Trilogy Birders

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On Friday, 25 May at 8:00 AM, I joined 9 brave Trilogy Birders at Stillwater to walk the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.  We were not disappointed.

Ann, Joel, Walt, Maggie, Graham, Jack, Kris, Jim and Grant. Phil took photo.

Red-winged Blackbirds were singing as soon as we left the car.  Barn Swallows were flying low to pick up insects near the parking lot.  Upon entering the trail, we saw a Cedar Waxwing at her nest.

Cedar Waxwing at Nest. Photo Joel Haas

We heard a Spotted Towhee and a Black-headed Grosbeak singing.  In fact, we heard Black-headed Grosbeaks sing for almost the entire walk.  Later, we got a very good view of a male.

Presently, a female Western Tanager appeared.  Later, what may have been her mate flew by for a quick peek.  Robins were singing incessantly.  Grant heard the first of several Wilson’s Warblers.  A Red-Tailed Hawk soared overhead.  Then a female Downy Woodpecker appeared foraging in the trees.  The first of several Song Sparrows sang.  Later, we saw several feeding on the side of the road.  We heard a Brown Creeper chatter overhead.  Then he appeared giving us a very good view.

Brown Creeper. Photo Joel Haas

Grant heard the call of a Western Wood-Pewee.  Unfortunately, we never saw him.  Violet-green Swallows flew high overhead.  A Yellow Warbler was heard.  Then a male and female Common Yellow-throat were spotted in a nearby bush.  The little birds were stunning in their breeding plumage.

Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo Joel Haas

American Gold Finches tweeted as they raced by our heads.  A Tree Swallow perched close to the trail.
Finally, on the way back, our favorite singer, the Swainson’s Thrush performed his solo.
It was a great day for bird songs.

What do you do when birds are always hitting your window? eNature.com recently posted an article that describes a strategy to reduce these strikes.  Click here to see the post.

Em McEachron captured this Varied Thrush outside her window.

Outside Em McEachron's window

A perfect morning to stay indoors and watch the birds flock to the feeders and suet while the snow is falling. A Townsend’s warbler was the first to visit, followed by a song sparrow, juncos and towhees. Soon a flock of pine siskins was flying in and covering all available food sources. The black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees had to wait their turn at the feeders. 3 Steller’s jays paid a brief visit, adding their splash of color to the scene. The last visitor stayed the longest –  a Douglas squirrel claimed the sunflower seeder feeder as its own and curled around it feeding for at least 1/2 hour.

This afternoon I decided to take advantage of the snow and snowshoe up the Kari’s Bog trail to the wetlands overlook and see what birds were about (taking binoculars, of course). The back yard seed and suet feeders were a treasure trove of birds – including 2 pileated woodpeckers, 1 hairy woodpecker, 1 redbreasted nuthatch, numerous black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees, towhees, song sparrows, juncos and 2 Anna’s hummingbirds at the hummingbird feeder of one house. The wetlands were frozen and nothing stirred, just 2 crows passing overhead, so quiet I could hear their wing beats. On the way back down I disturbed a Bewick’s wren and then finally a very handsome varied thrush.  A great way to get some birding and some exercise at the same time.

This afternoon 20 Trilogy birders made the short walk to the wetlands behind Morgan Drive.

Typical scene. Photo Karl Snepp

We hoped to see a lot of ducks and we were not disappointed.  There were over five hundred Mallards, hundreds of American Wigeons, hundreds of Northern Pintails, about a dozen Buffleheads, 2 or more dozen Ring-necked Ducks, two or three American Coots, numerous hybrids, and at least one Eurasian Wigeon.

Phil looking for the Eurasian Wigeon. Photo Dale Garvey

Many areas were jammed with ducks wing to wing.  As we walked close to the shore, flocks of ducks would rise and move to another location.

Wigeons in Flight. Photo Dale Garvey

Upon leaving we noticed several very large flocks in flight.  It is possible that an Eagle had just paid a visit to the duck’s gathering place.

The names of the ducks above are linked to the appropriate pages on the Cornell “All About Birds” website.

Ruth Scanning for the Special Duck. Photo Dale Garvey.

Karl amazed. Photo Dale Garvey.

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