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Backyard August 19, 2008 |
Tip called my attention to our backyard and the field behind our house this morning; there was a hawk walking in the field pursuing a bevy of California Quail. The photo isn't very good, but I believe it was a Cooper's Hawk based on its thicker legs. Some of the quail took refuge in our backyard and stood frozen in hopes the hawk would not see them. I believe the quail escaped unharmed to see another day. |
Potholes and Soap Lake August 15, 2008 |
I drug my wife along for a hot day of birding at the Potholes Reserve and Soap Lake with my birding mentor/friend Charlie Sheard. By hot, I mean like 102 degrees Fahrenheit. My wife likes passerines better than shore birds, so she spent a lot of her time looking for birds in the shade trees until we made our last stop at Soap Lake where she spent most of her time in the car with the AC running. She's usually "greener" than that. Anyway, here's what we saw: |
Potholes: Mallard Blue-winged teal Cinnamon teal Green-winged teal Pied-billed grebe American white pelican Double-crested cormorant Great blue heron Great egret Black-crowned night-heron Red-tailed hawk American coot Killdeer Black-necked stilt Greater yellowlegs Lesser yellowlegs Ring-billed gull California gull Caspian tern Mourning dove Western wood-pewee Eastern kingbird Barn swallow Bewick's wren Red-winged blackbird Soap Lake: Semipalmated plover Killdeer Ruddy Turnstone - a lost soul Western sandpiper Least sandpiper Baird's sandpiper Ring-billed gull California gull |
Swauk Forest Discovery Trail With Steven July 22, 2008 |
I took Steven on this hike, and we had a great time. We had good looks at a male Western Tanager, and the Mountain Chicadee. We also had great views of some of the Cascade Mountains including Mt. Stuart. |
Horan Area With Tip and Charlie September 17, 2008 |
It was a very quiet day, but we did see a few lovely birds. In addition to the White-capped Sparrow and the Great Blue Heron pictured here, we also saw several Belted Kingfishers, a Red-necked Grebe and several American Wigeons and other likely suspects. The weather was as good as it gets, and we're lucky to live in the Wenatchee Valley. |
Marymoor Park September 22, 2008 |
I asked Michael Hobbs about this bird, and he replied with the following: Your bird is a Yellow-rumped Warbler - they're very drab this time of year, so there's not much in the way of field marks. Your bird looks like a Myrtle's race - white throat. The bold tail spot is a pretty good thing to look for (unique among our common warblers, though very similar to the tail of some rarer ones). Note the broken eye ring and the streaks on the breast. You should be able to find *some* small yellow spots somewhere on the bird if you look long enough, but they can be really faint. These guys are really common migrants at this time of year, and you can often find them by listening for their sharp "whick" call. |
Harts Pass Area October 1, 2008 |
Tip and I made the long drive up to the Harts Pass Area on possibly the last perfect day of the season. It did cloud over in the afternoon making the light quite flat, but we had a great time and, thanks to Teri, we were successful in our quest for the Northern Hawk Owl. For the day, we also saw the following: |
Mourning dove American crow Common raven Bald eagle Mountain bluebird White-crowned sparrow - im Osprey Merlin Black-billed magpie |
Coulee Loop October 8, 2008 |
Four of us had a wonderful day bird watching at Soap Lake, Lake Lenore and the Potholes. For the day, we saw the following plus the usual suspects: |
Horned Grebe Mallard Ruddy Duck Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Sandhill crane - heard only American Coot Wilson's Snipe Long-billed Dowitcher Greater Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Ring-billed Gull Bonaparte's Gull Common Raven Yellow-rumped Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Western Meadowlark Coyote |
Douglas County October 24, 2008 |
Friends joined us for a lovely drive through a portion of Douglas County today. Most of the birds were hiding, but we did manage to see a few and Tip and I managed to log two lifers: EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Here's our short list: |
Western Grebe Northern Shoveler Common Goldeneye Bufflehead - 6 Northern Harrier - 2 Red-tailed Hawk - 8 Rough-legged Hawk - 8 American Kestrel - 2 American Coot Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove - 2 Black-billed Magpie Common Raven European Starling House Finch American Goldfinch Dark-eyed Junco |
Tip |
Burch Mountain Road October 30, 2008 |
Charlie and Marilyn took Tip and I way beyond the pavement up Burch Mountain Road this morning. We mostly just saw common birds, but way up the road in the conifers we found three species of Nuthatch. Here's our brief list for the day: |
Rough-legged Hawk American Kestrel California Quail Pygmy Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Steller's Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven House Finch |
Ocean Shores November 7th&10th 2008 |
Tip and I took these pictures before and after the Ocean Shores Dixieland Jazz Festival. Some of the IDs were easy, and some were not. After consulting my mentor, Charlie Sheard, and many books, we decided the first bird on the right is a Pacific Golden-plover. We believe the next one is a Western Gull, and the third one down is an American Herring Gull. The bottom two are easy: Double-crested Cormorant and Brown Pelican. |
Vantage November 21, 2008 |
Charlie joined Tip and I for a splendid day in the Vantage area. We saw a Common Loon bathing upside down and splashing all over the place like we've never seen before. Seeing a Rock Wren with personality and the harder to photograph Canyon Wren were other highlights of the day. Here is the list: |
Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Horned Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Canada Goose American Wigeon Mallard Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Common Merganser Ruddy Duck American Coot Ring-billed Gull American Herring Gull Rock Pigeon Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Rock Wren Canyon Wren Black-billed Magpie Common Raven House Sparrow House Finch White-crowned Sparrow |