Kay picked me up from working today and we went to the beach at Santa Barbara near the wharf where we had subway sandwiches and watched the Western gulls eat shrimp, the Snowy egrets chase each other around, the Black-crowned night herons fly overhead, and enjoyed the cool breeze and bright sunshine. A nice way Read More…
Category: Uncategorized
Three Rails at Kreger Lake Today
This morning I headed to Kreger Lake to see if I could get American Bittern and Sora. As soon as I got there, about 6:30 AM both Virginia Rail and the bittern were calling. Lots of Willow flycatchers, Common yellowthroats, Yellow warblers, Cedar waxwings and RWBL added to the chorus. Here is an iPhone recording Read More…
North Cascades Highway Day 3
Today Kay and I got up early to go up to the Sun Mountain Lodge trails to try for Dusky Grouse, Nashville Warbler, and Dusky Flycatcher. We were 0-for-3 on these targets, but did manage to see my FOY WA Vesper sparrow as they were singing loudly from conspicuous perches early, and both of us Read More…
Two County Year Ticks
On the way to work today, filling in at our Bonney Lake Same Day Clinic, I stopped by the Sumner Lesser Goldfinch spot. This has been a perennial nemesis for me, and I’ve been by several times already. I hoped an early stop would be the difference, and I was able to ID at least Read More…
Pelagic Cruise Notes
From May 3-7th 15 members of our ABC Birding group took a cruise on the Ruby Princess, a 950 foot, 3100 passenger ship that is 18 decks tall from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC with only one port of call, Victoria, BC on May 6th. It was my maiden cruise voyage, and was quite an Read More…
A Morning at Upper Swan Creek
Today Kay and I took Dan and Patty Anderson to the upper Swan Creek area to see some of the early arriving passerines. It was cool but dry and as is often the case at this location birding by ear was great. Purple finches, Pacific wrens, Spotted towhees, and RB Nuthatches were incessant, and we Read More…
Purple Martin
Today after seeing a really excellent movie, Eye in the Sky at the Grand Kay and I stopped at Ruston Way to see the early Purple Martins in box 4 off Dickman Mill Park. It was cool to see the female peeking out of the box hole with her gray forehead. After a while the Read More…
Back in Kitsap
I got home from our California trip yesterday and was excited to get back out birding in #WA and especially looking forward to getting out with Ken again. We met at his house at 7 AM and headed out for Green Mountian, really the only place in Kitsap County to get birds of higher elevation. Read More…
A Two Oystercatcher Day
Today I headed for Long Beach after morning traffic, getting to the Orange County side of the San Gabriel River at about 9:50. Targets for the day were three FOY birds and one was apparent immediately. There were an estimated 300 Elegant Terns calling and flying everywhere as soon as I got out of the Read More…
Figured Out Call Note: Hooded Oriole Chatter
Kay and I have been hearing a call note repeatedly in several different areas, but have been unable to get a visual to confirm here in SoCal. Kay has insisted it was the “Pid-er-ik” of Western tanager, but I’ve argued it is just not right. Today again I heard right from the front driveway as Read More…