My first visit to Arizona was in December 1976,  I did not keep good records back then – just a list of new birds as I saw them without details as to where, when and how many.  I also did not keep track of all birds seen – just the new ones.  Definitely no digital world for photos, communication, personal computers etc.  But it all worked – lots of great birds and people.  Information was shared and somehow, birds were found and enjoyed.   On that trip I saw many of the Arizona specialties that were around in the winter.

Lots of memories from that first Arizona trip where in addition to general birding I also got to participate in some Christmas bird counts.  I remember the “Mexican Specialties” like Mexican Jay (then named Gray Breasted Jay) and Montezuma Quail (known then as Harlequin Quail).  I remember that there were birders from all over the country.  I remember a very young Kenn Kaufmann giving very precise reports for the Count.  I remember my first Roadrunners and lots of Thrashers and Woodpeckers, especially the Arizona Woodpecker (then named Strickland’s Woodpecker).  There is also the memory of lots of sparrows – including very different ones than I was familiar with in the Northwest and Northern California where I had started birding 5 years earlier.

Arizona Woodpecker (formerly Strickland’s Woodpecker) from my August 2017 Trip

My trip this February did not expect any new sparrows for a life list but I was keen to get photos of some sparrows I had seen in that winter of 1976 but had not photographed – part of my quest/hope to get photographs of all (wishful) or most (possible) of the birds I have observed in the ABA Area.  Specifically I was hoping for ABA first photos of Baird’s and Black Chinned Sparrows and for better photos of Rufous Crowned and Rufous Winged Sparrow photos.  I had photos of the latter two from my Arizona trip last August – but they were not great and there was even a bit of doubt in my mind if I had correctly identified the two somewhat superficially similar birds.

So on February 6th, I was going to bird with Richard Fray, the local guide I had met the previous day at the De Anza trail, hoping for sparrows.  I had liked Richard when I met him and certainly appreciated his expertise and knowledge of Arizona birds.  When I learned that he had shown his clients Baird’s Sparrows that morning and he had reported both Black Chinned Sparrow and Louisiana Waterthrush (another hoped for first photo) at Pena Blanca Lake where I had missed them earlier that day – it seemed an easy decision to hire him for the day.  His website is arizonabirder.com and I liked what I saw when I visited it – full of good information.  And I also liked that he called his company Fun Birding Tours.  Granted I will generally trade success without fun for fun without success but why not at least try for both.  So I signed up.

We were heading to the Las Cienegas Grasslands east of Patagonia and Sonoita – classic Arizona birding areas.  When we got to the grasslands it was immediately clear I had made a good choice.  The grasslands are a huge area and birds could be anywhere – BUT they most definitely were going to be at the specific spot Richard took me – the Curly Horse Road Pond.  You need to go through two chained (but unlocked gates) to get there on dirt roads.  On the way in we saw other birders wandering the grasslands at large.  Maybe they found their targets, maybe not, but when we arrived at the Pond, it was obviously the place to be.  There were dozens of sparrows attracted by the only water for miles.  Better yet in addition to beautiful grass, there were fence lines and a few small shrubs – perfect perching spots – and posing spots for photos.  Richard said there would mostly be Savannah Sparrows but we should find Baird’s and Grasshopper Sparrows as well in addition to the possibility of Chestnut Collared Longspurs – another grasslands species.

It didn’t take long.  The first few birds we saw were Savannah Sparrows but then with perfect low light behind us I saw what I thought might be and hoped would be a Baird’s Sparrow perched in the open on a small bush.  Richard confirmed the ID and I had a photo – the first of many of a species that I thought was a long shot for this trip.

Baird’s Sparrow (First ABA Photo)

Over the next 45 minutes we watched a sparrow parade.  They would fly in from the grasses and either go directly to the pond for a drink or would perch on a shrub before hitting the waters edge.  By far the most abundant were the Savannah Sparrows but there were quite a few Vesper Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, some Brewer’s Sparrows and more Baird’s.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Another Baird’s Sparrow at the Pond’s Edge

We stood above the pond and could watch the sparrows in the beaten down grass on the shore as the sparrows came in – almost invisible at times as their markings provided perfect camouflage.  A particularly fun observation was of Baird’s Sparrows and a Grasshopper Sparrow together almost disappearing.

Baird’s Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow in Grass at Pond

While we watched on numerous occasions small flocks of Chestnut Collared Longspurs would fly in – land for a few seconds – always at the far end of the pond – and then take off again.  Very difficult to get good photos even in the good light.  Here are a couple of my attempts.

Chestnut Collared Longspurs

Flight Shot

At one point all of the Sparrows at the pond’s edge – maybe 25 or so – took off at once.  A flock of Longspurs that was coming in, swerved away from the pond as well.  It was a Merlin looking for breakfast.  It seemed to focus on one of the Longspurs and followed in closely through two turns but a last diversion meant an escape.  It perched on a nearby fence post and the birds remained quiet for 5 or 10 minutes.

Merlin

It was hard to leave this beautiful spot with its ongoing show but there were other places to go and it had been a truly wonderful visit.  Richard had certainly come through on the Baird’s Sparrow.  He had seen a Sprague’s Pipit not far away the day before.  It was the only one reported in Arizona this year.  I had only seen one before and would have loved a photo.  We knew the odds were against us but it was worth a try to return to the spot it was seen.  Unfortunately when we got there – in the middle of nowhere – there was a pickup and trailer on the exact spot – a couple flying model airplanes.  It was a good spot for them – not disturbing anyone – well maybe except for us – but that’s the luck of the draw.  They were clearly enjoying their passion.  Too bad they could not have waited another day…

Sprague’s Pipit from the Previous Day – Rats!!

We retraced our steps and went west – crossing I-19 and heading to Pena Blanca Lake.  We arrived about 11:15 a.m. not too different than the time I was there the previous day.  This time however we went directly to the “old boat launch spot” – where Richard had seen the Louisiana Waterthrush earlier in the week.  He reminded me that this was also a great spot for sparrows and that a Black Chinned Sparrow had also been there.

Maybe 15  minutes after we arrived I saw a “small bird” fly over and land in a tall tree behind us in poor light.  This was another case where Richard paid big dividends.  I had noticed, sort of, that the bird seemed to have a relatively long tail.  Richard noticed this too but his expertise told him that it thus might be a Black Chinned Sparrow.  It was impossible for me to tell this looking directly into the sun, but he had a good enough view to be pretty sure.  With a little coaxing we got the bird to fly down and land in some brush in front of us.  At first it was buried but I could make out the fieldmarks for the desired species.  Now about that picture – the real goal.  After a few moments it was out in the open and I had another new ABA photo.

Black Chinned Sparrow (First ABA Photo)

This species was one of the disappointing misses on my August trip and making up for that was one of the key reasons for this trip in February.  Another was the possibility of that Louisiana Waterthrush and that too soon became a reality.  The Waterthrush’s chip note is a very high pitched metallic “tink”.  We were at a spot that looked perfect for the Waterthrush – just where Richard had first seen it and where I had searched hard with other birders the previous day.  It had to be there.  Maybe 15 minutes after the Black Chinned Sparrow left, Richard said he thought he had heard the call note.  A bit later I heard it as well.  The note is sufficiently distinct that a “lister” could claim the ID on the sound alone.  My interest though was on a visual and much more importantly on a photo.  Finally the Waterthrush obliged.

Louisiana Waterthrush (First ABA Photo)

The visit was a big success – both targets seen well and photographed.  But there was more.  I might have it out of order but both Rufous Winged and Rufous Crowned Sparrows also put in an appearance.  It was particularly nice that we could actually see the rufous shoulder patch in the former – making now irrelevant whatever doubts I may have had with my photos from August.

Rufous Winged Sparrow

Rufous Crowned Sparrow

Definitely Mission Accomplished!!  But there were other birds there as well.  A distant fly by of some Mexican Jays, Lincoln’s and White Crowned Sparrows, Gila and Acorn Woodpeckers and a Red Naped Sapsucker.  My favorite though was a very photo friendly male Pyrrhuloxia.

Pyrrhuloxia

Definitely one of the best 90 minutes of productive birding I have had.  Time to leave.  I had a long trip ahead of me to be in position for another attempt at Streak Backed Oriole the next morning a couple of hours away – or we may have just continued birding without targets – as Richard’s company says – Fun Birding Tours!!

Richard drove me back to my car and I said my goodbye and my great appreciation for a great day.  Richard is originally from England and grew up in a birding family.  I bird a lot in Washington with Steve Pink another former Brit.  Our languages are almost the same but I admit that I enjoy the accent and the occasional odd phrases.  One I do like is that Steve always signs off with “Cheers”.  Works for me.  Cheers Richard.  It was “smashing”.

Richard Fray

I started this post recalling my first Arizona visit and all the sparrows.  The success with Richard had brought my sparrow list for the trip up to 14 species.  I would add 4 more the next day.  And if I were to include species seen in Arizona previously the total would be 25.  Definitely a sparrow rich State!!

In August last year, Frank Caruso and I went on the Wings “Second Spring” tour in Arizona.  Except for a serious camera meltdown (actually more a washout), it was a great trip with lots of birds.  I chronicled that trip in several blog posts last year.  As I indicated in my previous post, after my Washington “Big Month”, I was going to be concentrating out of state trying to add a few ABA Life Birds and Life Photos.  Adventure one was a return to Arizona with some very specific targets to seek.

I took the early (6:00 a.m.) Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Phoenix.  That required a very early wake up but provided two significant advantages compared to later flights: no traffic getting to the airport and an arrival sufficiently early to allow for some birding that first day. I flew into Phoenix rather than Tucson expressly to find a Rosy Faced Lovebird – another of those escaped exotics that have established viable communities and are recognized by the ABA.  This also gave me the best shot at finding a LeConte’s Thrasher at “the Thrasher Spot” west of Phoenix at the intersection of Baseline Road and Salome Highway.

After picking up my rental car, I went straight from the airport to Encanto Park – less than 8 miles away.  “Everyone” had easily found the Lovebirds at this park.  I thought I was going to join everyone when I saw a single parrot like bird fly away from me as I entered the park.  I saw it well enough to know it was my quarry but I never saw it or any other Lovebirds (at least avian ones) despite searching quite a while.  It is a big place and it was a Sunday with many families.  Maybe I looked in the wrong places or was just unlucky, but I was not going too be happy if that was the only look I would get – and definitely no photo.  I had already spent more time than I had planned so I headed off to a hoped for date with a Thrasher.

The Thrasher spot looked perfect.  Dry, sandy, with lots of scattered small shrubs.  Places for Thrashers to perch and to run along and hide.  I spent an hour finding a total of three birds – White Crowned Sparrows and was getting pretty depressed.  I decided to try another area on the other side of Baseline Road and after another 20 minutes found some Thrashers – a scurrying LeConte’s Thrasher and two scurrying Crissal Thrashers.  The photos of the latter were diagnostic at best but I had other photos from the trip in August.  The photo of the LeConte’s was definitely more than expected as my first photo of this species.

LeConte’s Thrasher

No longer depressed, I was determined to find some friendlier Rosy Faced Lovebirds.  Quick research on Birder’s Dashboard showed that a large number had been seen fairly recently at Steele Indian School Park so off I went.  It was another large park filled with families, but it was also filled with Rosy Faced Lovebirds and I was able to find a photo friendly one quickly and then many more – even friendlier.  I felt better counting a new ABA Life Bird.

Rosy Faced Lovebird

Interestingly in one group of maybe six there was one that was quite blue and without the rosy face.  Everything else matched.  I looked online for a similar photo and found that the blue form is a recessive color trait.  It was the only one I saw in maybe 25+ birds.

Rosy Faced Lovebird – Blue Form

The day was looking up and I had one more target – a photo of a Gilded Flicker.  It was possible to see them in a number of spots and if I had missed the Lovebirds elsewhere I would have paid the admission charge for entry to the Botanical Gardens and probably would have found them there.  Instead, with the success with the Lovebirds, I headed east to the Phoenician Resort and environs in Scottsdale.  There were many reports from this area.  Definitely the high rent district – some beautiful homes and the resort itself was quite posh.  A Gilded Flicker flew overhead as I was driving on Camelback Road – but there was no opportunity to stop.  This happened again as I turned onto the resort entryway.  But I could not find perched birds anywhere.

I found a promising spot and turned onto 54th Street and found the Mount Claret Center which had feeders at a residence.  Surely a Flicker would come in.  Nope but there were nice other birds – a Cactus Wren building a nest, Gila Woodpeckers, an Abert’s Towhee, a Northern Mockingbird and a Curved Billed Thrasher – classic Arizona suburban lowland birds.

Curved Billed Thrasher

Abert’s Towhee

Cactus Wren

Gila Woodpecker

Again time to move on.  My plan was to spend the night in Tucson and there was one stop to make on the way – the Red Rock Feedlots where Ruddy Ground Doves were being seen.  Maybe it would have mattered – maybe not – but the USB charging port on the car was not working and I had not noticed it until too late.  I knew how to get to the feedlots but I did not know where the Ruddy Ground Doves had been seen.  I now had no access to the internet or to the files I had saved to help find my targeted birds.  Next time I will print out hard copies. I drove around the entire feedlot – a large one – twice and saw hundreds of Doves but no Ground Doves or Inca Doves with which they had been seen.  I would have to come back the next morning – armed with more information.

After a night in Tucson I returned to the feedlots the next morning knowing that the Ruddy Ground Doves had been seen near the ranch house.  I drove to the west end of the feedlot where the house was located – uh-oh.  A crew was at work raking the area all around the house – exactly where the doves had been seen.  Hundreds of doves elsewhere, but none near the house at all.  There were to be no Ruddy Ground Doves on this trip – an ABA Lifer opportunity lost.  So just as had been the case the previous day –  a disappointing start.  I was determined to make up for it with a photo of a Gilded Flicker and I had some good spots to try.  The first was the El Camino de Cerro trailhead.  It was a beautiful spot with many Saguaro Cacti – perfect for the Flickers.

Indeed I spied my first Flicker as soon as I parked – but would be a Gilded Flicker or the also present red shafted version of Northern Flicker – both with red malar lines. A closer look in the brilliant sunshine showed first the cinnamon head and then the golden yellow underwing and undertail of my target.  I had a pair of Gilded Flickers and was able to call them in very close for super photos.

Gilded Flicker Male (Red Malar Line)

Gilded Flicker Female (No Malar Line)

There were lots of Gila Woodpeckers there as well as my first Verdin, Pyrrhuloxia and Phainopeplas of the trip.

Gila Woodpecker Coming in For a Landing

I was disappointed not to get the Ruddy Ground Doves but I had REALLY wanted a photo of the Gilded Flicker – an ABA photo – so I was very pleased.  Now I was off for one of the potentially highlights of the trip.  A very rare Streak Backed Oriole had been coming irregularly to a feeder in Tucson.  Maybe I would be lucky.

There were two birders at the stakeout spot when I arrived.  One was local and the other was from Minnesota.  They had not been there too long – but they had not seen the Oriole either.  It had last been seen two days earlier.  We gave it an hour and did not see it.  It was a fun visit – but another disappointment.  Another Streak Backed Oriole was being reported along the Mexican border – a long ways off.  Maybe that would be another opportunity – but that is a story for my next blog post.  Looking at Ebird today, it appears that the Tucson Oriole was not seen again after February 3rd – that time two days before I looked.

An Ebird report listed two of my target species at Pena Blanca Lake – about 30 miles away.  Here was a chance for two ABA Life Photos – Black Chinned Sparrow and Louisiana Waterthrush.  One report had mentioned a boat ramp and that is where I parked and began my search.  Unfortunately I found neither bird.  As I was leaving I noticed a rough parking area at a different part of the lake and as I pulled in, two people were getting out of their car and heading out.  Their binoculars suggested “birders” and I caught up with them.  They were local and were familiar with the area and were also looking for the Waterthrush.  Apparently this was the “old boat launch” although it gave no appearance of being such – and this is where the bird had been seen previously.  Sadly even with their expertise and good eyes, we found no Waterthrush and no Black Chinned Sparrow.  I added Canyon Wren, Rock Wren, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Lark and Chipping Sparrow, Hutton’s Vireo, Acorn Woodpecker, White Breasted Nuthatch and Canyon Towhee to my trip list – but no go on the targets.

White Breasted Nuthatch

One more stop for the day – to the De Anza Trail off Santa Gertrudis Lane to try for a very rare and very hard to find Sinaloa Wren that had been seen there off and on for the past couple of weeks.  Everyone said this was a very challenging bird – very secretive and unresponsive to calls and playback, it could be at your feet in the thick leaf litter and not be seen.  More likely it was in leaf litter somewhere else along the mile of similar habitat along the river.  You had to be in the right place at the right time.

Cornell describes this rare bird as “a medium sized wren that is endemic to western Mexico. Its range has been expanding northwards in recent decades, however, and Sinaloa Wren now is a rare but regular visitor to southern Arizona (United States)…(it) inhabits the understory of tropical deciduous forest.”  As I was parking three other birders were getting out of there vehicle – also looking for the Wren but additionally hoping for Rufous Backed Robin and/or Rose Throated Becard – both of which had been seen in the area recently.  I would have loved to have seen either of those birds as well but had seen and photographed both last year so they were not a priority.  Indeed it was at this same location that I had seen the Becard on the Wings trip.

It could have been an awkward situation as this was a guided group.  The two birders were friends – one from North Carolina and the other from Minnesota.  The guide was Richard Fray – whose name I had just heard at Pena Blanca Lake – from the two locals that I had met there.  It was Richard who had reported the Black Chinned Sparrow and the Louisiana Waterthrush there.  I was allowed to join the group as “additional eyes” although I clearly was the one who was going to get the most benefit both from their additional eyes and from Richard’s expertise.

Without going into all the details, we worked very hard to try to find the challenging birds – and we were not successful.  We met someone who had seen the Wren that morning but had not been able to relocate it in the afternoon.  It was on his third attempt to locate the rarity that he had success.  I spoke to or heard of many birders who had been there that often or even on more attempts without success. We did have other birds – Black Phoebe, Bridled Titmouse, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Great Horned Owl, Yellow Rumped and Black Throated Gray Warblers among others.  The Black Throated Gray Warbler may have been the highlight for the two women clients as they are a Western species.  The Bridled Titmouse is always an appreciated species – even though common in this habitat.

Bridled Titmouse

So again – fun birding, good company and some nice birds – but disappointing not to find the targets or the rarities.  But this day would have a bonus.  I was very impressed with Richard’s knowledge and birding style.  He did not have a commitment for the next day.  Earlier he had taken these clients to a spot which had Baird’s Sparrows and they had found a Sprague’s Pipit – the only one reported in Arizona this year.  Both of those species were on my target list and he obviously knew about the Black Chinned Sparrow and Louisiana Waterthrush at Pena Blanca Lake.  I signed on for his help the next day.  That story will be in my next post.

 

 

It has been a very full month.  My quest for 200 species in Washington in a Big Month was reached and passed.  As I have learned from other “numbered quests” or Big Years, even when a targeted number is reached, there is still the feeling – “well, since I won’t be doing this again and there is time left, let’s see what else I can do.”  Maybe that is a form of addiction – just NEED one more… Certainly it was a given that once I hit 200 species and there was time left – I would go for some more.  It is not really a competition – at least certainly not with anyone else.  Moreso it is a personal challenge – “is there more left in ME?”

As I have written before, these kinds of challenges provide a framework for my birding.  Maybe it would be better to just go out and enjoy birds and birding wherever without any specific plan or goal – just be in and enjoy the moment.  I have found that at least for me, having a target, a plan, a goal, a “project” brings me that same “in the moment” feeling but with some structure that not only does not get in the way but actually enhances each moment – whether there is a hit or a miss.  There is just a heightened awareness that is consuming and enjoyable.

Also as I have written before, birding is often a kind of distraction.  Being absorbed in my “birding projects” enables me to distance myself from other things – negative things that unfortunately are part of my life:  Being far away from my kids; imperfect relationships; no longer working – missing those challenges and those client intersections, and the challenges of “yet another deal”.  Probably also at times a distraction from things I should be doing including the mundane things like paying bills, doing laundry, shopping etc.  And maybe from some other not so mundane things – building friendships and relationships, writing that book I have thought about, finding new things to positively occupy my time and use my abilities.  I sure ain’t perfect.  If you are – please write that up with an instructional manual and share it.  But for all of that, months like this one are pretty darn good – not measured by birds seen – but by challenges met, places visited,  and especially people along the way.  Friends, acquaintances, birders and non-birders, a very wide ranging group – all with their imperfections, distractions, engagements, appeals and stories.

And in the end I believe finding stories is the goal – again repeating words previously used.  Life should be about stories – from our experiences and observations – and maybe sharing them – sometimes just again with ourselves and sometimes with others – in the field, on those long drives, over food and drinks, in blogs, posts, messages, calls (and yes for some but not for me – even tweets and selfies).  I have found that taking photographs of birds helps me tell my stories – certainly to others – but maybe more importantly to myself.  I revisit those pictures and remember.  From the perspective of stories, this has been a really good month.  I have chronicled and cataloged some in the blog posts for the Big Month.  But many others have not been shared – at least broadly.

Ten of many more than ten story snapshots:

(1)  Talking with Jim Shinn at the Cowlitz hatchery and learning that he “lost” the competition for Chris Anderson to Phil Anderson (of Westport Seabirds) “way back when” – and that he still loves them both.

(2) Deb Essman throwing corn to the waiting Wild Turkeys on that ranch in Ellensburg and having the turkeys flock in just like the rancher (a real character) said they would.

(3)  Finding out that the fly-fisherman at Rocky Ford Creek was one of the owners of a large Lavender Farm in Sequim and that he really wanted to see what bird was making that pig sound and how happy he was to see the photo of the Virginia Rail I had taken moments before.

(4) Seeing the look on the young boy’s face when I was finally able to locate a Short Eared Owl at the West 90’s and share it with him and his family.

(5) Talking with a lady that I expect is the owner of the Breadfarm in Edison about the bakery’s Kouign Amman pastry – an absolute delight – and their business.

(6) Meeting a photographer/birder at Juanita who was from Aruba and was on vacation and wanted more than anything else to get a picture of Wood Ducks.

(7) Watching Mike Denny tossing loaf after loaf of bread to the gulls at Lower Monumental Dam – and of course it was important to see if he could scale the next slice – even further.

(8) Showing bird pictures to many folks along the way including the hotel clerk in Walla Walla who was doing a night shift to earn money to help pay for her college – and who could not get over the fact that there were owls nearby.

(9)  Great times at feeder stake outs for Blue Jay, Western Tanager, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, and White Throated Sparrow – visits with the feeder owners and others who came to look for the birds.

(10) The MANY folks at gas stations, parking lots, parks, motels and restaurants who when they saw my camera and binoculars wanted to know if I was – a nature photographer, birder, journalist, researcher etc. and then almost no matter what my answer, the next question was whether I had seen “the Eagles“.  How do you properly explain that you have seen hundreds of Eagles and that you are looking for some far less charismatic bird?  You don’t.  You are happy for their enthusiasm and that conservation efforts have made Eagles so commonplace now.

Prior to this year, the most species I had seen in Washington in any January was 154 in 2015.  I originally set a goal of seeing 175 species and if that worked out well – pushing for 200.  Luck, work, the appearance of unexpected species and lots of help from others got me to 200 on January 24th.  On January 28th I saw my 208th species.  On the 29th, Jon Houghton and I tried for a Violet Green Swallow that had been seen at the Green River Natural Wildlife Area the day before.  Neither the weather nor the Swallow cooperated so I declared the Big Month project completed and I am writing this on the 30th.  No birding today.  If something “incredible” shows up today or tomorrow, sure I will go for it, but otherwise 208 it is and I am very pleased.

There were misses along the way and in retrospect I see how I might have “managed this project” differently.  If energy and luck had held, I think finding another 20 species was possible of which maybe 13 were just outright misses.  These include: Lesser Black Backed Gull, Say’s Phoebe, Burrowing Owl, Osprey, Ruffed Grouse, Pine Grosbeak, Sharp Tailed Grouse, Tricolored Blackbird, Yellow Headed Blackbird, American Pipit, Great Gray Owl and that Violet Green Swallow.  A trip to Neah Bay through Port Angeles might have added White Winged Dove, Black Kittiwake and Ruddy Turnstone.  If I were even crazier than I often appear, I could still try for one or more of these tomorrow – but nope, it’s just not going to happen.  And for the record, at least according to Ebird, 234 species have been seen in Washington this January.  Lots of opportunities – but it is a BIG STATE!!  And what about this “opportunity”?  If Westport Seabirds had scheduled their first trip for January instead of February (weather permitting in either case) who knows how many more species might have been seen.

So much for looking back.  What’s ahead?  Most importantly there is that as yet unscheduled trip to Boston to visit my daughter and son-in law and what will then be my first grandchild.  That will be the best trip of the year for sure and by far.  On the birding side, I have scheduled a trip to Texas in April and hope to get to Arizona sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Frank Caruso and I are trying to schedule a visit to North Carolina – head out on two pelagic trips with Brian Patteson.  Possibly another trip to San Diego – more pelagic birds and maybe some new ABA photos.  If all goes well, I can hope to add another 10 to 15 ABA life birds and another 25 to 35 ABA photos.  And I am sure there will be some additional Washington birds as well – but no goals now that January is done.

I also hope to meet many new great people and to see more of those with whom I have  already spent time.  And many thanks to many folks who have helped in the field and behind the scenes this month.  I could not have done it without them.  In alphabetical order they include:  Ann Marie Wood, Blue Jay Barry, Bob Boekelheide, Brian Pendleton, Bruce Labar, Carol Riddell, David Poortinga, Deb Essman, Frank Caruso, John Puschock, Jon Houghton, Mark Tamboulian, Max and Melissa Kingsbury, Melissa Hafting, Mike and MerryLynn Denny, Stefan Schlick, Steve Pink and Todd Sahl.  Apologies to the folks I have forgotten and thanks to everyone who posts on Tweeters and Ebird.

I have been asked a number of times about my “best” or “favorite” birds during this Big Month.  They have all been included in previous writings and are in “my top list” for varying reasons.  I will close with this group of ten – meaning no disrespect to any of the others.  There easily could be another thirty.

American Tree Sparrow and Blue Jay                                                                       

Gray Partridge and Long Eared Owl                                                         

Prairie Falcon and Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Ross’s Goose and Snowy Owl

White Headed Woodpecker and White Wagtail

 

Goodbye January…Thanks for the Memories!!

 

As I looked at the morning of Thursday January 25, I was feeling good about passing my goal, but even though the successes earlier that day had outweighed the failure of finding the White Wagtail on the previous day, I still felt like I wanted to end my “project” on an up note.  I considered going back to Neal Road to see if just maybe the Wagtail would return but if it had not more hours of standing around would compound the negative feeling.  I felt positive though and thought I would use that good feeling to try to make up for another miss.  I decided to look for a Gray Jay at the Stevens Pass Ski Area – atoning for missing them in the Okanogan.

I had never been to the ski area before and I was definitely out of place as I walked among the hundreds of skiers and snow boarders – looking for a bird and playing the Gray Jay call on my cell phone – and armed with some potato chips to entice a Jay closer if I found one.  I had walked around for maybe 20 minutes and had seen only a single Raven.  I saw someone with first aid gear who looked official and assuming he was a regular, I questioned him about whether he had seen any on the mountain.  He said they were common at the top of the lifts and would eat right out of the operator’s hands.  As I was considering whether that was an option, I saw a medium size bird fly into a pine near one of the buildings.  I thanked the guy for “helping me find one” and went off to try to get a better look.  It flew off but I was able to follow it and get a good look and a reasonable photo.  Happy, I started for the parking lot.  And…on the way two Gray Jays flew in close and I got a MUCH better photo.  I was now at 203.

Gray Jay

On the way home I checked Ebird for any exciting reports and there were none – until I pulled into my garage and saw that indeed the White Wagtail had reappeared .  It was too late for a reasonable attempt but I determined that would be my quest the following day.  So joined by Sherrill Miller and Frank Caruso, it was back to Neal Road the following morning.

To make a too long story short, it took over four hours to finally get a view – fleeting but definite of the White Wagtail.  We finally had moved over to the 19th Avenue viewing spot and that was the key.  It flew in and perched for only a few moments – just long enough to get an ID quality photo.  A White Wagtail is a prized bird south of northern Alaska – very rare in Washington – and while yes it was species #204 for my Big Month, more importantly I now had a photo of one in Washington – my 403rd such in the state and now there were only 11 species in the state I had seen but not photographed.  Frankly I had never expected to remove this one from that list.

White Wagtail

January 27th – now what?  Go to the Coast for shorebirds or – really Blair? – back up to Skagit County and try yet again for a Gyrfalcon or American Pipits.  How about both?  I hatched a plan.  I would give the Gyrfalcon ONE MORE TRY and then the next day I would do something I had put off  for too long – I would head down to Seaside, Oregon and try to get a photo of the Steller’s Eider that had been there for several weeks now.  It wouldn’t count for my Big Month – wrong state – and it would not get my “photos missing in Washington” list down to 10 – again the wrong state.  But it would be a new ABA Life Photo – one that was not at all likely ever again unless I returned to northern Alaska.  And if I were lucky, I might be able to hit the Washington Coast and try for Semipalmated and Snowy Plovers.

Back on Fir Island, I was torn between looking down on the ground for Pipits or up in the trees and poles and the sky for a Gyrfalcon.  I went to places I had already been numerous times this month and just as in each of those visits – no Gyrfalcons and no Pipits.  Then I noticed some movement of smaller birds in a field at the corner of Maupin and Fir Island Roads.  The birds were shorebirds – a mix of Dunlin and Black Bellied Plovers, 40+ of the first and 70+ of the latter.  Suddenly as I was taking photos, there was pandemonium and all the birds took flight.  This generally means a raptor is around and in a flash a large falcon strafed the group and picked off a Dunlin.  It was a young Gyrfalcon – powerful and very fast.  I could not get on it as it flew off with its prize but FINALLY I had seen one of the Skagit Gyrs.  I continued my birding still hoping for some American Pipits or maybe refinding the Gyrfalcon.  No luck – but Gyrfalcon was no longer on my “missing” list.  Instead it was #205 for the Big Month.  I also just simply enjoyed looking at the “regular” birds of the area – Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, Bald Eagles and Snow Geese.  The numbers there are amazing.

Snow Goose

Tundra Swans

It is about 210 miles from my Edmonds home to the Steller’s Eider’s temporary home in Seaside, Oregon.  Just under 4 hours.  On the morning of January 28th, I left early – just about 5:00 a.m. and hoped to get there around 9:00 and hopefully find the Eider by 10:00 – leaving me time to get to the Washington Coast, but I was ready to remain in Seaside as long as it took.  I had excellent instructions from Melissa Hafting who had seen the Eider earlier this month.  I parked and walked to the beach, looking for the transmitter antennae that marked the area where the Eider had been hanging out.

It took less than 2 minutes – the first bird I saw was the Steller’s Eider – close in and associating loosely with a small group of Surf Scoters.  Somehow after the long wait(s) for the White Wagtail, this seemed “only fair” although I knew it didn’t work that way.  I took a few photos, watched for a couple of minutes and left.  I gave a well received “thumbs up” to birders who were heading out to the spot hoping for the rarity.  I would have plenty of time for the Washington Coast although there was still another two hours of driving to get there.

Steller’s Eider

The route from Seaside to the coast took me across the mouth of the Columbia River over the Astoria Bridge.  It is astounding just how wide the river is – an impressive sight.  My first thought had been to drive directly to the Warrenton/Cranberry access road to the beach.  Driving on the open beach – something I always enjoy would hopefully get me one or both of my targeted Plovers.  Since I passed right through Tokeland, I decided to first take the small detour down to the Tokeland Marina to see it any Willets were around.  This is the “go to” spot in Washington for them – at least in the summer and fall.  I had already seen one – barely – in Sequim earlier in the month, but it would only take maybe 30 minutes.

At the Marina I quickly located two intermixed flocks of shorebirds – 19 Willets (the most I had ever seen) and 14 Least Sandpipers.  Again neither was new for the month, but these were superior views and superior photos.

Willets

 

Least Sandpiper

There were also quite a few gulls in the Marina – nothing special.  AND – there were also two Grebes with long necks.  One was clearly a Western Grebe – black of the cap completely enclosing the eye and a greenish bill.  The other – completely unexpectedly – was apparently a Clark’s Grebe – the eye outside (almost completely) of the dark of the cap and a bright orange bill – a new bird for the month.  Visiting the Marina was a good decision resulting in #206 for the month.

Western Grebe

Clark’s Grebe

I hit the beach and began my search for shorebirds.  There were two problems.  First the tide was fairly low, so there was a lot of beach, and second it was VERY windy with sand blowing all around.   I found small groups of Sanderlings and Dunlin quickly but no plovers.  I then drove as far south as I could go and found a single Snowy Plover flying fast in the heavy wind.  There was no hope for a photo but this really is a favorite little bird so I include a photo from the same area from a wind free earlier visit.

Snowy Plover

I turned north and when I hit some water that was a bit deeper than I wanted to challenge, I returned to the highway and then came back to the beach from a more northern access point.  Now I found hundreds of shorebirds on the beach – a small group of Black Bellied Plovers and 400+ Sanderling, and I estimated as many as 3000 Dunlin.  Near the Bonge Road access I saw two small dark brown backed shorebirds with short bills flying against the wind right at the surf line as I was heading north with the wind.  I could make out their partial neck/breast bands – definitely two Semipalmated Plovers.  I did a u-turn and raced back down the beach hoping they would land.  They did not and were soon out of sight down the beach.  I was satisfied with the identification and thus with the results of my visit to the beach – both targeted Plovers – Big Month species #207 and #208.

I scanned out to the open ocean hoping that maybe the winds would have blown in a Shearwater – no luck.  I visited the Westport Marina and jetty – hoping for – well whatever.  Nothing new.  It had already been a long day and I had another 2.5 hours to go to get home.  Time to call it quits.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been for the Steller’s Eider to have been in Washington.  It was ABA photo #635.  A week that included that photo and the photo of a White Wagtail was quite a week indeed.

 

Continuing from my last post, an unexpected Ebird report made my decision for January 24th pretty easy.  Bill Tweit and Whittier Johnson had reported seeing some Western Bluebirds at Sanderson Airfield in Shelton, WA.  At the beginning of this quest, I had felt there was a remote chance to see Western Bluebirds.  The earliest I had seen them was in March but I knew that some birds over wintered and in fact they were a possibility on my Walla Walla trip.  What was more important here, though, was a good itinerary now took form – try for Mountain Quail in Port Orchard, try for the Bluebirds in Shelton, try for a Palm Warbler in Hoquiam and then head to the coast if time permitted.

So I was on the 7:10 ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and arrived at “the quail spot” adjacent to the Port Orchard Airport at 8:15.  Brian Pendleton and I had Mountain Quail here, and also at the Port Orchard Quarry just a little further on in the past and Brian and his wife Darchelle had some at this spot earlier this month.  It was pretty gray still but I would certainly be the first person at the spot and I hoped to find some quail in the brush.  Sure enough about 5 minutes into my walk two Mountain Quail sounded their “querk” calls as I flushed them and they were off to even denser cover.  If a photo had been important I probably would have tried instead in “Quail Mary’s” (Mary Hrudkaj) neighborhood, but a photo was not needed for this purpose – just the confirmation.  I let out my own variation of a “querk” call when the Mountain Quail brought me to 200 species for my Big Month – and I also gave a sigh of relief.  Everything now would be icing on the cake!!

It was less than an hour to Sanderson Field.  The Ebird report said they had been seen with Robins along the “airport fence line”.  The problem was that there were fences everywhere including along places where the roads were closed or gated.  Which fence line?  I drove them all and saw basically no birds at all.  I tried one more area – an industrial park adjacent to the airfield and saw a flash of blue flying from the ground to a tree.  More flashes and more blue as five Western Bluebirds flew from ground to trees to fence lines.  Pictures captured these beauties – and I was now into bonus territory and had species #201.

Western Bluebird

It was another hour to the Hoquiam STP where the Palm Warbler had been found by Alex Patia.  Just as I cleared Aberdeen and was midway through the dismal city of Hoquiam, I got a call from Ann Marie Wood.  A White Wagtail had been found at the Neal Road location where the Rusty Blackbird had been seen two days earlier.  Yikes!!  White Wagtail is EXTREMELY rare in Washington.  I saw one at Fort Casey in Washington almost exactly 34 years ago – on January 21, 1984.  It is one of only 12 species I had seen in Washington for which I had no photo.  It was 128 miles from Hoquiam to Neal Road.  It was almost 11:45 a.m.  If I turned around instantly I might get there by 2:15 that afternoon but that would mean no Palm Warbler and no coast birding.  Time for an executive decision.

I was very close to the STP so I elected to try for the Palm Warbler and then think it through.  I turned onto Paulson Road – came to its end and parked at the turnout next to and between the two ponds – the purported Palm Warbler location.  I pulled out my phone and played the chip note – watching the brush between the ponds where it had been seen.  There was an immediate response – from behind me.  I turned to find a very demonstrative and very beautiful – and very welcomed Palm Warbler in the trees behind me.  It came right out and was pumping its tail vigorously.  Snap, snap – photos and Big Month Species 202 was mine.  It had taken all of 5 minutes from the time Ann Marie had called.

Palm Warbler

I figured the odds on seeing the White Wagtail were lower than seeing a Snowy Plover – and neither was guaranteed.  For purposes of my Big Month, they were the same – one more bird.  But there really was no comparison – the chance for a new state photo drove the decision.  I turned and raced to Fall City.  I will not share the exact amount of time it took, but let’s just say I beat the Google Maps projected time — significantly.  Other birders were there when I arrived – but the Wagtail was not.  More birders arrived – it was a fun social event – but it would have been a lot more fun if the White Wagtail had made an appearance.  It did not.  I located the Rusty Blackbird again and showed some others – that was nice – but not as nice as seeing a Wagtail – or heck even a Snowy Plover.  Worse yet, it was now late and the traffic back to Edmonds was awful.

There was of course disappointment – but somehow it hardly mattered.  It had been a fabulous day – the Mountain Quail for #200 was fantastic and adding both the Western Bluebird and Palm Warbler – completely unexpected a few days earlier – felt extra good.  It was like having an ice cream sundae with whipped cream – and nuts – and chocolate sauce – so what if there was no cherry on the top.

January 20th was a much needed day of rest – allowing me to catch up on bills, cleaning, blog posts and some sleep.  I had gotten to 194 species – and only needed 6 more for my Big Month goal.  The problem was that there were no longer spots with multiple probabilities.  There were lots of possibilities left out there but seemingly few sure things.

Way back on January 6th I had picked up a few birds on Camano Island, but I had missed one as well.  A Townsend’s Solitaire had been reported on Maple Grove Beach Road.  I had not been able to find it.  It had been seen often in the following two weeks and it was time for another try – especially now that I had some more specific information about its favored spot. I arrived just after noon on the 21st and parked across from its two favorite berry-laded trees.  It wasn’t there but if still around, it would probably come in to feed.  Not long after I arrived I thought I heard its whistled call down the street.  I played it on my bird songs app and hoped it would fly right in.  It didn’t but I felt it was only a matter of time.  I had parked such that while I had a view of both trees, one was a little behind me and required me to swivel to check it – which I did periodically.  I had not seen it fly in, but on my third swivel, there it was feeding and mostly in the open – begging for me to take its picture.  Who was I to deny a request from a cooperative bird?

Townsend’s Solitaire

Timing and good luck matter.  No more than two minutes after finding Bird of the Month #195, people came out of the house behind the tree and went to a car parked next to it.  Apparently one couple had been visiting the other and now they were leaving and saying goodbye.  This action also was a goodbye for the Solitaire and it flew off over the house and towards the area where I had first heard it.  My timing had been good indeed.  One down and five to go.  I gave the Skagit and Samish flats area yet another go trying for the Gyrfalcon that seemingly everyone but me had seen there.  No go yet again.

The next day I planned to go to Tacoma to try for Least Sandpipers at a spot Bruce Labar had given me but there was another option as well.  A Rusty Blackbird had been seen at the end of Neal Road along the Snoqualmie River.  Rusty Blackbirds often hangout with dozens or even hundreds of their cousins – Red Winged and Brewer’s Blackbirds, Starlings and Brown Headed Cowbirds.  It can be very hard to find in a a moving mass of black.  This one was no exception but the flock seemed smaller and besides I “needed” another “tick” on my list and this species had been on my “high hopes” rather than “highly likely” list of possibilities – a bonus bird so to speak.  I figured I would try for the Rusty first and then head to Tacoma further south.

Fortunately others were already at Neal Road when I arrived.  It took a while but finally it was spotted, first by Marv Breece, high up in one of the two trees that the flock seemed to favor.  Nothing like the extraordinary closeup view last year of a Rusty that visited some salt on a parking lot near a Home Depot in Bellingham, but good enough for a distant photo and a positive ID of Bird of the Month #196.

Rusty Blackbird – Neal Road

Rusty Blackbird – 2017

Time for an aside.  I have made the adjustments in the preceding blog posts so that the numbers are correct, but when I awoke on the morning of the 22nd and headed off for the Rusty Blackbird, I thought I was already at 196.  But before taking a step forward, I took a step backwards.  I left it out of my blog post on the Walla Walla trip but Mike Denny and I thought we had a first cycle Glaucous Gull at Lower Monumental Dam.  I got some good photos but the light was a bit tricky and may have overemphasized some features.  In any event that morning I got word from an Ebird reviewer that our bird was NOT a Glaucous Gull.  Maybe if it was January 31st and it would have made the difference between 199 and 200 I would have counted it anyhow – that was Mike’s reaction.  But I felt there was still time and I removed it from my list and thus went backwards.  As I said the Rusty Blackbird had not been on my expected list so maybe everything was just balancing out.

And besides…a Glaucous Gull was being seen at Gog Le Hi Te in Tacoma so there was a chance to make it up.  That was my first stop in Tacoma.  Finding a Glaucous Gull there means going through dozens or even hundreds of gulls on rooftops of industrial buildings with a scope.  I had just done the “blackbird” equivalent of that to find the Rusty Blackbird – definitely not my favorite kind of birding.  But this time I was lucky, when I arrived, two birders were looking at the Glaucous Gull through their scope.  All I had to do was take a look to confirm.  Okay – a step back, a step forward and now another step forward and I was at #197.

I am not real familiar with Tacoma and often get confused finding niche birding spots along the river or at the Bay usually after wending my way through heavy duty industrial areas.  Bruce’s spot for Least Sandpipers at the end (well sort of) of Alexander Road was no different.  Despite great directions, it still did not seem right when I arrived.  I expected the Least Sandpipers to be on some mud exposed at low tide.  There was a small patch of mud with no birds and lots of rocks and rip rap.  This could not be the right place.  But I had come this far and figured I would explore.  A good decision.  I trudged through some debris and came upon a concrete slab angled into the water.  There were lots of gulls and as I looked closer, I could see some smaller birds skittering about.  Shorebirds – and not Dunlin – these were Least Sandpipers.  Thank you Bruce.  Fourteen of them made for species #198 for the month.  It was an important one because it had been on my “sure thing” list but I was not sure where I would find them.  There were lots of other places to try – but now I did not have to look anywhere else.

Least Sandpiper – Pale Legs, Short Bill and All

It was not yet One o’clock but there really were not any options to pursue for more birds so I headed home before traffic got bad.  Despite a disappointing start losing the Glaucous Gull from Walla Walla, it had been a great day – regaining the Gull, picking up a surprise and adding a sure thing.  I needed two more birds and there were still none days to get them.  Things were looking good.

There are lots of ways I could describe Ann Marie Wood – a trooper, tenacious, positive, tough minded, etc.  I could also describe her as a good birder and a good friend.  I sent an email out on the 23rd to see if anyone wanted to join me for yet another try to find a Gyrfalcon and hopefully some American Pipits in the Skagit/Samish areas – possibly numbers 199 and 200 to reach my goal.  Others were otherwise committed and Ann Marie was game.  I did not know it at the time but this day was also her 80th birthday – yet she was giving me the gift of joining forces.

It would be nice to say that for “her” birthday I got two birds as a gift and hit 200, but not to be.  We spent hours and many miles driving every road in the areas where the Gyrs and the Pipits had been seen – again nothing.  The highlight was a stop at the Breadfarm in Edison.  It is marvelous – everything is fantastic and there are simply too many temptations.  At least I was able to give Ann Marie a birthday treat – a Kouign Amann – one of the specialties of this artisanal bakery.  It is a Breton pastry that has it all: tons of butter, sweet caramelization and a good bit of salt, like a salted caramel in pastry form.  She had never been to the Breadfarm or had one of these delights.  I am sure she will be back.

Ann Marie is a very committed County birder – especially for Snohomish County – and she knew some spots where we had a good chance to add a Spotted Sandpiper and maybe a Semipalmated Plover to get me to or closer to 200.  At Priest Point where she has had one for several Christmas Counts, Ann Marie said the Spotted Sandpiper could be anywhere on the shore.  I stepped up onto a high spot to get a better look and right on cue a Spotted Sandpiper flew up and off – its shallow wingbeat a giveaway.  Now at #199 I was oh so close.  The Semipalmated Plover did not cooperate in Everett but now I knew a good spot to keep trying.

Thanks to Ann Marie, I was on the brink of success.  When I went home I wasn’t sure where I would go next – the coast for Semipalmated or Snowy Plovers, Port Orchard for a Mountain Quail or Stevens Pass to try for a Gray Jay.  I was feeling confident.  Once again an unexpected Ebird report made my decision easy…but that is for the next post.

My visit to the Okanogan in late December had been less successful than I had hoped.  Recent trips by others had been terrific perhaps aided by additional snow accumulation.  I was optimistic and hopeful, but the temperatures had warmed and some snow had melted.  I really was not sure what to expect.  I left Ephrata early on the morning of January 19th and headed towards Mansfield on the Waterville Plateau.  Fortunately the fog cleared and I started looking for Snow Buntings and Partridge.  Near Heritage Road (Road L), I found my first Snow Buntings and at their “regular spot” I found 5 or 6 American Tree Sparrows.  I had seen the latter with the Dennys earlier, but the Snow Buntings were new – and a “must” for this trip.

Snow Buntings  (#190) 

No Partridge anywhere.  Next I was on to Bridgeport Hill Road where I hoped to find Sharp Tailed Grouse.  There were none there and also none at a nearby place that was a potentially good spot.  There would be other chances, but this was a regretted miss.  It was on to Cameron Lake Road.  In December there had been so much fresh snow that I was not able to drive the entire road.  But on the small portion that I did drive I had Snow Buntings, Gray Crowned Rosy Finches and Common Redpolls.  There was far less snow now and in fact most of the road was clear.

About 7 miles in, from the southern end of the road. I came upon a Seattle Audubon Trip that was led by Stefan Schlick.  I met up with them 5 minutes too late.  They had just seen a Gyrfalcon.  They had watched it for some time and it had flown off.  I joined them as they continued on hoping for more looks.  We did not see it again.  This was now the second time this month that I had missed this prized bird by just a few minutes.  A bonus though was that Stefan told me about a good spot ahead for White Headed Woodpecker – “where the flag is over the road.”  Before getting to that spot I had a Northern Shrike, a Golden Eagle and a huge flock of at least 300 Snow Buntings – about 100 yards off the road.

It was impossible to miss the “flag spot” as someone had strung a cable across the road supporting  a large American flag.  I stopped, got out of the car and played the call and the drumming sound for White Headed Woodpecker.  Instantly first one and then another appeared – one flying directly over my head and not far from it.  A bit later a third appeared.  These woodpeckers are always a favorite and they were new for the month – #191.

White Headed Woodpecker

Nothing else new on Cameron Lake Road and having seen American Tree Sparrows earlier I did not even stop at “their spot” on this trip.  I went on into Omak and then headed up towards Conconully.  Just out of town a dark Merlin flashed by me – far too fast for a photo but maybe a good omen.  Less than a quarter of a mile later on Epley Road, I saw a large flock of birds in a bare tree across from a small orchard.  Usually such flocks are Blackbirds or Starlings, but this was the Okanogan and there are other possibilities.  When I pulled off the road and got by binoculars on the flock, it was quite apparent these were one of those possibilities – a very large flock of Bohemian Waxwings – 130 birds or more.  I had seen this species earlier in the month, but this was truly a spectacle as they flew from tree to ground and then circled and then repeated the performance.

Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian Waxwing Flock (A small portion and with a few Cedar Waxwings)

I continued on towards Conconully with my first stop being at the pasture where I had “missed” the Gray Partridge found there by Jon Houghton a week earlier when I visited in late December.  Missed them again.  Then I spent a lot of time searching for Sharp Tailed Grouse in the Scotch Creek area and on Happy Hill Road.  I had the grouse there on my December trip but only in the early morning – there were none now at midday.

When I planned this trip, I had counted on Gray Partridge and Sharp Tailed Grouse and had hoped for Gyrfalcon.  I wasn’t doing well with these “needed” species.  I had also planned – indeed almost counted on both Gray Jay and Clark’s Nutcrackers in Conconully.  Others had seen them there recently.  Two more misses despite very diligent searching and almost constantly paying various calls for both.  Thankfully though I got a coveted consolation prize as a small flock of Gray Crowned Rosy Finches flew over head and could be identified both by the quick look and also by their calls.  No photos but I was now at 192 for the month.

It was now on to the Highlands and a stop at Fancher Road.  I may have been there before, but I did not recall it.  The ABC Group from Tacoma had had large numbers of both Chukars and Gray Partridge in the cattle pastures.  I was stunned when I reached the area.  There seemed to be Chukars and Partridge everywhere.  In that “stunned” condition though, I confused the two species and thinking that Chukars are usually even harder to find than Partridge, bypassed photos of the Partridge which I had seen first and took MANY of the Chukars thinking I had finally gotten photos of Gray Partridge.  By the time I figured this out, the Partridge had retreated to the hills while dozens of Chukars and even more California Quail remained.  (Stay tuned – there will be more to this story.)

Chukar

Well at least I had finally seen some Gray Partridge and my Big Month count stood at 193.  I headed off to the Havillah Sno Park Area hoping for a Great Gray Owl.  I have only seen one there once, but it is a good area for them.  But not today – and it did not help that this was the one area that was buried in heavy fog.  An owl would have had to have flown right in front of me to see it.  I decided to come back later at dusk and hope the fog had cleared.  I went on to Nealey Road.  I had heard that the feeders were still inactive the previous week, but I hoped that was old news.  It wasn’t.

In the past there have been many birds at the feeders – Rosy Finches, Waxwings and Redpolls among them.  There were birds today despite the absence of seed, but nothing extraordinary.  I got a nice photo of a Mountain Chickadee which shared a tree with a Black Capped Chickadee and then one of my favorite photos ever of a Hairy Woodpecker.

Mountain and Black Capped Chickadees

Hairy Woodpecker

Just as I readied to leave I heard some chatter notes.  I had been playing this call earlier in the day and could hardly miss the sound of a Clark’s Nutcracker.  At least one and perhaps a second called from the hill behind the Nealey cabins.  I could get a glimpse in the distant trees – just enough to be sure they were not Black Billed Magpies mimicking the Nutcrackers – so at least one of the earlier misses was erased and I now had 194 species for the month.  I returned to the Havillah Sno-park.  There was less fog but no owls appeared, so it was off to Omak for the night.

An early start the following morning had me at Scotch Creek so early I could see almost nothing.  Two shadows in some Water Birches unfortunately late proved to be Great Horned Owls and not Sharp Tailed Grouse.  More searching as the light improved also improved by still obstructed view of the Great Horned Owls but produced no grouse.

Great Horned Owl

Sharp Tailed Grouse had been on my “near certain” list and was an important find.  I was concerned.  The ABC Group had found some on Siwash Creek Road – near Fancher Road and the Havillah Sno-Park, so that became a priority.  I headed East via the Riverside Cutoff Road.  No Golden Eagle as I had in December, but at a spot I had had one before I found a Canyon Wren – singing its lovely descending note song.

When I stopped at Fancher Road again, I had even more Chukars – maybe as many as 80 – but no Gray Partridge at all.  Now I was worried that my error of the previous day might mean that I would get no Partridge photos.  But again, stay tuned.  Siwash Creek Road was perfect Sharp Tailed Grouse habitat and unlike at other good spots, here the Water Birch were close and at eye level.  Grouse, if present, would be readily seen and readily photographed.  Sadly, as far as I could tell – they just were not present.  Missed again.

I made another pass at he Sno-Park – fog-less, people-less and owl-less.  Time to head back home with another drive of Cameron Lake Road hoping that somehow the Gyrfalcon might give me the privilege of a view.  This time I did not stop for the White Headed Woodpecker, but I did stop at the copse of trees that were good for American Tree Sparrow. I found at least 9 and got a new favorite photo of one.

American Tree Sparrow

Also along the road, I had a Golden Eagle, a Northern Shrike – and to complete the story – finally – some photo friendly Gray Partridge.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  But not complete relief as I never saw a Gyrfalcon.

Gray Partridge

I tried once more and failed once more to find any Sharp Tailed Grouse along Bridgeport Hill Road – the major disappointment of this trip.  So no new birds this day.  I had done OK for the trip but not great.  My total for the month was at 194.  Including the prelude to the Okanogan, I had added 11 new birds – honestly about what I had originally expected but I had not expected some of the birds I did see and I definitely had expected two I did not – Gray Jay and Sharp Tailed Grouse.  And yet again missing a Gyrfalcon was a downer.  But when I finally got home – very tired – I was optimistic that 200 was reachable – just not sure exactly how.

I had noted an Ebird report of an Osprey at the Cowlitz River Trout Hatchery.  This was not a species that I had thought possible as I believed they left in the Fall and did not return until the early Spring.  But this was apparently a hold over and it had been doing so for several years.  I planned an itinerary that would include looking at Magnuson Park for Cedar Waxwings and possibly an Iceland Gull, continuing to the Mouth of the Cedar River looking for the Gull there if missed at Magnuson (and also hoping that somehow a Palm Warbler had shown up there as it has been a good spot in the past).  Then it would be down to the Cowlitz with a stop at Nisqually NWR on the way down or back.

The plan also included the hope that Brian Pendleton would join me and that worked very well especially since Brian knows Magnuson Park much better than I do.  There were no Iceland Gulls on the bathing platform but we found at least one and possibly two Cedar Waxwings at the Hawthorn trees near Kite Hill.  I had not even taken my camera as it was wet but a sufficiently good view to know it was a Cedar and not a Bohemian Waxwing, which have been at this location in the past.

At the Mouth of the Cedar River, no Palm Warblers but there were lots of gulls and through the scope we were able to find at least one and possibly a second Iceland Gull.  These were both birds that were highly likely at other spots if missed, but getting to 182 and 183 felt like a great start to the day.  Unfortunately it went downhill from there.  We found the Cowlitz Hatchery and it definitely looked like a great spot for a hold over Osprey, but despite a long and diligent search there and at the Salmon Hatchery upriver, we found only Bald Eagles.  But we had a great visit with a couple of locals – one of whom had a great story about Phil and Chris Anderson – Captain and First Mate of the Monte Carlo which is the boat for the wonderful Westport Pelagic trips.  Not for sharing here, but it will be fun to share with Phil and Chris when we see them.

On the way home, the weather turned ugly and Nisqually was quite wet.  Even before entering, we found a large group of shorebirds – but they were only Dunlin and Greater Yellowlegs.  We found the Northern Saw Whet Owl near the parking lot but it was so wet, we did not even take the scope out to the boardwalk.  We saw a flock of shorebirds – two sizes (probably??) that likely contained the hoped for Least Sandpipers, but too distant, too wet and too dismal to make the call.  Our best find was an American Bittern that flew in and posed for a photo.  For the day we had 50 species – two new for the month and at least the traffic on return was not too bad…but that Osprey was a big miss.

American Bittern

I hearkened back to my decision to cut my visit to the Okanogan short and return on December 31st last year instead of carrying over and starting the year there for 2018.  Especially since reports had come in over the past two days of two great group trips there, I knew that I had to return and indeed a successful trip was probably essential if I had a shot at 200.  But of course I never seem to do anything the easy way, so in addition to having to make another trip to the Okanogan, I front loaded it with a trip in the other direction – to Fort Simcoe in Yakima County to get the Lewis’s Woodpecker that was a certainty there but also to hope to find an Acorn Woodpecker that does not belong there but which had been seen a couple of days earlier.

I again went the longer and slower route through the Yakima River Canyon.  No Golden Eagle this time, but in the area I had had one before I was able to get a Canyon Wren to respond to my playback.  #184  When I arrived at Fort Simcoe it was, as I knew, closed for the winter, but you could park outside and walk in.  It really is a cool spot and now, completely deserted except for me and a single Park employee, it was kind of eerie.  But it was also VERY windy.  I worried that this did not bode well for finding woodpeckers.  However, Lewis’s Woodpeckers were easy – if for the most part seen in hurried flights before landing at the tops of the many oak trees that are why they are there.  At first the light was poor and so were my photos but later there was a sun break and a nice photo of this beautiful bird resulted.

Lewis’s Woodpecker

Now where was that Acorn Woodpecker?  I spent over an hour looking – circling the property three times without success.  Earlier I had visited with the park employee.  He was doing some early maintenance work and while aware of the Lewis’s Woodpeckers being there, he was not familiar with birds at all.  I told him that I was there to get a see the Lewis’s Woodpecker and a much rarer Acorn Woodpecker.  I showed him the photo and he said he had never seen one.  But this had been a good decision as about 70 minutes into my visit as I passed him again, he said that there had been a “smaller woodpecker” near the Interpretive Center.  I checked it out and found it but unfortunately far back in an area behind an electrified wire and “off limits”.  It responded to my play back – but only vocally – it never flew in closer.  There is no way to misidentify this clown faced bird though.

Acorn Woodpecker

It was nice to add these two new birds.  When I made my first plan for the assault on 200, I figured I might need to try for the Acorn Woodpecker in Lyle in Klickitat County, normally the only place in the State to find it.  This saved me many miles and many hours and I was now at 186.  Time for the long drive north towards the Okanogan.  No way to get there and do significant birding that day, so the plan was to stay in Ephrata that night after a stop at Rocky Ford Creek where a Sora was possible.

Almost on a whim as I was heading back through Yakima, I decided to stop at the Popoff Trail – very popular with and productive for Yakima area birders and just possibly a spot where there might be a Hermit Thrush.  I had never birded there before so I just picked a trail and headed off.  At the first “likely spot”, I stopped and played the call note of the Thrush.  There was an immediate response and a very inquisitive bird flew in within seconds.  The brush was dense and it was never in bright sunlight but the call was unmistakable and the photo was at least good enough for a firm ID.  I had hoped for one during the month but was not at all certain where to look so this was a real bonus bird #187.

Hermit Thrush

I had not been to Rocky Ford Creek for at least 12 years.  I had known it as a fun fly-fishing spot and not as a place for birds, but seeing it again, the cattails and rushers were perfect for rails and the ponds for waterfowl.  Two men were fishing as I arrived and we traded “fish stories”.  One fellow was from Sequim and was familiar with the areas I had birded there recently.  The water is gin clear and large trout were visible here and there.  I almost wished I had my gear.  But I was there to find a Sora.  I went to what looked like a good spot and played several calls.  No immediate response – except from some Virginia Rails – which often happens.  Then a few minutes later I hear “keep calls” from a Sora near the platform there.  Further play back from me resulted in another Sora making a quick appearance after some whinnying calls across the creek.  This was #188 for the month.

I had hoped one would come in for a photo – but the only rails that came in close were Virginia Rails.  One was extremely active and I got a photo and I had at least partial views of at least three.  I could safely say there were at least seven there and I think there may have been 10.

Virginia Rail

Although it did not end with a photo of a Sora, it was very cool to show the fishermen my picture of the Virginia Rail.  They had wondered what bird had made the pig grunts sounds.  Now they knew.

There was still time to drive just barely onto the Waterville Plateau before returning to Ephrata for the night.  I hoped for some Snow Buntings or Gray Partridge.  I found neither but at one stop I did hear the clear “chuck chuckara” calls from some Chukars on a massive stone cliff where I had stopped to play for Rock Wren – without response.  I had hopes for actual sightings and photos but these birds can be challenging so I was pleased to have my first ones for the month – ending the day at 189.

The next day would get me to the Okanogan itself.  There had been great reports from a Tacoma ABC Club trip and from another group.  I was hopeful – and tired – so early to bed.

Today is January 16th.  Yesterday I passed my initial Big Month Goal of 175 species for the State and the total was at 176.  The original thought was that if 175 was “reasonably easy”, I would push on and go for 200.  With 176 species in just about half of the month, had it been “reasonably easy” – well sort of, but even though “only” 24 more species in the remaining half month seemed easy, I knew that all of the easy birds had already been seen and I would need many more trips and some good lucks – maybe even some unexpected birds in addition to almost all of the expected ones to reach the goal.

This morning the plan was to try for one of the “unexpected ones”.  A female Western Tanager was visiting Mark Tamboulian’s feeder in Shoreline, Washington and he said I was welcome to visit.  This was a great stroke of luck.  Western Tanagers are generally not here in the winter – so an unexpected add.  I had to take my car in for service that day and would get a loaner but that imposed some time constraints.  Luckily Mark’s place was only a couple of miles from my dealer and was on the way back from the dealer to my home.  How convenient.

Mark has a landscape business and it was very apparent as I drove up to his home.  The grounds were SPECTACULAR!!!  Super design and of course very well maintained.  I was invited in and we began our vigil watching his feeders in his equally beautiful back yard.  He explained that it generally came in with other birds and usually visited the suet.  As we waited we talked – about birds mostly – but a really fun free-ranging conversation.  His neighbor and birding pal was there as well.  His interests were more to photography but together they had traveled to many places in the U.S. and Latin America and had a very impressive bird list and expertise and great stories.

As I have said so many times, in birding we get the opportunity for great places, great people and great birds.  The beautiful home and grounds and wonderful people had delivered the first two of these and when the Western Tanager showed up, all three were there and it was just barely 9:00 a.m.

Western Tanager Female

It hung around awhile and then took off.  I continued my visit and we shared stories.  Their experience at the Asa Wright Station in Trinidad was alarming – very unsanitary conditions – I was forewarned.  They had lots of good stories as well.  Time to leave but I happened to mention that one bird I was looking for was a Red Breasted Sapsucker. Bingo!!  The neighbor said there was often one in his yard.  We went out and there it was drumming away in open sight.  Hard to get any easier than that.

Red Breasted Sapsucker

I now had 178 species for the month and the day was young and I had plans for more.  The visit with Mark had been terrific in any way.  I hope our paths cross again and after i am through with this Big Month I will be sure that happens.  But first it was time to head north to Whatcom County.

A Rock Wren had been seen regularly at Birch Bay State Park.  It was one of the birds missed on the Walla Walla trip so here was a make up opportunity.  Additionally this was a good spot to find Eared Grebes – not an easy find in the winter.  I found the Rock Wren fairly easily but off leash dogs on the beach kept it pretty leery not willing to pose in the open as it had for many others.  The Eared Grebes were not so easy but eventually I was able to find at least two out in the Bay – just close enough for some ID shots.

Eared Grebe

It was interesting to watch one of the Grebes.  It was almost like it was paired with a female Bufflehead.  The two moved around as a unit and I never saw the Grebe more than 25 feet away from the Bufflehead.  The photo is fun, too, as it shows just how small the Grebe is.  Buffleheads are very small ducks – but the Grebe is even smaller.

Eared Grebe and Bufflehead

As pleased as I was to get a photo of the Eared Grebe, I could not fail to recall the spectacular photo of one last year not far from this spot at the Blaine Marina.  I think it has appeared in a blog before but I include it again.

Eared Grebe (March 2016 – Blaine Marina)

My final stop for the day (I had to get back to get my car) was at Semiahmoo.  I hoped that somehow a Mountain Bluebird might reappear here -as one had been there in the winter of 2014 – but not this time.  I did however add a Northwestern Crow.  This is the only place in Washington I will count one other than the Olympic Peninsula.  I am not convinced it is a separate species but the authorities accept it…who am I to argue – especially as it was Bird of the Month #181.

It was pretty late when I got back home from my Walla Walla trip on January 14th.  There is a saying, “There is no rest for the wicked“.  Wait a minute – I am not wicked – just currently obsessed.  So after that long trip there was still unfinished business and this meant getting little rest and then back to it early on the 15th – this time heading west – specifically to Sequim and environs.

A huge flock of Black Bellied Plovers had invaded a corn field on Schmuck Road and at least one Pacific Golden Plover was being seen with them.  Dunlin were in the field as well.  I easily found the field and at first did not see any birds at all.  Then I moved a little further east and noticed birds flitting around through the corn stalks.  It was a gray day and the light was poor and the birds were mostly pretty far out.  Even through binoculars it was clear they were Plovers but a scope was going to be needed to find the Pacific Golden Plover.  There were dozens – actually many dozens of birds.  They would come into view and then disappear as they moved between the rows of stalks.  At first there were only Plovers – no Dunlin.  Then first one and then another and then another flock of Dunlin moved in.  There were probably 75 to 100 Plovers and several hundred Dunlin.  It was frenetic!!

Fortunately though I had a good scope, the Pacific Golden Plover is noticeably darker and smaller than the Black Bellied Plovers and most importantly I was lucky.  A smaller, darker Plover became very apparent still quite distant but a bit in front of the other Plovers and obviously different from the Dunlin.  It was not still though and if I took my eye off the scope I would lose it.  Back to the scope and I would find it again only to repeat the process.  I have never used digiscoping, but I think that would have been the only way to get a photo.  Pleased with finding the Pacific Golden Plover and Bird of the Month #172 it was time to try for the next target.

Actually targets.  A flock of Marbled Godwits had been showing consistently at Dungeness Landing Park and a single Willet had been seen there and/or at Three Crabs as well.  I first went to the lookout spot over Dungeness Landing Park – the vantage point from where the Emperor Goose had been seen in 2016.  No shorebirds visible.  Then it was down to the park itself with the same result.  Cline Spit looked seemed to be the likely spot for them – but there were no birds there.  Maybe luck would be better at 3 Crabs.

It was.  I didn’t find the birds but I did find the birder who knew about the birds.  Bob Boekelheide was on one of his census runs.  Together with Denny Van Horn, Bob is as knowledgeable about birds in and around Sequim as anyone and is also a great guy and has been very helpful on past quests.  Bob said that the Willet generally traveled with the Godwits and that Dungeness Landing Park was the best place to be.  He said, “Let’s go look.”  About four minutes later we pulled into the parking area, got out of our cars, and were exactly at the right time to see the flock of Godwits fly in with a companion – the Willet.  They landed on a mini-island just off Cline Spit – visible as shapes by the naked eye and as the targeted species with magnification.  I have a 100-400 mm lens.  A 600 mm lens with a doubler would have been necessary for good photos at that distance but I was able to get the one below that shows the Godwits with the Willet easy to ID with its black and white wing pattern.

Marbled Godwits and Willet

Bob certainly delivered as these were Birds of the Month #173 and #174.  He also delivered again as he told me of a couple of spots on the Dungeness River where I could probably find an American Dipper.  Sure enough right again.  Another distant view pretty far downstream from the bridge but I had reached #175.  One more stop to make – off to Point Wilson at Fort Worden in Jefferson County hoping for some Ancient Murrelets.

Point Wilson is a very cool spot – with great views at the intersection of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.  It can be very birdy.  In November 1986, I joined many other Washington birders to observe an extremely rare Steller’s Eider there.  No such rarity this day – although this Western Alaskan rarity was currently being seen about 200 miles south at Seaside, OR.  My hopes were simply for some Ancient Murrelets.  This was as good a place as any in Washington to see some and I intended to follow up with a trip on the Port Townsend to Keystone Ferry for closer views.

Point Wilson did not disappoint.  Again all the birds were far off and a scope was needed but there were a number of alcids – primarily Common Murres and some Pigeon Guillemots and a pair of Ancient Murrelets.  The look was good enough for a positive ID and Bird of the Month #176 but I was looking forward to the ferry ride as I have always had good looks at Ancients on the passing.  This is where trouble struck.  I got to the Port Townsend Ferry Terminal early.  I was asked if I had a reservation.  I said “No’ and then asked if it would be necessary.  I was assured I would get on the next boat.  I was the next to next last car that did NOT get on the ferry and the next one would not leave for 90 minutes by which time it would be too dark to see anything.  To say I was furious was an understatement.  And it was made worse when I learned that there was a two hour wait on the Kingston Ferry which I could have made without any delay if they had just told me that there would not be room.  AAARGH!!!

So there being no great shot from the ferry of an Ancient Murrelet I include one from another trip.

Ancient Murrelet

I consoled myself with the fact that I had a good day birding and had passed the 175 species original goal.  But ferry disappointment aside, I was now committed to going all out for 200 species for the Big Month and waiting for the Kingston ferry gave me time to plan the next trip.