Here's a Ring-billed Gull.
I looked around for Ospreys, since they are due back very soon, but I didn't see one. A couple of Canada Geese were occupying the Osprey nest I have watched for the last couple of years.
I suspect that when the Ospreys get back, they will send the geese on their way. I also saw a group of Northern Pintails there, for my list. The Great Blue Herons were mostly sitting on their nests. I wonder how long before the chicks start hatching.
Next I went to the Everett Sewage Treatment Plant ponds. I easily added Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Duck, and Lesser Scaup to my list. I looked at the numerous scaup, and decided that at least a couple of them were Greater Scaup, so that one went on the list, too. There weren't any falcons in the falcon trees, but I stopped and took some pictures on my way back to the road.
Here is a male Northern Shoveler in his colorful breeding plumage.
Here is a much plainer female Northern Shoveler.
Here are a couple of pictures of an American Coot.
Here is a female scaup, probably a Lesser Scaup.
Here's a picture of a more distant male Lesser Scaup.
After that, I drove by the little wetlands on 12th St NE, but I didn't see anything interesting there. I moved on to the park in Marysville where I go for California Scrub-Jay. It took a while, but I sat in the sun and enjoyed the morning, and eventually I spotted a scrub-jay flying, on the other side of the street. I got as close as I could and took this distant picture of the California Scrub-Jay.
I kept watching, and the bird flew to a wire, just across the street from me.
A second one joined it, and I threw out some peanuts for them. They would swoop in and grab a peanut and immediately take off, without giving me a photo op. I think there were 3 or 4 of them eventually. I took pictures, but none of them are great. Here are California Scrub-Jays.
That was an excellent one to get for the month, because they are uncommon around here, and I only know a handful of places where I can see them.
I went to lunch then, and after lunch I drove to Mukilteo on my way home. Edgewater beach Park in Mukilteo is a reliable place for Barrow's Goldeneye when they are in season, and I saw three of them as soon as I got there. I sat down to try for pictures, and my camera wouldn't turn on. It gave an error message and shut down. Bummer.
When I got home, I researched it, and I decided it was irretrievably broken. I used that camera for about 5 years and took over 60,000 pictures with it. I've been thinking about getting a new one, since it is 2014 technology, and it has its shortcomings. I haven't been willing to spend the money for a new one, with only marginally better features, but now I had no choice. I bit the bullet and spent $700, including tax and expedited delivery charges, and ordered a new camera. It is one generation newer, having come out in 2018, rather than 2014 like the old one. I'll be interested to see what shortcomings it has, and if it is any better at the things that have frustrated me about the old camera. There might very well be a new model that comes out soon, but I can't be without a camera, so bought this one. It's the next generation of the camera I have been using, with only a few new features, so I hope the learning curve is easy.
I added 9 species to my April list today, and now I have 76 species this month so far. Four of them were repeaters, and now I have 52 of my 70 repeaters this month. I am still at 139 species for the year.
Tomorrow is supposed to be 70 degrees with low wind, although cloudy. I'm eager to get out there and look for birds, but it will seem very strange to not have a camera with me. No pictures in tomorrow's report, sorry to say. I paid for "one day" delivery, but I'm not sure what that means exactly. I'm hoping it shows up tomorrow.
Thursday, April 7, 2022
Today I headed up to the Edmonds area, which is about a half hour northwest of home, on Puget Sound. At Christina's urging, I dug out my old, old, old, old camera - from three camera generations ago. I think I got it in about 2011 or 2012, and I replaced it in 2013. The replacement failed, then its replacement failed, and the next generation after that is the one that failed yesterday. As it turned out, today was a good day to be without a good camera, as most of my birding was going to be on the water, anyway, with the birds quite distant for the most part.
Anyway, I charged the old batteries and did the setup on the old camera, and I tried it out this morning before leaving home, just to see how it worked. Here are a couple of pictures of feral pigeons on the roof of our house this morning.
In the next one, the male was puffing himself up to make himself more attractive to the female. I didn't see any sign that she noticed.
The color difference in those two pictures is due to how I processed them. Specifically, I used a different white balance setting in each one. I didn't bother going back and making them the same, as I would have if they were "real" pictures. The camera seemed to work, though, so I took it along.
On the way to Edmonds, I drove along Bothell Way, looking for the Glaucous Gull that had been there last month. No luck with that. Next I stopped at Lake Ballinger, to look for a rarity (for this area) that had been reported there for the last two days. Red-naped Sapsucker. I didn't find it, and I didn't see any reports that indicated that anyone else did today, either.
In the town of Woodway, I drove to my quail site. I didn't see any quail today, but as I sat there, I heard a California Quail give its distinctive call twice, so it went on my list, since I count "heard only" birds. To further check out the camera, I took this picture of a male House Finch.
The images are fine with that old camera, but it is inconvenient in several ways, and I would never put up with its funky controls today. It also has a lot less zoom that my later cameras.
Next I drove to Deer Creek Park, in Woodway. I walked a little and played bird calls. I successfully called up a Pacific Wren, and I even got this terrible picture of it, eventually.
The camera actually did just fine on that picture; they were just terrible conditions. I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet while looking for my other birds, so it went on my list. Back at the parking lot, I was able to call up a Brown Creeper, but I didn't even try for a picture, with the inconvenience of using the old camera. Among other things, the view finder has poor resolution, and I couldn't really see what I was taking a picture of very well. It was a very successful stop, though. I not only got both the wren and the creeper, which I was trying for, Golden-crowned Kinglet was a bonus.
Next I drove to the Edmonds waterfront. I walked out onto the fishing pier, but the only thing I got there that I needed was Glaucous-winged Gull, a gimme. Next I drove to Brackett's Landing, which is right across the street from the ferry terminal. I saw a Brandt's Cormorant on one of the ferry dock pilings, and offshore there were some small gulls. One of them had a black head - a surprise Bonaparte's Gull in breeding plumage. There were a couple of Short-billed Gulls (formerly called Mew Gulls) nearby, too, another species I needed.
I went up to Sunset Avenue, but there wasn't any convenient parking. I stopped briefly at one point and spotted a pair of Black Scoters, one I was especially looking for there today. At Ocean Avenue, there were a lot of Brant along the shore, another one I needed. Here are a couple of Brant.
Brant is a small goose, and I have only ever seen them on salt water. Here is a close up of a Brant.
I saw four Pacific Loons out pretty far, and I needed that one. They were distant, but I wanted to give my old camera a test, so I took a couple of pictures of the distant Pacific Loons.
There was a Common Loon near the Pacific Loons, too, and that was another one for my list. Way out in the middle of the sound, I spotted a large group of Western Grebes, my last April bird of the day.
I ended up getting 13 more species for my April list today, and now I have 89 species this month. Seven of the species today were repeaters, and now I have 59 of my 70 repeaters this month. I had some good ones today - California Quail, Black Scoter, Pacific Loon, and Brandt's Cormorant were all good ones.
My new camera is supposed to be delivered by noon tomorrow. It is supposed to be pretty wet and windy tomorrow, so I might not do any birding at all until Saturday, although I'm going to be eager to try out the new camera..
Friday, April 8, 2022
Today turned out to be pretty nice, although a little windy. I had to stay home this morning, though, because my new camera was going to be delivered, and it required a signature. It got here about 10:30, and I started playing with it. I couldn't go out this afternoon because our garage door opener broke this week, and they were installing a new one this afternoon, so I had to be here for that. I got the camera going, though, and took some pictures in the yard this afternoon to test it out.
Here is a male American Goldfinch.
Here are three male American Goldfinches. There were four of them coming to the feeder, off an on this afternoon. No females.
I took those last two pictures from the back porch, which is maybe 40 feet from the feeder. Here is a male House Finch with one of the male American Goldfinches, for a size comparison.
A male Northern Flicker came to the suet feeder, so I got in position and took his picture. He was in the shade, but it came out pretty well.
To test it on a non-bird picture, I went out to the front gate and shot a picture of our house.
The tree in the front of the house is a flowering cherry tree, and here is a fully zoomed, full frame shot of some of the cherry blossoms, from the front gate.
The camera has the same amount of zoom as my old one that failed this week, and it is enough for me. If there had been a bird in that tree, I could have gotten a picture of it easily enough. That last shot is full frame, too, and it could be cropped if necessary.
The rest of the pictures were taken while sitting in a chair, about 25 feet from the feeder.
A couple of Pine Siskins came to the seed feeder. Here is one of them, approaching the feeder.
Here is a Pine Siskin (which is a finch) and an American Goldfinch. Pine Siskins are quite aggressive, and this one is chasing the larger goldfinch away.
Here's a Song Sparrow.
While I was watching the birds come to the feeder and taking their pictures, I actually added a species to my April list. A Bewick's Wren flew into the bush next to the feeder, but it was discouraged by the larger birds, I guess, because it went away quickly. I got this shot in which the Bewick's Wren is mostly hidden by the stem of the bush, but you can see part of the tail and part of the head - enough to identify the species if you look closely.
I wouldn't normally bother with a picture that bad, but it was my only species for my list today, so I am showing it. Here is another picture of a male American Goldfinch.
Here is that American Goldfinch and a Pine Siskin.
A couple of Feral Pigeons were hanging around under the feeder, so I shot one of them
Here's still another male American Goldfinch, in the nearby quince bush.
Some Red-winged Blackbirds showed up for a while and drove the smaller birds away. Here is a male Red-winged Blackbird.
Here is a female Red-winged Blackbird.
The lighting was ideal this afternoon, and I was sitting, which makes the pictures sharper, but I'm pleased with how they came out. That female blackbird kind of pops out at you. A Black-capped Chickadee showed up and had to wait its turn to get in for seeds. It would grab a seed and take off. I took pictures of it in the bush next to the feeder, while it waited for an opening at the feeder, among the larger birds. Here are a couple of Black-capped Chickadee pictures.
Here is a male House Finch.
Finally, here is a shot of the Black-capped Chickadee as it was sneaking in for a seed.
Overall, I was quite pleased with the new camera. The conditions were pretty ideal today, and I need to check it out in more typical situations, but I'm encouraged. It felt good in my hands, and the operation was good. It seems to have less shutter lag than my last camera, and that would be great if that's true. I'll be looking forward to seeing how it does in low light situations.
I ran into a couple of problems with it. It uses a different file format than my last camera, and that format isn't supported by the software I use to process my pictures. I ordered the latest version of that software (Photoshop Elements) today, and I'm counting on this new file format being supported in this new version. If it isn't, I'll return the software, and I'll have a big problem. That cost me another 70 bucks. The new file format isn't supported well in the software I use to view pictures, either. I haven't figured out what the problem there is, yet. Maybe I'll have to use something else to view my pictures when they come out of the camera, which I need to do in order to decide which ones to keep and process. Because of the problems caused by this new RAW file format (.cr3), I had to first convert my pictures from today to jpg's, which degraded them slightly. They would have looked a bit better if I hadn't had this file format problem. Even with that degradation, though, I am pleased.
I added one more to my April list today (the almost hidden Bewick's Wren), and it was a repeater. Now I have 90 species this month and 60 of my 70 repeaters. The weather doesn't look promising over the weekend, but maybe I can do a little local birding in between the showers.
Saturday, April 9, 2022
The weather today was surprisingly good. We had a few sprinkles this morning, and one big hail storm this afternoon, but otherwise, it was okay. It was a little chilly in the morning, in the high 40's, but not a problem.
I went first to the Redmond Retention Ponds, because there had been a report of a Blue-winged Teal there yesterday. I found three other birders looking for the teal, but it wasn't around this morning. There were a couple of Killdeer protecting a nest on the ground, so I took a picture of one of them.
I drove to Marymoor Park and was pleased to see that a pair of OSPREYS, my first of the year, had returned to the nest by the model airplane field. One of them was calling loudly for a long time.
The one on the right flew down into the nest.
They seemed to be eating something, and then they copulated, so I guess they are serious about starting a family.
The male flew off, and the female stayed in the nest.
I moved on to the viewing mound, but nothing was doing there, other than a male Anna's Hummingbird at the top of a tree. On my way back to the car, I spotted a Savannah Sparrow, though, which was one for my April list.
Next I drove over to the community gardens, but I didn't find anything I needed there. I did get this picture of a Golden-crowned Sparrow, though.
I also took this shot of a male Spotted Towhee.
Next I walked along the slough a little. There were dozens of swallows flying around, but they all seemed to be Violet-green Swallows, which I already had this month. I found a single Wilson's Snipe along the slough, and I needed that one.
It just stood there and didn't do anything, so I moved on. When I came back, it was actually foraging for food, and I took this picture as it moved around. Wilson's Snipe.
I already had Green-winged Teal, but I got this picture of a male Green-winged Teal. I think the patterns on the side are great, and the feathers on the back are pretty.
Here is his much plainer mate, a female Green-winged Teal.
Then another one I needed came swimming down the stream. Here is a male Common Merganser, one of my repeaters.
I walked around the long way back to my car, and I played Red-breasted Nuthatch calls when I got near the big evergreen trees. One responded and I got this picture of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, another repeater I needed still.
As I was leaving, I drove through the park one more time, and I took one more picture of the two Ospreys in the nest.
So, I had a nice little outing and tried out my new camera in the field. I added 5 species to my April list and 2 of them were repeaters. Now I have 95 species this month and 62 of my 70 repeaters. Osprey was new for the year, and now I have 140 species in 2022.
I was pleased with my new camera. It seems a lot more responsive than my old one, and I felt very comfortable using it. The pictures are okay, but the lighting was terrible today. I also have a new version of the software I use to process my pictures, and I'm still getting used to it. It's quite similar to the older version I had been using, but I had to get the new version because my new camera uses a different file type, and the old version wouldn't handle it. So far I haven't found anything that I like any better about the new version, and there are a couple of things that I like less than the way they were before.
Monday, April 11, 2022
I had a lunch appointment up in Everett today, and I went up to Tulalip Bay early, to look for several species. At first I didn’t find anything, but then from the marina parking lot, I found a Black Turnstone on the log boom, with all the cormorants. A second Black Turnstone showed up, too. I tried out my new camera, but the shot was just too distant. I had thought that all the Black Turnstones had already left for their breeding grounds, so I was pleased to add it to my April list.
Looking across the bay, I then noticed some Dunlin with the gulls. That was another one I needed. I had expected to find Black-bellied Plovers, too, but not today.
I drove round the bay, hoping to find a kingfisher. Again, not today. Looking at some gulls on the spit, I noticed one that seemed different. I got my scope out, and sure enough, it was my first CASPIAN TERN of the year.
I stopped by the parking lot at the 10th St boat launch in Everett, but I didn't find a Herring Gull. The Great Blue Herons were still sitting on their nests. I just looked it up, and it takes about 4 weeks for incubation, so it is going to be a while before I see any chicks in the nests. I saw an Osprey flying, but nothing on the nest I have watched in recent years.
I added 3 more species to my list today, and now I have 98 species in April. Sorry, no pictures.
Thursday, April 14, 2022
I didn't do any birding on Tuesday or Wednesday, but today I went out to the Snoqualmie Valley. I stopped on the way at Marymoor Park, but the west parking lot for the dog park was closed, and it was sprinkling, so I didn't really do any birding. I did notice that there was an Osprey in the ballpark nest, and I took its picture.
Next I stopped at the Redmond Retention Ponds, but I didn't see anything I needed there. I found a couple of Killdeer chicks, though, and I got a couple of pictures of one of them.
Here is the chick with an adult, for a size comparison.
Out in the Snoqualmie Valley, I didn't see anything I needed as I drove across the valley. At the nest platform just across the river from Chinook Bend, an Osprey had taken up residence.
That's a man made nest platform, about 40 feet high, and it is interesting to see grass growing in the nest. I wonder how the seeds got up there.
I didn't see anything at the house in Carnation with feeders, and I picked up a sandwich at the deli department of the Carnation Market. I drove up to the Fay Road access to the Snoqualmie Valley Wildlife Area. I walked a little and looked at the swallows flying around over one of the ponds. Most of them were Violet-green Swallows, but at least one of them was a Barn Swallow, and I needed that one. I moved to the Stillwater Access and took my sandwich and my chair up on the dike trail. I sat and ate my lunch as I watched and listened for birds. My first RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER of the year flew in and drummed on the metal of a sign up the trail a bit.
There was a pair of CINNAMON TEAL, my first of the year, sitting on a stump in the middle of the pond. After a few minutes of preening, they went in the water and swam close enough for a picture. Here is the pair of Cinnamon Teal, the red one being the male.
A bit later I noticed a Red-breasted Sapsucker on a dead tree, and I realized it was drilling a nest hole. I approached and took pictures.
Here is a shot from even closer.
In a few minutes, a second one flew in.
It's interesting how they can raise the feathers on their heads. The second one took over the drilling, and the first one flew off.
Here is the second Red-breasted Sapsucker drilling away at their nest hole.
A pair of Ring-necked Ducks came along. I had that one already this month, but here is the male Ring-necked Duck.
Here is the female Ring-necked Duck.
While I had been sitting there, I heard an AMERICAN BITTERN call a couple of times, so I had put it on my list. They are usually difficult to see, but as I was walking on down the trail, I was looking at the area where I had heard it, and I spotted the American Bittern.
I watched it as it called again.
I walked down the trail to the first bridge, and I played Common Yellowthroat and Marsh Wren songs. I heard a Marsh Wren responding, but I never could see it. It went on my list, of course, since I count "heard only" birds. I headed back toward the car. I stopped again and watched the sapsucker drilling away at its nest hole, and I played more Common Yellowthroat songs. Eventually, my first COMMON YELLOWTHROAT of the year showed up. I tried to get a pictures, but he wouldn't come close and he kept flitting around. I took another picture of the pair of Cinnamon Teal.
It started sprinkling again when I got back to the car, but I drove up to the town of Duvall anyway. I drove up the west side of the river, but I didn't see anything of interest or get any pictures. I gave it up and headed for home in the rain.
It wasn't raining at home, and I took some pictures of birds at our seed feeder. I had mentioned to Christina this morning that there had been American Goldfinches around every day, but that I hadn't seen any females yet, only males. This afternoon, a couple of females finally showed up. Here a male American Goldfinch.
Here is a female American Goldfinch, with more subdued colors and no black forehead patch.
A male Spotted Towhee approached the feeder, so I took his picture.
Here's one final picture of a male House Finch and a male American Goldfinch.
It was a good day of birding. I added 6 more species to my April list, which is now 104 species. One of those was a repeater, and now I have 63 of my 70 repeater species. Four of the species I saw today were new for me for the year, and now I have 145 species this year. American Bittern was especially good to see and to get pictures of.
Friday, April 15, 2022
I had a guy coming this morning to do some work, but I got out of here late and went over to Wallace Swamp Creek Park. I was looking for Bushtits. A birding acquaintance, Linda, had told me about a Bushtit nest in the park. I found the nest, but there weren't any Bushtits around. The nest looked unfinished to me, so I stuck around for 15 or 20 minutes, but I never saw a Bushtit, so I suspect the nest might have been abandoned. I should have taken a picture of the nest, as Bushtits make a very interesting nest. It looks like a large wooly sock, and it hangs down from a branch.
Anyway, I neglected to take a picture of the nest, and I walked around the park a little and sat on benches. I saw a couple of Brown Creepers, so I took pictures. I'm really liking this new camera. It seems to focus much faster than my old camera, and it seems a lot easier to get a shot off. So far, the pictures look sharper to me, too, although I need more time with it to know that for sure. Anyway, here are some Brown Creeper pictures.
Here are a couple of pictures of a female Anna's Hummingbird.
Three male Mallards were lazing in the creek, so I took their picture.
There wasn't much bird action there today, but I took pictures of common birds as a continuing test of my new camera. I watched an American Robin hunting for grubs and worms. It caught several of them while I watched, but it immediately swallowed them, before I could get a picture. Here is the American Robin, hunting for food.
I was 30 or 40 feet away from that robin, and I'm happy with how the camera performed.
That was it for my birding today. Here at home, a female Northern Flicker came to our suet feeder, and I grabbed a shot of her.
I love the black and orange colors on the tail.
So, I didn't get anything for my list today, but I had a short outing and I got some pictures. As I said, I like the new camera a lot so far. I hate the "upgraded" software I had to buy in order to handle the new file format of the new camera, but I'm getting used to the differences. There is one big improvement that I think I will like a lot, as I learn how to use it. I should be able to do some birding tomorrow morning and on Sunday, in between rain showers, and maybe I can add to my lists.
Saturday, April 16, 2022
This morning I went down to my local park, Juanita Bay Park. I walked out on to the east boardwalk, and there were only a handful of waterbirds on the bay. The male Red-winged Blackbirds were loudly proclaiming their territories, though, so I took pictures of one of them that was close.
When he would call, he would really put himself into it.
I spotted a Pied-billed Grebe out on the lake, and that was one I needed for April still.
I didn't see anything else I needed, so I headed back toward my car. I stopped at a convenient table and sat and watched the birds. After a while, I saw a single Bushtit, not real close. That was another one I needed for April. I played Bushtit calls on my phone, and the Bushtit flew right in close. I set my phone down and left it playing the call, and the bird kept flying over my head, from one side of me to the other. It didn't stay still long, but my new camera focuses quickly, and I was able to get some pictures I really like of the male Bushtit (females have light colored eyes).
He sure is a cute little guy, isn't he?
After that, I walked over to the west boardwalk. Here is an American Coot.
On my way back to my car, I noticed a Northern Flicker and took pictures of him. He was what is called an intergrade, a hybrid between two groups of Northern Flicker - the Yellow-shafted Group and the Red-shafted Group. Almost all of the Northern Flickers in Western Washington are Red-shafted Northern Flickers. The red marks on the back of this one's head mark it as an intergrade between the two groups.
After that I went back to my car. I stopped briefly at the fire station road, across the road from the main part of the park. I didn't find anything I needed, but I did get some pictures of a Red-breasted Sapsucker that I like. Sapsuckers eat bugs, but they also drill holes in trees in the spring and suck up the sap that gathers in the "wells". Here is a Red-breasted Sapsucker drinking sap out of one of its wells.
Here is the Red-breasted Sapsucker contemplating its little farm of sap wells.
It flew up into a nearby tree, and I took a couple more pictures of the Red-breasted Sapsucker.
That was it for today. I added two more species to my April list, and both of them were repeaters - Pied-billed Grebe and Bushtit. Now I have 106 species this month and 65 of my 70 repeaters.
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Today I went up to Tulalip Bay, which is about 35 minutes north of home, on Puget Sound. On my way, I stopped at the 12th St NE wetlands, near the Everett Sewage Treatment Plant, hoping for Long-billed Dowitcher, but I whiffed on that one. I checked out the sewage treatment pond, but I didn't find anything I needed there. either. I did get some pictures of a single Greater Yellowlegs, in the marsh to the east of the main pond.
After that, I continued on to Tulalip Bay. I drove around on the west side of the bay, and with the tide well out, I easily found a ton of Dunlin (which I already had) and a number of Black-bellied Plovers, one of my two main targets there today. Everything was much too distant for pictures.
Looking around with my scope, I was pleased to find a distant Belted Kingfisher sitting on a piling. That was my second main target for the day. Anything else would have been a longshot, and I soon left.
I stopped at the parking lot for the 10th St boat launch in Everett, hoping to find a Herring Gull. The tide was well out, though, and most of the gulls were out foraging for food. I didn't see any shorebirds on the mud flats, either. I expected to see Ospreys, since they have shown up in other places, but I didn't see any today. The nest I have watched and photographed for the last two or three years looked pretty bedraggled and empty, too.
So, I added two more to my April list, and both of them were repeaters. Now I have 108 species in April and 67 of my 70 repeaters. There are a few more species I can continue to look for, and I am hoping some migrants will show up in the next two weeks as well.
Monday, April 18, 2022
Today I went over to north Seattle, to Magnuson Park. As I drove into the park, I spotted a Yellow-rumped Warbler, which was one for my April list. I couldn't stop there to try for a picture, so I drove on. A short distance later, I came upon a feeding flock of about two dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers. They were high in the trees, and the light was terrible, but I tried for pictures. They never stayed still, and the best shot I got was this one of a Yellow-rumped Warbler of the Audubon subspecies.
One of the shots I got turned out to actually be a Pine Siskin, in the midst of the Yellow-rumped Warblers. Here is the Pine Siskin.
I parked my car and walked to the edge of the lake (Lake Washington). Here is a Caspian Tern on the swimming float.
I walked some more, and at one point I played Fox Sparrow songs, and one flew in. Here is my only shot of my first Fox Sparrow of April.
I walked some more, playing Lincoln's Sparrow songs, but never could attract one. I did see some Golden-crowned Sparrows feeding on the path, so I took pictures.
It started to sprinkle about then, so I made my way back to my car. I drove around a little, looking for various species, but I didn't add anything else to my list. There were a couple of female Common Goldeneyes diving at the north shore, so I took pictures.
A White-crowned Sparrow was singing loudly on a wire, so I pulled up and took its picture.
You can see some rain drops in those last two pictures, and that was the end of my birding today. I added two more species to my April list, and now I have 110 species this month. I still have 67 of my 70 repeaters now, and I still have 145 species this year so far.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Here's a brief report with no pictures. I had a lunch appointment up in Everett today, and I went up a little early to look for birds. There were swallows swooping over the Everett sewage treatment ponds, and I managed to get a good enough look at one of them to identify it as a CLIFF SWALLOW, my first of 2022. After that, I moved on to the 10th St boat launch. There was an Osprey just sitting next to the old nest I have watched for two or three years, but only the one. I hope its mate didn't kick the bucket over the winter.
There were only a few gulls snoozing on the blacktop, and no Herring Gulls. I checked out the Great Blue Heron rookery, and the herons all seemed to be sitting on their nests, so I assumed they hadn't hatched any eggs yet. Then one of them got up, and could see at least two chicks in the nest. I tried for pictures, but I didn't get anything worth showing. When the chicks get bigger, and there are chicks in all the nests, it should be good for some pictures.
So, I added one more to my April total and it was new for the year, too. At this point, I have 111 species this month, 67 of them are repeaters (out of a total of 70 possible repeaters), and I have 146 species this year.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
My plan for today was to go to Marymoor Park to look for several species I needed still for April. Then yesterday afternoon, someone found a rarity (for this area) at Marymoor, so I added that one to my list. It was reported again this morning, so I parked in the east parking lot for the dog park, near the viewing mound, and walked out onto the interpretive trail, where the rarity had been seen. I expected to see maybe 5 or 6 birders there looking for the bird, but there were only three people there at that time, including a guy in a wheelchair using oxygen. I approached them, but they hadn't seen it. I waited with them, looking around. The rarity was a sparrow, and I spotted a sparrow at the top of a nearby tree. Here is a picture of a Savannah Sparrow, a common bird that I already had this month.
My back hurts if I stand too long, so after about ten minutes of standing around, I walked back to my car and got my chair, then came back. I sat for another 10 or 15 minutes, and one of the people watching first heard, then saw, the rare sparrow. Here is the GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.
It was feeding in the short grass on the path, just as it had been doing yesterday and earlier this morning. It was strange how it crouched down the whole time, never standing up. I took a lot of pictures, and here are three more shots of the Grasshopper Sparrow.
I had seen Grasshopper Sparrow in Arizona a few years ago, but this was the first time I had seen one in Washington. They are uncommon in Eastern Washington, but rare in Western Washington. By the time the sparrow showed up, more birders had arrived. Here is a group of birders viewing the sparrow from the other side.
Here is a shot that puts it in perspective. The sparrow was in the lower left corner of the picture.
I had been closer, sitting in my chair next to the guy in the wheelchair.
I was maybe 20 feet away, and the Grasshopper Sparrow was extremely cooperative, just quietly feeding and looking around from time to time, not paying any attention to the watchers. Eventually, I folded up my chair and walked on around the loop trail, so as not to pass by the bird and disturb it.
I was looking for a Rufous Hummingbird, and I saw a couple of hummers, but I couldn't get a good enough look to identify the species. I walked on out to the end of the boardwalk, hoping that Purple Martins would be in the nest gourds, but there was no sign of them yet. Purple Martins are just now starting to come back from migration, and I hope to find one before the end of the month. Along the boardwalk, I heard a Common Yellowthroat, and I played its songs. It flitted around, singing back to me, but it mostly stayed out of camera range. I got just one picture of the male Common Yellowthroat, but it turned its head away at the last moment.
As I neared the south end of the East Meadow, I spotted a hummingbird at the top of a little tree. The light was terrible, but my pictures showed that it was a male Rufous Hummingbird, one I needed for April still. Here are a couple of pictures, in terrible light, of the male Rufous Hummingbird.
I was sitting on a bench when a woman who was walking a dog pointed out a little animal on the grassy trail. Here are a couple of pictures.
It was about an inch and a half long, not counting the tail. I looked online, and I think it was a shrew. I don't think I have ever seen a shrew before.
When I got back to my car, I drove to the model airplane field, to check out the Osprey nest. There was one Osprey in the nest today. I saw three Savannah Sparrows, and I took these next two pictures.
I headed for home, but on the way I was watching for Lonesome George, the pheasant that lives in the park. I was quite surprised to find George right next to the road. I couldn't stop, but I turned around and went back. I stopped and took pictures, and here is the male Ring-necked Pheasant for my April list.
He was just walking along the road, maybe six feet from the side of the road. The cars going by didn't bother him at all, nor did my taking his picture.
A little farther along the road, I saw a Canada Goose sitting on the new Osprey nest platform.
I wonder if a pair of Ospreys will come along and displace the goose.
It was a successful visit to Marymoor this morning. I got the rare Grasshopper Sparrow and two other species for my April list. Now I have 114 species this month and 147 species for 2022. My King county list went up to 198 species and my Washington State list went up to 290 species.
Friday, April 22, 2022
I went over to Marymoor Park again this morning. I drove through the park and stopped where I could look at a large grass and gravel parking lot that sometimes has Western Meadowlarks or American Pipits in it at this time of year. At first, all I saw were a couple widely spaced Killdeer, but then I saw a couple of very interesting larger birds in the distance. I was looking right into the sun, but I took pictures, and I could tell they were WHIMBRELS, a shorebird that I never would have expected at Marymoor. Those pictures were lousy, looking into the sun and distant, but I moved on down the road a little and parked my car in a blocked off driveway to that huge parking lot. I spotted the Whimbrels again, and I left my car and walked toward them. I was distracted by a little brown bird that was closer, so I looked at it. It was an American Pipit, an excellent one to get for my April list. Unfortunately, it flew off just as I was about to get its picture.
Meanwhile the Whimbrels were still there, moving from right to left, fairly distant. Here are a couple of pictures of one of the Whimbrels. I think both pictures show the same bird.
When I got home, I sent those pictures to the guy who is the Marymoor birding guru, and he replied to tell me that it was only the 5th record he knew of for Whimbrel in the park, and the others were all in May. I looked away from the Whimbrels for a moment, and I heard them call. When I looked back, they were gone, and I hadn't seen which way they flew. It was certainly a surprise bird for me today.
I went on to the model airplane field and took this shot of the Osprey standing in the nest on the light standard of the ball field across the street.
I moved on and on one of the larger playing fields, I spotted two Western Meadowlarks, which I needed for April. They were too far away for pictures, and I chose not to walk across the long wet grass to try to get close enough for pictures. I got out my scope just to confirm the identification, and they were indeed Western Meadowlarks.
I drove to the community garden and played Lincoln's Sparrow songs. I saw Pine Siskins, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Song Sparrows, but no Lincoln's Sparrows. Here is a White-crowned Sparrow.
Next I parked in the west parking lot for the dog park and walked along the slough, through the dog park. I didn't see much of anything, and eventually I got to the boardwalk and then to the platform at the north end of Lake Sammamish. I saw a swallow at the nest gourds, and I needed Purple Martin. It turns out that Tree Swallows have taken over the nests this year, though. Here is a female Tree Swallow at one of the nest gourds.
Here's a male Tree Swallow.
I was disappointed that Purple Martins weren't using the gourds this year, and I'll have to look for them in other places. I had been watching for woodpeckers all morning, and as I was about to leave the platform, I saw a male Downy Woodpecker and got this picture.
Downy Woodpecker is usually very easy to find, and I hadn't seen one yet this month, so I was pleased to get it. I kept looking for birds on my way back to my car, but I didn't see anything I needed. Here is one of the several Song Sparrows I saw today.
I had a nice outing in the park today, walking almost two miles and adding 4 more species to my April list. Now I have 118 species this month. Downy Woodpecker was a repeater, and now I have 68 of my 70 repeaters this month. Whimbrel was new for 2022 and also new for King county for me. Now I have 148 species this year and 199 species in King county since 2012, when I started to keep county lists.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
On Saturday, I went out to the Snoqualmie Valley. On the way, though, I stopped at the north end of Lake Sammamish and picked up PURPLE MARTIN, my first ones of the year. I stopped at my lookout point at the entrance to the beach club at the north end of the lake, on the east side, and looked at the swallow nest boxes on the lake. I saw swallows at several boxes, but they were too far away for certain identification. I got out my scope, and the first two nest boxes I checked out had Tree Swallows around them, but the third one had a pair of Purple Martins.
I went on out to the Snoqualmie Valley and drove around a lot, but never added anything else to my list. I took a few pictures, and here is a European Starling in summer (breeding) plumage on a wire.
At the house with feeders in Carnation, I took this shot of a male American Goldfinch.
There were crows there, too, and here are a couple of shots of an American Crow, a bird I see almost every day, but I don't show pictures of very often.
Black colored birds are a challenge to photograph.
That was all I got on Saturday. I added one more to my April list and my 2022 list (Purple Martin, which is a swallow species). After that I had 119 species this month and 149 species this year.
Sunday, April 24, 2022
I had an extremely successful day of birding today. I went up to Skagit county, and my first stop was Wylie Slough. The tide was right for shorebirds, which are coming through now on their migration north. At the first place I stopped to look, there were some Greater Yellowlegs, but I had that one already this month. Then I spotted a LESSER YELLOWLEGS, my first of the year, in the near distance. It was close enough for distant pictures, and I got two pictures of it with a larger Greater Yellowlegs. In both pictures, the Greater Yellowlegs is on the left, obviously larger than the other bird.
At the next spot I went, there were some Long-billed Dowitchers, and I needed that one, too. Here is a Long-billed Dowitcher, I think.
The slight downward curve of the bill near the end is one way to tell a Long-billed Dowitcher from the other dowitcher species. The other species is SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and I think I had one of those, too. Here is what I think is a Short-billed Dowitcher.
Here's a closer shot of a Lesser Yellowlegs.
I walked farther out on the dike trail, hoping to find Least Sandpiper and/or Western Sandpiper, but I didn't see any. They should be coming through now in migration, but they seem to be a bit late this year. There have been a few reports, but not as many as I would have expected by now. I have six days left to find those two species this month, and I'll be looking.
When I got back to my car, I drove through the reerve, and I got this picture of a Yellow-rumped Warbler, showing its yellow rump.
I also got this picture of a female Purple Finch in the deep shade.
As I drove out of the reserve, a black bird flew into a leafless tree, and I had one of my two remaining repeaters, Brown-headed Cowbird. Here are two mediocre pictures of the pretty distant Brown-headed Cowbird.
That was an excellent start for my day, and my next destination was the barn of a birding acquaintance in the town of Lyman. I detoured to visit Fox Road, though, so see what it was like this year. They are putting a large water line through the area, and it is really torn up. I'll probably skip it this year from now on. I did get this picture of a Greater Yellowlegs in a puddle in a field, though.
As I was leaving Fox Road, I took this interesting picture of a Violet-green Swallow on a wire.
I moved on, and as I came into Lyman, I stopped to check out the Bank Swallow colony on the river, but they hadn't come back from migration yet, I guess. At Gary's house, I found the BARN OWL in his barn. I was going to try for a picture in the very low light, with my new camera, but by the time I got my camera ready to go, the owl had ducked out of sight.
In the yard there, I saw a little sparrow in a tree and tried for pictures. I was surprised by what I saw when I looked at the pictures, and I sent them to Gary for confirmation, since he is a much better birder than I am. He confirmed that I had a CHIPPING SPARROW, a species I didn't even know lived in Skagit county. Here is the best picture I got of the Chipping Sparrow, with an insect in its bill.
Here is another shot that is badly out of focus, but it helped me rule out immature White-crowned Sparrow as a possibility, because there isn't a central stripe on the head.
The real clincher for me in making the identification is the black bill. An immature White-crowned Sparrow would have an orange bill.
Before I left Gary's yard, I took this shot of a pair of Barn Swallows on a wire.
After that, I headed toward home. I stopped again at Wylie Slough, but still no peeps (Least Sandpipers or Western Sandpipers). On my way back to the freeway from there, I got this picture of a Red-tailed Hawk next to the road.
That's a nice hawk picture, but the next one is even better, in my opinion. Here is the Red-tailed Hawk, taking off right toward me.
I stopped again in the Everett area and looked for peeps in a couple of places, but I didn't find anything. The Great Blue Herons were on their nests at the boat launch parking lot, and I didn't see any chicks today. There were 5 or 6 people there, watching the herons on their nests.
So, as I said up top, it was an excellent day of birding. I added 6 more species to my April list, at a time of the month when 6 more species is outstanding. That brings me to 125 for April. Four of the species today were new for the year, too, and now I have 153 species this year so far. Brown-headed Cowbird was one of my two remaining repeaters, and now I have 69 of my 70 repeaters. The last one is Cedar Waxwing, and they have been remarkably scarce around here this spring, so I am unlikely to find one. Chipping Sparrow was new for my Skagit county list, and now I have 176 species in Skagit county since 2012, when I started keeping county lists. It is the first time I have seen Chipping Sparrow in Western Washington, in fact. An excellent day.
Monday, April 25, 2022
In yesterday's report, I mentioned that by now, we should be seeing more little peeps in migration. Last night, I saw the first report of little shorebirds at the Edmonds Marsh, so today I went up there to see if I could find any. There is also a rare (for the US) duck that has been hanging around the marsh for several weeks, and I needed that one for April, having seen it in March.
At the marsh, I parked and took my scope to the viewing platform near the tennis courts. I didn't see anything interesting with a binocular scan, but I scanned with my scope anyway. This time I spotted 3 or 4 LEAST SANDPIPERS and one WESTERN SANDPIPER, both species new for the year for me. The two species look very similar to me, but Least Sandpipers have yellowish legs and Western Sandpipers have black legs. Here is a distant picture of two Least Sandpipers.
Here is a distant shot of a single Least Sandpiper.
I moved around to the boardwalk on the west side of the marsh. There were Marsh Wrens singing loudly, but I couldn't spot one, so I moved on to look for the rare duck. I was surprised to see a male Eurasian Wigeon, too far away for decent pictures. Most Eurasian Wigeons, which are vagrants to our area, have already left for the summer, but this one was still around. I already had it for April, though.
I found the rare duck, and here is a distant picture of a male Eurasian Teal.
Some authorities consider it to be a subspecies, along with our American Green-winged Teal, but some consider it a full species. Birders normally only count full species, but I made the decision a few years ago to count Eurasian Teal (also called Common Teal) as a separate species for my lists, and so it went on my April list today. They look different and live on different continents, so I count them separately. That bird should be in southeast Asia now, in Japan or farther south. It must have gotten in with some Green-winged Teal and come down the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean when it migrated last fall.
There were some Tree Swallows at a nest box nearby, so I took their pictures. I made up a little story about the interactions between a male and a female. The male was at the entrance to the nest box, and the female flew in an displaced the male. Here is the moment of contact. The male is the one with blue on him.
The male flew up to the perch next to the box, and the female soon joined him there. In this next shot, I think the female (on the right) was giving the male a piece of her mind. He looks like he is trying to ignore her.
In the last picture in the sequence, it looks to me like she is giving him "the look".
Naturally, I don't know what was really going on, and I don't even know if they were a pair, or if they were arguing over who gets that nest box. There were other Tree Swallows around, too. I like my story, though.
I walked back toward my car, and I got these next two pictures of a Bushtit gathering cattail fluff, presumably for a nest.
A Black-capped Chickadee seemed to be doing the same thing, but I missed getting a picture of it on a cattail. It did land on the railing for the boardwalk, although without any fluff.
Back at the main viewing platform, I listened to the Marsh Wrens singing away, but I still couldn't spot one. They seemed to be staying down in the reeds, out of sight. A male Anna's Hummingbird perched for me, though, so I took his picture.
He continued to sit there, so I moved around to his other side, to get the light on his gorget better.
Finally I got the shot I wanted.
It's really interesting how his gorget can look black in one picture, and with a slightly different angle when he turns his head, it shines.
I kept patiently waiting to see a Marsh Wren, and finally one perched up in sight and sang for a couple of minutes, while I snapped pictures. Here are my best four shots of the Marsh Wren. It really blended with the colors of the cattails.
That was it for my birding today. Not bad for less than an hour of birding and a half hour of driving each way, to and from Edmonds. I added 3 more species to my April list, and now I have 128 species this month. Both peeps were new for the year for me, and now I have 155 species this year.
I like to make comparisons to prior years, but April is awkward because I was in California for part of April in 2018, 2019, and 2021. (I didn't bird in April of 2020 due to Covid.) I also made trips to Eastern Washington in each of those years, and I haven't done that this year. So, for comparison purposes, I have adjusted my numbers for those three years to account for only those birds I saw in Western Washington. On that adjusted basis, I had 115 species in Western Washington in 2018, 126 species in Western Washington in 2019, and 126 species in Western Washington in 2021. My total of 128 species in Western Washington this year is my best total for April in Western Washington. I am motivated a lot by numbers, and I don’t know how much more birding I'll do this month now. Maybe a few days off would be nice, so if I don't post any reports for several days, that's why. May is just around the corner.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
I hadn't planned on doing any birding today, but I had a lunch appointment up in Everett, so I went up a little early to check out the Great Blue Heron nests at the 10th St boat launch, as well as the Osprey nest I have been watching for a couple of years. The Ospreys weren't around today and the nest looks kind of abandoned, but there were gulls loafing in the parking lot. I drove around looking for a Herring Gull, although I thought that any Herring Gulls would have migrated by now. I didn't find anything at first, but then I saw a gull snoozing that looked good for Herring Gull, so I drove over closer. Bingo! A light-colored eye. I had Herring Gull for April. Here's a picture of it with its head tucked under its wing.
I drove closer and made it get up and move around a little. Here is a shot showing the light-colored eye that Herring Gulls have.
I kept driving close and eventually got a couple of pictures of the Herring Gull walking.
I only had a few minutes left after that, but I checked out the Great Blue Heron nesting area. I didn't see any chicks, but here is a picture of some of the herons sitting on their nests.
So, I managed to add one more to my April list, to bring me to 129 species this month. I have 155 species this year so far, and I have 69 of my 70 possible repeaters. I don't feel a lot of motivation to add to my April list, since I have beaten recent years (in Western Washington), but I would like to get my last repeater, Cedar Waxwing. The weather is going to be pretty good for the next three days, and Cedar Waxwing has been reported on most days this month at the Montlake Fill (Union Bay Natural Area) near the University of Washington, about a half hour from home. If I feel up to it, I might go over there to try to get my last repeater for the month. There are a number of other birds that have been reported there recently that I need for April, too.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Today I did what I had planned. I went over to the Montlake Fill, adjacent to the University of Washington to look for Cedar Waxwing. I had a nice walk around the loop trail, but I didn't see any Cedar Waxwings. I stopped each way at Magnuson Park, too, and drove through, in the hopes I might see Cedar Waxwing there. No dice.
At the Fill, I took my folding chair and walked around the loop trail. Near the start, a couple of birders told me about a Cooper's Hawk nest, saying that both birds were around, carrying sticks to the nest. I found the nest, which was right next to the path and about 15 or 20 feet up, near the trunk. I set up my chair and watched for about 15 minutes, but I never saw a Cooper's Hawk. There was a feeding flock of about 20 Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting around in the trees near the nest, and I tried for pictures of them. I also had hopes that some other warbler might be mixed in with them but all I saw were Yellow-rumps. Eventually, I moved on. I saw Yellow-rumped Warblers at three or four spots, and I took some pictures.
That last picture shows the bird's yellow rump.
When I got back around to the hawk nest, I set up my chair again and watched some more. This time, after about ten minutes, a Cooper's Hawk flew in to the nest. The other one soon showed up, too, and they both were carrying sticks for the nest. One of them stayed in the nest and seemed to be arranging the sticks, and the other one perched nearby. It was a tough shot, with branches in the way and the bright background of the sky, but I got some pictures of the Cooper's Hawk (which I needed for this month) as it moved around a bit. The pictures took a lot of processing.
That was it for me today. I added Cooper's Hawk to my April list, and now I have 130 species in April, all in Western Washington. That exceeds my Western Washington totals for May in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (I didn't bird at all in April of 2020 due to the pandemic.), which were 115 species, 126 species, and 126 species, respectively. I have 69 of my 70 repeaters this month, and I have 155 species this year so far. I don't know if I'll even go out again this month. Migrants are starting to return, though, and it is tempting to go looking for them.