Glaucous-winged Gulls

For some reason, gulls were lower on my list of birds to track down. Maybe I figured I was bound to bump into several hundred along the way since we were next to the water. I do know I paid some rapt attention when they were around.

Half way through the trip I was starting to squint at gull hard to try and make one a Mew Gull, to no avail. The only unexpected gull was a single California Gull. Most were Western and Glaucous-winged with some hybrid of the two thrown in for good measure.

I think my favorites turned out to be the Glaucous-winged. This one was in part of a flock along Alki Beach Park on the Puget Sound across from Seattle.



There were a few Westerns there, too. I need to go back through my pictures to actually find them.

One of my favorite shots of a gull was from near the end of my Dungeness hike. I see a big pattern here. Dungeness enters into almost every post somehow!



Since there was a nice steady breeze after the storm passed through, the few gulls I saw would flap into the wind and often hung in the air for a while before moving on into the wind or wheeled back to rest up the beach.

More information on Alki Beach can be found here.

Jetty Hopping

When we arrived at Ocean Shores the weather was clear but crisp and pretty windy. Algae blooms had stained the Pacific waves a thick, rusty brown that lapped up the beach at low tide. Not that these Florida folks were about to dip into the cold waters here, anyway.

As we walked out on Damon Point the weather began to shift. The wind picked up even more and rain clouds began to push in from the West. We made our way back to the parking lot after exploring the now exposed wreck of the SS Catala and searching, in vain, for Snowy Owls which we later learned were hiding in the dunes just beyond that growing tide stream.



The planned birding tour of the area was cut short by that growing storm but I wanted to at least get out and scan the jetty back at the beach. I stepped out with my Pentax, which I use as a pretend telescope at times, and walked toward the jetty as a light rain began to blow in. I climbed up to the top of the jetty and stared down the jumble of rocks leading out into the Pacific.

I could see a LOT of birds floating in the waves at the very end of the jetty maybe 100 yards long ahead of me. If you know me well you know what happens next. I had to get out there, weather be damned. I began hopping from rock to rock as the family sat in the car.

In hindsight, it wasn't the smartest thing to do but I needed to know what those shapes actually were. Life Birds were at stake. The wind was gusting up to around 30 mph and the clouds were gaining strength and menace. 3 other foolish humans were well ahead of me and I was determined to reach the end as fast as possible.

I eventually made it to the end of the jetty just behind the other adventures and scanned the bobbing specs through the rain while nearly loosing my footing numerous times as we were buffeted by gust after gust. The waves were crashing hard by now, adding their spray to the light rain.

Most of the birds were not new as I had hoped. Surf and White-winged Scoters and a few gulls and a Pelagic Cormorant. Out on the edges of the flocks a lone, large Harbor Seal poked his head above the waves to scan the birds just as I was doing. Off to my left there was a flash of white feathers which was a Life Bird: Long-tail Duck. It dove twice and then flew off, avoiding my attempts to photograph it.

I looked behind me down the long stretch of now slick rocks and could just make out the headlights of the rental car. Besides the inclement weather, it was now getting dark. Time to head back past the gulls and Pelagic Cormorants. By now, I could notice some smaller birds at the base of the jetty. Here were my Life Birds, down dodging the waves below me.

The light was really fading now but I could make out one bird for sure. I had been thinking it would have been easier to find in other locations but I would take it here. Even at a distance in the gloom I could tell it was a Black Turnstone. This image was scanned in and cropped.



Other small birds were searching for food in the mess of waves and wind. Hard to make out at the time. Best I could do was try and grab any shot and review in the warmth of a hotel after the film came back. Turns out there were a couple more Lifers out there for me. One was a Surfbird.



What could these other birds be? Not sure. Had to ask for some help from the Tweeters in Washington. Helped confirm another new bird. In this shot we have Black Turnstone, Surfbirds, and Rock Sandpipers.



I was slowly making my way back to the point where I wouldn't be swept into the ocean when I saw one more odd little bird floating and diving. I knew the was light minimal but I tried to stand as still as possible to get something to image for me later. The wind wasn't cooperating too much. Managed to get enough to get verified by someone much more knowledgeable than me that it was my only auk of the trip. Rhinoceros Auklet in fact.



I only time I actually almost fell from the rocks was just at the end of my climbing but I managed to right myself one last time and jump down to the level plane of the beach. From there it was an easy walk back to the car and to comfort.

Thankfully, the rental car we had came equipped with a DVD player so the kids didn't complain much about the wait. They are quite use to Dad being distracted with birds from time to time. Fortunately, too, my wife is a saint. She patiently waits for my little bursts of craziness to ebb. She says we looked awfully funny hopping from rock to rock to rock.

The best part of this jaunt wasn't even bird related.

My head was all clogged up since we were on descent into Seattle 3 days before. I could hardly hear and my sinus pain was nearly constant and my ears just wouldn't pop and clear things up. Not long after I got back in the car and warmed up I realized things were clearing up.

Somehow, all that cold, wet, windy weather and exercise had burst through the roadblock in my head and I got the best sleep of the trip so far.

And at least 6 new birds in that miserable dusk. I would do it all over again. Probably will.

Loons

Another bird that seems hard to get a good view of here in Florida would be the Loons. They stray down and around the state from time to time but usually stay out in the Gulf or Atlantic and don't afford good views. The best views I got of Loons in Washington was around Puget Sound and just beyond.

The species seen most turned out to be the Common Loon. I actually saw a few out around Merritt Island a year earlier but they were in their Winter plumage. Here, out West, they were molting out of that gray shade and becoming very black.

I always thought of Common Loons as those haunting callers more around northern mid-west lakes. In Washington, I only saw then in the salty waters around the Sound area. The closest approach was in the rapid outgoing tide flowing under the bride at Deception Pass at Whidbey Island.



Not a spectacular shot, like most of the offshore birds, but a good view of the checkerboard pattern returning to the back feathers. This bird was constantly diving in the churning water.

Other Loons were found out along Dungeness Spit. One of the many species diving for food that day was another Common Loon molting a bit more giving it a look of a graying man.



A bird I wasn't expecting to see was a bird that appeared along side the displaying Mergansers I posted about earlier. In the middle of the occupied Mergansers appeared a very gray bird which moved along parallel to the shore. Fortunately, it didn't stray too far while I was fascinated with the displays.

I caught up to the new arrival and managed a one clear shot between the rolling waves. Later, I discovered that this was a Red-throated Loon. Excellent.



I will be monitoring the bird lists this Winter in the hopes of getting a closer look at the next Loon that wanders by.

Scoters

O.K. I'll admit something a little embarrassing.

These birds are uncommon around these parts. Once I figured that out I always went past that section of bird books quickly and on to something I could find locally. As I skimmed past those pages my brain always read the name as "Scooters".

As in, something that might scoot across the surface of the waves.

One day, as I was listening to a new podcast on birds called 'Ray Brown's Talkin' Birds' from Massachusetts, I heard someone actually say the name out loud. They had some BLACK SCOTERS out in the bay.

Ah. SCOT-ers. Alright then...

Not too long before that I had a twitcher moment when several Black Scoters were reported over in the Clearwater area. Just so happened to be Christmas coming up and I was going to be over there to visit the parents. I found those Scoters the next day but they were so far away that all I ended up with were some shadowy specs of birds which were only ID'd due to shading of the grays and blacks which is typical of winter plumage.

I figured that was the end of my Scoter encounters. However, the Washington trip provided a trifecta of Scoters.

Finally got a better view of the Black Scoters out on the Dungeness Spit hike. Nice view of the male and female resting in between dives.



Early on in the trip, we took a boat ride with my wife's uncle out in the waters around Bainbridge Island. Once we were out of calm water and skirting the choppier waves in Puget Sound there were several black birds dropping in fairly close. We slowed for a look and there we had our first confirmed Surf Scoters. I had thought I spied some from the ferry the day before.



What I noticed from a distance on that first view was the bright white spot on the back of the neck of such a black bird.



The final Scoter on the list was found out at Grey's Harbor.



Every now and then they would stop and flap to show those large white marks on the wings. Mostly they would dive and surface in various spots in the waves. The approaching storm and strong, cold winds didn't provide me with much time of good light. I see a theme on this trip.



This year there have been reports of Scoters over at the Cape and surrounding waters of the Indian River. Could signal a large amount of them here this Winter? Hope so.

Common Mergansers

Don't let that name fools you. Took a week to find this so-called 'common' bird.

The last of my Life Birds for the trip turned up out of nowhere. We had passed this spot on the way into the area and only saw a Brown Creeper and Spotted Towhee. On the way out, running low on birding time, 8 Common Mergansers were just hanging out in a little bend in the Nisqually River.

The females were resting along the pebbles lining the river while the males cruised up and down in front of them. The rapidly changing light and lack of time, plus the birds being fairly far away, didn't allow for much time to get the exposure as nice as I would have liked, but...

This first shot was from the film camera and had a better overall tone.



Still, it didn't capture the greenish hue on the male's feathers like the digitals did. The digitals were overexposed, though.



As you can see here, one of the females joined the males in their single-file back and forth.



A nice way to end the Washington birding for us. Even though we never found those Snowy Owls which turned out to be hiding not too far away.

Next time.

Still not the end of the birds from Washington here.

Red-Breasted Mergansers

One of the more interesting sights I found on my walk out to the Dungeness Lighthouse was a group of displaying Red-breasted Mergansers about 50 yards or so from the shoreline of the spit. Many birds came and went across the wave as I traveled but this bunch settled in after eating and began different dances along the surface of the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

I had been searching for male Red-breasted Mergansers all week but only managed to find the females in various spots around Puget Sound. A few are reported every Winter along the Merritt Island area in Central Florida but I am never there at the right time.

That day there were several arriving just after the light rain and wind died down as I was halfway along on my way back from the lighthouse. It appeared to be 2 pairs resting near one another when the males began to move next to each other and started making bobbing movements with their heads.



After several seconds they would change the dance and begin calling and motioning with their wings.



As you can see from the distance photos, the females seemed not to be any real part of all this. Just hanging around waiting for them to wrap it up. The males would continue this set of motions as they paddled in small circles near the females but always seemed to end up in the middle of the dance floor.

Every now and then, the seeming civility of the displays would fall apart all together and one of the males would thrash about and run across the water in a brief shout.



Not long after this outburst the males would settle back into a calmer posture and begin to nod and call in sequence as they had before.

It was similar to displays I have seen with Hooded Mergansers last Winter. I took a bunch of pictures of those displays one day and will post that in the near future. However, with the smaller 'Hoodies' the dance seemed more similar to a pair of rams challenging each other but not head-on.

This year I will try to get over to see any stray Red-breasted Mergansers over at the Cape. I doubt the displays happen in this wintering ground but you never know.

Canada Geese

One of the things I was missing from living a bit farther North as a young boy was the occasional sighting of Canada Geese. Whether it was a single bird walking by the edge of a lake or a flock in a flying 'V' heading south, I always had a liking for these large geese.

We don't get too many here in Florida. Maybe the rare stray or weather blown and tired migrating few but it is a special day if one is reported here.

Washington state, however, was chock full of them.



Canada Geese would occasionally fly up from retention ponds just about everywhere around the Seattle/Tacoma area. We even found one standing on the shoulder of the road right at an exit ramp. Could have been hitchhiking the way he just stood there staring at the passing cars.

The pair above seemed to be arguing on which way to travel next. They were there to greet us as we stepped into the parking lot at Nisqually. Deeper into the refuge, hundreds of Canada and Cackling Geese could be seen and heard grazing in the meadow that lies between the trails.



This shot shows another flock of hundreds that set down near the visitor center as we headed toward the exit. Geese were everywhere.

My favorite shot of the geese that day took place in the ponds that are surrounded by the boardwalk at Nisqually. The sun was beginning to set and this pair sat away from the throng of geese found in the rest of the refuge.



I look forward to visiting the Canada geese again. Perhaps we can get there when the huge flocks of Snow geese are still hanging around and walking wing to wing with these black and tanned beauties.

A New Flicker

Just after I had happened upon the Chickadees in Belfair, I headed back to the car and passed an open yard littered with Robins. Hopping in a different manner than the Robins was another pair of birds.

I tried to get a closer look and they flew up into a nearby tree and began some sort of either territorial or other display with one another.



They bobbed and squawked at one another for a few minutes before heading off to the brushy edges of the yard.

The best part about this find was that these would be my first 'red-shafted' Northern Flickers. Here in the East I have only previously found the 'yellow-shafted' variety. Unlike the yellow-shafted, I couldn't usually see the red in the wings unless the birds were in flight. We found many in the days ahead.

Many near our house show the yellow on the edges of the wings and in the tail area even when stationary. Compare the red-shafted on this page to the yellow-shafted ones at my other web site.

Another distinguishing feature is that the yellows have a red patch on the nape of the neck and the reds have red "whiskers" on the face.

The most important factor, of course, is location. Reds stay in the Western U.S. and the Yellows stay in the East.

My Little Chickadees

Chickadees. How cute are they, eh? Soooooooooo, cute!

They can bite like the dickens, though. Try taking one out of a mist net prior to banding. At least the Carolina Chickadees that seem to be expanding their range here in Central Florida.

I am guessing that the Black-capped and Chestnut-backed versions in Washington would pack a similar vise-like grip.
Those two species were high on my list as we headed out to the West. Managed to peg them both on different days.

The first would be the Black-capped Chickadees. They were found on that wrong turn day I mentioned in a previous post where I ended up in Belfair. Managed to end up at the entrance to a trail, so I stepped out for a breath of fresh air and a scan of the trees.



Not far above me was a family of Chickadees busily chasing one another through the nearly bursting buds on many trees that I couldn't quickly identify. The Chickadees would fly out in little bursts, sometimes zipping high and sometimes tracking lower to land nearly above my head.

It was the first time I had heard that clear "Chick-a-dee-dee-dee" call so clearly. The Florida birds tend to alter their calls a bit from the norm.

A little past the tree party, near a large group of neglected and empty bird feeders, was a couple more birds interested more in preening and relaxing than chasing one another. I managed to creep in close enough to get a nice shot through the branches. This bird didn't seem to mind me leaning in to say 'Hi'.



It took longer than I had hoped to find the Chestnut-backed Chickadees. I had read that they frequented the woods near the beach at Dungeness but I couldn't find any. Not saying they weren't there, but I didn't find them. The rain probably kept them, literally, high-and-dry.

The first ones showed up when I bought that bird feeder near the end of the trip. That entry is detailed here.

The action was fast and furious that morning and we had to move along but having a couple of OK shots to bring home was nice. Every so often, a curious bird would land beneath the feeder and stare down next to the steps to see if it was worth the trip.



The next time we are out there the task will be to get a more natural looking photo. Maybe I can find them nearer to the coast, then. A bigger camera rig would probably make a difference, too.

So would actually trying to get a shot instead of being blinded by their cuteness.

Meanwhile, Back in Washington...Creepers

Despite the urge to post the most recent photos, such as the baby birds showing up all over, I need to finish the Washington State birds. So many birds, so little...ya know.

SO!

The first morning in Port Orchard yielded a number of birds that were new to me right off the bat. In my hunt for the new "alarm clock" I eventually headed around to the back of the house which contains a lot of 150 ft. trees of various species.

I almost found the Wren I was hunting down when another bird flew across an early morning sunbeam through the branches and landed on a trunk in the shadows ahead of me. I slowly made my way toward the landing spot and finally could make out the shape and movement of a Brown Creeper.

Even though it was the first Creeper I had ever seen, I knew what it was immediately. It matched the descriptions and behaviors I had read in the past and here it was, 30 feet in front of me at eye level. Still too dark for a good photo but a great find.

As the week wore on it kept "creeping" up on me that I wouldn't have a photo of such an interesting bird. There were plenty other birds around but it would be nice to have one for the blog, eh? Well, about a week later, as we were walking down the trail at Nisqually in the light rain, we discovered not one, but two more!

This first shot is actually the 2nd I got. I like the way it shows the curve of the bill since these birds hug so tight to the tree and it was hard to get an angle that showed a profile.



The second shot, being the first, was a Creeper that was in a feeding flock of Chickadees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Song Sparrows. You can tell from this shot how easily they blend in to the bark of the local trees.



Another happy ending to one of the birds I had given up on finding. Twice.

Just like a lot of things in life, once you stop trying so hard things just seem to happen. Still we keep doing it, again and again.

Hello, Stranger!

I will get back to the Washington birds. Promise. However, we did have a little surprise this past Sunday out at Wekiva.

It was not a bad day. Pretty good for this time of year, actually. Still had some migrants moving through which included some fun stuff among the variety of local species.

Here it was, the first week of May, and we still managed a Gray Catbird, several Ovenbirds, and a few Black-throated Blue Warblers. Then an Eastern Palm Warbler flew into a net. They are suppose to be way up North this time of year. I was thinking the Palm would be the bird of the day.

Even though we had a Black and White Warbler and only the third, fourth, and fifth Blackpoll ever banded at Wekiva State Park I still was very perplexed by this late Palm Warbler.

Oh, well. Chalk it up to a fluke. The morning was waning and the breeze was picking up as the temperature headed toward 94 degrees that day. Time to close the nets and call it a day.

We had most of the nets folded and as I headed back to the table to pack up I heard someone say that there was one more bird in one of the loop nets. Alright. Probably another Common Yellow-throat. I dropped the net bags and sat at the table to await the bird for ID and banding.

The bag was handed to me and I asked. "So, what have we here?"

"Either a Mourning or a Connecticut.", Shemus stated as he reached for a field guide. I stopped in my tracks, thinking he was kidding. "If it is either of those it would be a tad special!." I said with a smile. I took my time getting the bird out of the bag as everyone gathered around, starting to get excited.

I pulled the bird out of the bag and we all got a good look and looked at one another. Smiles all around! It WAS a Connecticut Warbler!! First ever record officially at Wekiva and first sighting for every single one of us.



I took my time with the bird, a male, and took many, many photos. As the group headed out they called behind me, "You can't take it home, Andrew!".

I let it go and last saw it heading in a Southeast direction, band flashing in the hot sunshine.

What I call cool.

Uh, Oh. I've Been Tagged!

We interrupt the Washington State Bird review for this late breaking news! I have been tagged by a fellow blogger!!!

Here I was, just minding my business, working my 12-14 hour shifts this week when I received an email that I almost deleted. The subject line read, "Most Beautiful Birds Meme Tag" and was from one John L. Trapp. Could it be spam? Don't know.

The 'bird' mention sucked me in. Hey, I'm on a Mac and use a third-party email program so the virus problem is, oh, nil. So, 'click'.

Took me to John's blog page and post. Claims he, himself was tagged by yet another blogger and was following through. I was simply surprised that anyone out there in the country outside of my local birders knew of my site.

The task is this:

"The rules are simple: Post a list of the 10 birds you consider most beautiful on your blog; you may limit the list to the ABA area (continental United States and Canada) or use a geographic area of your choice. Mark birds you have seen with an asterisk. Tag 3 bloggers to keep it going."

Not one to usually follow through on chain letter kind of thing but I figure that birders are, by and large, a harmless and friendly bunch and it is a kind of networking in this sense. So why not?

Being that I am fairly new to this blogging thing, I figured I might not have my favorite, beautiful birds on the blog itself. The blog started as a quicker way to showcase some birds on the fly instead of trying to find time to update the photography site as often which I do by hand and takes longer to do.

Looking through my few posts I guess I will settle on the following birds:

American Wigeon*
Eurasian Wigeon*
American Goldfinch*
Barn Owl*
Harrier Hawk*
Hooded Merganser*
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker*
Grey Jay*
Steller's Jay*
Brown Thrasher*

Still haven't posted about the Harlequin Duck or a full post on the Chestnut-sided Chickadee but they are right up there. Not to mention all of my Wood Duck shots. They can all be found over at my photo site at Rather Be Photog....

Who to tag? Let's see. I tag Laura at Birder's Blog, Bill at Bill of the Birds, and Sharon at Birdchick Blog.

I enjoy all of them. Hope they don't mind.

Now, maybe I can get back to my Washington birds since just about all of our Winter residents have just about left us here in Florida.

Tag.

Pelagic Cormorant

One bird I had figured would be an easy find was the Pelagic cormorant. After all, we would be near the water often and many spots would have some rocks or pilings. Perfect settings for cormorants. Right?

However, it took 3 days longer than I thought it would. Add to it that I found the first one out on the Ocean Shores jetty in the rain, 30 mph gusting winds, and approaching nightfall and I couldn't even get a picture. Decided to keep my footing on the slick rocks, instead.

A few days later, again on the Dungeness hike, around midday I spotted a flying bird just above the waves. Far off but became the first ID photo.



A little while later I found another Pelagic Cormorant. This one was in breeding plumage which it noticeable by the white patch on the sides of the bird. Compare to no patch on the photo above.



It was on the way back to the house that I got my closest view. It was during a stop at the John Wayne Marina just outside of Sequim. Yes, THAT John Wayne. He, or part of his family, used to own it and you can find Duke souvenirs in the store.

I grabbed some more film, a hat pin and a postcard and headed out to the view of the docks and the jetty. The water was running fast past the marina and fishing in the current was my last Pelagic Cormorant of the trip.



I could finally see some of the shiny blue feathers with the bird this close. It is also very thin-necked and slender-billed compared to the common views of Double-crested Cormorants in Florida.

An almost elegant looking member of the Cormorant family.

Bewick's Wren

Actually one of the last of my Washington Lifers, the Bewick's Wren was way down on my "must-have" checklist. Not seeing any in a week, I had given up. We know what usually happens next.

Just as we headed up the gravel part of the trail just off of the first part of the wooden boardwalk at Nisqually, we had a mixed flock of birds, mainly Golden-crowned Sparrows, make a blur of feeding feathers and song.

Out of the bushes next to the creek popped the Bewick's Wren about 30 feet away from us. I am used to Carolina Wrens here at home and the Bewick's is fairly similar. Eye-line seemed a bit more distinct and they weren't quite as Rufus.

The first one we saw didn't stick around too long but we found a second, also hanging near Golden-crowned Sparrows and some Chickadees. The rain had returned for another wave and had just started to back off when I spotted a Bewick's dancing through the branches.



Ended up being the only photo I was able to get as they headed to the back side of the tree which was blocked off by blackberries and marsh.

We were left with some Marsh Wrens here and there and other locals but the Bewick's were out of sight for the rest of the walk. At least they gave us a quick glimpse.

Fox Sparrow

Which will it be first? The good news or the bad? O.K., the good.

The good news is that I was able to find many Fox Sparrows out in Washington. Even got some really good close-up photos one early morning just outside the hotel we stayed in over at Ocean Shores. Witnessed all their funky scratching jumps while they forage in the underbrush.

Even had a nice comparison between the Fox and Song Sparrow as they sat just a small branch apart. Fox Sparrows foraged just feet in front of me and then would travel by in single-file lines. It was awesome.

The bad news? The digital card that I took all the photos on went circuits-up when I tried to download the pictures. I have tried 12 different ways to rescue them but the danged thing just won't mount anywhere. I have decided they are lost forever.

Then again, there was that "We recover pictures from digital cards!" sign up at the local photo and hobby store. Hmmmmmm...might be the final try. I just can't convince myself to throw the thing away.

SO! All I have left of the Fox Sparrow are a couple fairly horrible photos from the end of my hike out to Dungeness Lighthouse. They are from a good distance so I had to enlarge them but they are Fox Sparrows.

The first bird I saw near the maintenance building was a Junco but there were other birds flying to and from the bird feeder set up outside so I stopped to rest and see what I could see. After the Junco caught my eye, a Spotted Towhee hopped out to pick up seed from the ground and was soon followed by a Fox Sparrow.



It would grab something and fly back to the brambles to eat and then come back out again after a couple minutes. Every now and then it would jump up on a nearby stump and do a display of some sort by flaring out its tail every now and then.



Then it would fly back into the brambles. Interesting. I still had a half-mile to get back to the car for some Gatorade so I headed on.

If there is some miracle that resurrects the fallen digital card I will update this species account, but I have a feeling that the cold science of the situation will prevail.

Pity.

Still, I have the memory of that morning by the Pacific in my brain. It was a warming time on a chilly day.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

In the top ten of most wanted to see birds on our Washington trip was the Golden-crowned Sparrow. I had seen photos that others had taken and decided I needed to see one up close and personal.

We didn't see a lot of them but they were found in several locations throughout the week. The first possible sighting was a small flock quickly crossing the road as we went around Brady Loop toward Ocean Shores. They dashed into some blackberry bushes and refused to come back up for a positive ID.

So, I would have to wait until my Dungeness hike to find them for sure. It was a cold, windy morning but at the edge of the bluff near the entrance to the park there were a lot of Golden-crowned Kinglets and just beyond them the sparrows appeared.

Unlike the Kinglets, which flitted around and past my head so fast I could not get a got photo, the sparrows were a little more bold and stopped out on the grass to peck at seeds. It was the best place to get a shot of the male to show the crown.



So, a definite ID and bird added to the list. We found one more flock the next day out at Nisqually. The males were ahead of the females and did not want to pose here. A female did stop in a small tree in the marsh and seemed to freeze as if trying to hide from me. It stopped long enough for a closer shot.



I would like some better chances for photos, of course, but it was nice to see them several times in different habitats.

Now I needed to find a Fox Sparrow...

Song Sparrows

One of the species I am working on improving ID skills on is the Sparrow and its many groups. Most of the Orlando Sparrows are of the House variety. Those are easy. Several other types live in the state but they are usually in most rural areas until Winter when we get a few new birds hanging out for a while.

In Washington, Sparrows seemed to be everywhere. I added a few new Life birds on the recent trip including some of the Sparrows that are most common in the state. First up for discussion is the Song Sparrow.

Song Sparrows were the most frequently viewed Sparrow on our trip and I already miss them. They are much more likely to pop out of the bushes for good looks and photos and have a wonderful song. Naturally.

The first confirmed sighting came after I took a wrong turn looking for a store and ended up 15-20 miles away in the town of Belfair. I found a trail that was mentioned by my brother-in-law a day or two before. I didn't have time to explore it but I stepped out to listen and look for a minute.

Beyond the flock of Black-capped Chickadees, another new Life bird for the day, was a bird calling from a small tree. I had to scoot around the back side of tree and managed to walk up fairly close to the bird. Wasn't sure what it was at the moment but the shot made the ID pretty easy later.



The next morning, I was able to find them all over the Port Orchard neighborhood and I showed one photo at the feeder spot in the previous post about the new feeder I placed before we left.

We also saw them on every stop throughout the state. Even when I tried to make them into something new like a Lincoln's Sparrow. No luck on that but seeing so many Song Sparrows was and fun bonus.

Last big bird site of the trip was Nisqually and the Song Sparrows were all over the place, too. The first pair were inspecting the reeds in the small pond in front of the visitor center.






We reached the limit of our walk thanks to time constraints so we looped back and I heard a really loud song that ended with a rather metallic ending. I couldn't find the bird but knew it had to be very close. I started to give up the search and nearly walked into the singing bird.

It stayed and sang some more and let me get in one last shot.



Like I said, I miss them already.

There were other birds around that day such as the Golden-crowned Sparrows and I will talk about them next time.
For more info and a sample of the Song Sparrow's song head over to the page for them at the USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter.

Once I get through all of the Washington birds, I will try to remember to discuss some of the Florida sparrows including the Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows. After all, those are what I wanted to start this blog experiment with in the first place!

You never know which direction the birds will lead you.

American Wigeons

So, we covered the smoking Eurasian variety. The Washington trip was also the first time I got fairly close to some of the more common American versions. Most of them were off in the distance but close enough to pick out with binoculars.

At Nisqually, however, they were right next to the boardwalk that guides visitors on a 1-mile trek around the first part of the property. We had rain showers that were sweeping through in waves but being closer made for some nice photos. The first shot was with the film camera as a few birds picked along the duck weed in the canals.



Here, a male and female give a good look at their different plumage types.



It was nice to see the bold green stripe that goes along the head of the males as they cruise through the water.



A final shot and then we would leave them to feed and relax in the light rain and cool forest canopy.



We had other birds to find but I hope that I can get some closer looks here in Florida next Fall or Winter.

The Unexpected Wigeons

I wasn't paying attention to the fact that Wigeons would be out in the Washington area. We get a smattering of American Wigeons in places like Merritt Island in the winter and I guess that in my mind that's where they would be still and yet to move back north.

All of the Wigeons I have encountered in Florida have been, oh, 100 yards away or more. Here they were much closer in various locations. Most were off to the side of the road in small ponds or in waterways leading in from the ocean but always in spots I couldn't just stop and view them easily.

The first place I did find a spot to view them I almost didn't.

After my 10 mile hike out to Dungeness I decided to stop at some of the spots mentioned in the Washington bird finding guide. Most were directly across from the Dungeness Spit and past Sequim (pronounced "Squim") on the way back to homebase in Port Orchard.

One of these spots was by the Three Crabs Restaurant. It overlooks Dungeness Bay and was marked for numerous chances to see some birds. As I parked in the gravel parking lot I had noticed some ducks to my left but didn't really think too much about it. Some were Mallards for sure, so...

I headed up the dead end road noticing American Wigeons in the ponds and a House Finch pair on the fences. Heading back toward the restaurant and curiosity got the better of me and I parked in the lot again and got out to check out the Mallards I had seen earlier. Good thing I did. It got another Life Bird for me.

Among the Mallards and American Wigeons was one rarer bird: Eurasian Wigeon. Easily told apart from the American variety by the Rufus head feathers, even in the fading light, it was dabbling back in forth in the mixed flock. Still a little too far out for a great picture but fine for ID.



I also like the small group of American Wigeons doing some sort of display in that shot. In the next shot you can see the Eurasian in the middle, Mallard behind him and an American Wigeons surrounding them.



There was still one more unexpected Wigeon to be found. Rather shocking to find this behavior. Maybe they figured some square like me being so far away couldn't get to them in trouble so what the heck...

If I ever do find this little rascal's parents you bet I will tell them that their precious baby is being a bad influence on his peers. I mean, I never even knew Wigeons COULD do such a thing. Imagine the surprise, finding a duck that can smoke!



With all the wind that day I am can't fathom how he even got the thing lit.

My Port Orchard Alarm Clock

Beginning with Day 2, the first morning after the flight in, of our Washington trip I started hearing one of the most wonderful songs I have ever heard. Loud, crisp, wandering all over the scale and lasting several seconds at a time.

I scanned the towering trees in the pre-dawn gloom and failed to find the singer. One moment the song would be off to the side of the house and the next it would seem to be quite close. Every silence-shattering song would send me searching in a slightly different direction. Even when it seemed the song was coming from a nearby, leafless tree I failed to find the bird.

I made a mental note to remember the song and track down a CD of western bird calls A.S.A.P.!

The following morning brought the same situation. Dark, cold, misty morning with those wondrous songs all over and a lone guy in his PJs and leather jacket searching the trees with binoculars. The Spotted Towhees, Varied Thrushes, and Hairy Woodpeckers (all Life birds) were nice, but I needed to find this crooner.

Just as we were wrapping up breakfast I stepped out back to inspect the scene. At the bottom of the stairs was a small brown bird searching around a small wood pile. Knew by the size and actions that it was some sort of Wren. I ran back in to get the camera hoping it would be something new for me.

Got a couple quick shots in the gloomy morning rain. Better yet, it sang! I had finally found my new alarm clock. The Winter Wren.



Soon, I was seeing them all over the place. Mainly in the underbrush and skipping from low branches to leafy piles. Every now and then they would pause and emit their song then continue foraging.

To here this song for yourself and read a little more about Winter Wrens, click here.

Now, off to search for an actual alarm clock that I might be able to arm with that song...