I have been away from the blog for over a month – great trip to Colorado (posts coming up) – great visit from my daughter and son-in-law (another post to come) and some catch up birding in Washington – posts to come including this one.  Then there was a big computer problem (damn you Microsoft and Windows 10).  But all is now in order so I will be blogging madly.

Seems like we have been here before – goes birding in Eastern Washington.  Has car issues – and it all works out ok.  THIS time however, the damage was less; it occurred AFTER the birding; and most importantly it turned out to cost only $1.50.  Beats the heck out of the broken starter in Richland that eventually led to the decision to get a new vehicle to avoid such problems in the future.

Three birding buddies from Edmonds (Steve Pink,  Fran Caruso and Jon Houghton) and I headed out to nearby Eastern Washington on May 4 to find some new First of Year birds – what we call “FOY’s”.  Migration is now in full swing so there were many opportunities – as usual too many birds and too little time.  We have all birded together but never all together at the same time so it also promised to be a good trip.  We studied up on Ebird, past lists, Tweeters etc. and made a tentative target list and related itinerary that was to at least include Bullfrog Pond, up into the Teanaway Valley and Umptanum Road into Wenas. Steve Pink and Jon Houghton came to my place and left their vehicles and then we picked up Frank Caruso and were off. Leaving at 6:00 a.m. and being a “carpool” we avoided the usually dreadful Seattle traffic woes and took I-5 to I-90 and then were going East.  A mandatory stop at an unnamed coffee spot in Issaquah, and then we were in serious birding mode.

Our first stop was the Hyak hummingbird feeders on Snoqualmie Pass.  Rufous Hummingbirds were cooperative and we also found some Yellow and Wilson’s Warblers, Juncoes, Violet Green and Barn Swallows, Steller’s Jays and Robins.  A half hour later brought us to Bullfrog Road where despite super high water levels in the Cle Elum River, we found the two nesting American Dippers.  Then on to Bullfrog Pond – a favorite birding spot along the way to the Suncadia Resort. Around the Pond and then across the road we had about 35 species including these birds that were all FOY’s for at least some in the party: Nashville Warblers, House Wrens, Western Bluebirds, Chipping Sparrows, Red Naped Sapsuckers, Pygmy Nuthatch (at nest), and Soras.  The Soras were probably the best birds and the biggest surprise.  I have had them there before but they can be a challenge.  As is usually the case we heard them only – all of their various calls (Weep, Whinny and Ker-wee).  We also then heard Virginia Rails so a great combination of often hard to find birds.

Rufous Hummingbird

Chipping Sparrow

Western Bluebird

Warbling Vireo

Red Naped Sapsucker

Our main targets proceeding through the Teanaway Valley were woodpeckers – White Headed and Williamson’s Sapsuckers – but alas no go on either one – and at least for the White Headed Woodpeckers, a theme that would remain part of my birding for the next several weeks.  We made an interesting stop in the old town of Liberty as we headed back down Highway 97.  Lots of Hummers at one place with feeders but no Calliopes.  We then headed up Umptanum Road to North Wenas Road.  A quick check showed the Great Horned Owl nest had a baby and then a visit up Durr road produced both Vesper and Brewer’s Sparrows.

Brewer’s Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Per the statement above, we failed to find “my” White Headed Woodpeckers at a spot where I have had them the past three years but we had some Western Tanagers, lots of both Mountain and Western Bluebirds and a Cassin’s Vireo singing loudly and posing in the open.  The highlight though was probably a Calliope Hummingbird exactly where it had been described in an Ebird report – across from Bluebird Box 7.

Mountain Bluebird

Cassin’s Vireo

Calliope Hummingbird

After finding a Lewis’s Woodpecker and Western Kingbirds just where Steve suggested it would be, we proceeded to the Wenas campground area.  The road in was miserable – even worse than I remembered from last year with some washouts and lots of rocks – some of which we removed from the road.  This is a “famous” area – a birder campout on Memorial Day is a tradition and there are always great birds including ALWAYS White Headed Woodpeckers – except of course today.  We did have many Gray Flycatchers and “probably” both Hammond’s and Dusky Flycatchers, but they remained distant and unresponsive to calls so not perfect ID’s.  We had good warblers as well including some MacGillivray’s and lots of Yellow Warblers. Frank’s always terrific knowledge of the various calls was called upon often for the empids and the warblers.  Many Cassin’s Finches were welcome finds since we had missed them earlier at a feeder in South Cle Elum.

Western Kingbird

Gray Flycatcher

 

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Cassin’s Finch

Time to go so we renegotiated the rocky road and then headed home via Wenas Lake and then headed north picking up some more Western Kingbirds on the way.  And then the tire issue arose…  My Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPM) was giving me a warning for low pressure.  Checking it showed that the right rear tire was low (20 psi instead over 35 psi).  Uh-oh.  We stopped at a gas station and collected quarters to pay the $1.50 to put air in but there was no good way to monitor how much was getting in.  After our first attempt, the TPM read 65 psi for the suspect tire.  We figured that as it heated up and expanded with the freeway drive ahead of us, it might explode so we brought it down to 47 psi and headed off.  At some point the TPM was clearly goofy as it then showed 36 psi for the back rear tire but was now reading 47 for the front left.  I just kept my fingers crossed and kept going noticing no handling issues.

We made it home safely after dinner in Cle Elum.  And the next morning I checked the tire and indeed it was back down to around 20 psi so I headed off to Discount Tire.  They had been my go to tire guys since some troubles on Cameron Lake Road a couple of years ago and had always been terrific.  I stopped at the closer shop on Hwy 99 but they were backed up and it would be an hour wait until they could look at it and really nowhere to go near there so I had them check with the store on 196th in Lynnwood and they set an appointment with a fellow at the first store doing the “intake” measurements that would save me time at the other store.  I went to 196th and dropped off the car and keys and went to Fred Meyers where I could get a new fishing license and also a new Discover Pass as mine had expired the week earlier.  Easy and then back to Discount Tire.  I was afraid that the rough road into Wenas had destroyed the tire.  Turns out that somewhere along the way, I had picked up a razor blade that was still in the tire – deep enough to cause a leak but not deep enough for permanent damage.  So they repaired the tire and … are you sitting down?  Even though I had never had these tires on the new jeep serviced there and had not purchased them there, since I had been a good customer in the BMW days … NO CHARGE and I was on my way.  Where do you think I will go when I next need tires!!

On our trip despite seeing only 4 waterfowl species, 1 shorebird species, no gulls and only 4 raptors, we noted over 70 species.  Everyone had some FOYS and everyone contributed to a great day of birding.  The Edmonds Guys did good…

 

 

 

The Bird and Memory of the Week this week is the tiny Black Rail, Laterallus jamaicensis.  It is the smallest American Rail measuring barely 6 inches and weighing just over 1 ounce.   It actually looks even smaller or at least that is how I remember it.  It is a very secretive bird that is rarely seen even when present.  I was very lucky.

I expect all birders are asked the question:  “So what got you started in birding?”  Although it was not the first bird I saw as a beginner, the experience that I think really got me going as a “birder” was seeing a Black Rail at an extremely high tide at the Dumbarton Bridge/Dumbarton Point in Alameda County on November 22, 1972.  At the time I was in law school at Stanford and my actual and honest answer to that getting started question is that I found I enjoyed birds more than law school lectures so the interest developed that way, but the Black Rail punctuated the interest.

 Back then, there was no internet, no cell phones, no listservs etc. so bird news was mostly word of mouth or by phone trees.  I do not remember how it happened but somehow I found out that there was to be an exceptionally high tide that day and that there was a likelihood of actually seeing the Black Rail that had been observed briefly the previous two days on somewhat lower tides. This was the highest tide so the best viewing was hoped for and sure enough there were many birders who positioned themselves at a strategic point that would enable them to see the last tuft of ground in the rising waters with the hope that a rail/rails would show up.  And indeed they did.  As the tide rose, I was able to observe not only a Clapper Rail (now reclassified as Ridgway’s Rail) but also a Virginia Rail and a Sora, especially for me extraordinary observations on their own.

I have never seen or heard a Black Rail anywhere again.  There are many Ebird records from the San Francisco Bay area from the 43+ years following my observation – BUT reading through many of them, most if not all are “heard only” so the actual sighting in 1972 was special indeed.  There was great anticipation from the gathered throng as the water level continued to rise and finally this little black bird climbed onto the disappearing island and eventually was all alone on the grassy tuft that was hardly much bigger than it was.  Shrieks of joy were actually heard.

As with most of these blog posts, the bird memory that is the main subject also reminds me of other experiences.  One was being fortunate to actually see a Yellow Rail at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in 1978 when the rail buggy was still in operation.  So I have seen all of the regular North American Rails, but the Black Rail will always be the most special. The Yellow Rail was part of the Eastern Airlines whirlwind described in a previous blog post.  I know there were other great birds seen at the Refuge but the only record I have is for a Sedge Wren – the only time I have ever seen one was with the Yellow Rail.

Another favorite Rail memory is seeing a Sora at the Montlake Fill.  I was sitting with Connie Sidles enjoying her endless stories of Birds of the Fill and a Sora emerged out of the grass reeds and walked across the path not more than 15 feet from us.  We were stunned.  No time for a photo but fortunately I was able to get a Sora photo last year at Wylie Slough on September 6th when I also got a good shot of a Virginia Rail – one of at least 6 heard or seen at the Slough that day.

What stirred the memory of the Black Rail was being at the Montlake Fill this morning and hearing at least 4 Virginia Rails and seeing at least 3 at different spots around the Fill.  It brought to mind the other Virginia Rail sightings and that there have been many more really good looks this year than I can ever remember including incredible photo ops at the Edmonds Marsh and Pitship Pocket Estuary near Sequim.

I have not yet seen or heard a Sora this year but have hopes for one soon.  And someday I hope to see a Black Rail again.  The first one would have made for a great photo – but that was way before I could afford a camera and way before the era of digital photography – so an opportunity lost.  But the picture remains in my head – and it is a VERY GOOD ONE!!

In the past three weeks I have made three trips to Kittitas County culminating in a Seattle Audubon Society trip that I co-lead with Jean Olson on March 26th.  The other two trips were a scouting trip with Jean for that SAS trip on March 20th and a trip on March 5th with two friends that was driven by a barely successful search for the White Winged Crossbills that had been seen on the Central Washington University campus. Continue reading “Kittitas County Birds – Changing Experiences in March” →

Some of my posts have been about fairly exotic or charismatic birds.  There is nothing wrong with a Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) – not bad looking and not all that common but definitely neither exotic nor charismatic in comparison to those other featured birds.  But my aim in writing these posts is to share some experiences that may have some meaning or value to others and admittedly to relive some past moments for me and to recall the joy or excitement of the time.

I saw my first Lark Sparrow on June 20, 1975 on Dodson Road near Ephrata.  I cannot remember a thing about the day or the observation.  Later recorded observations were at Toppenish, Balch Lake, Gingko SP, Wilson Creek and several other spots.  On Decker Road in Pasco on May 15, 2014 they seemed to be everywhere and I saw 10 in less than an hour – for sure a memorable experience.  All were nice times, but the memory that is the basis of this post was a single sparrow almost exactly a year later on Road C Northeast in Grant County between Moses Lake and the Potholes – May 19, 2015.

I was heading off to Walla Walla for another great trip with Mike and MerryLynn Denny this time up onto Biscuit Ridge hoping for a Great Gray Owl and earlier that day had success in tracking down a pair of Long Billed Curlews on Hungry Junction Road in Kittitas County and then a Yellow Breasted Chat hiking in from the Black Throated Sparrow spot on Recreation Road in Gingko State Park.  I had fished on the Yakima River the previous day and it was my fishing guide who told me about the grass farm on Hungry Junction Road where he had himself seen some Curlews.

Long Billed Curlews

Yellow Breasted Chat

When I left Vantage I did not have a specific plan in mind but thought it might be fun to visit the rookery area at North Potholes – a place my Master Birder Class had visited and enjoyed in 2013.  Since I had not planned ahead, I relied on my GPS to get me there and plugged in the destination and followed directions.

I cannot recall what preceded it but at some point the GPS told me to turn south on Road C Northeast an unpaved road.   At least several miles in I passed through an open gate.  It registered as odd but the gate was open and the direction seemed correct so on I went.  Some miles in I passed by a corral on my right where a bunch of cowhands were working cattle into the corral or possibly from the corral onto trucks.  This is open range and cattle are not uncommon even if cowhands might be.  I waved as I passed by and they waved back.

Maybe another 4 miles later I arrived at North Potholes – well sort of.  It was definitely North Potholes but not the area I remembered from the Master Birder trip and in fact there was another gate – this one closed that led to what looked like the more familiar area.  It seemed wrong but the area was quite birdy looking and just as I arrived at the locked gate I saw a Black Headed Grosbeak and then a pair of Eastern Kingbirds – my first of the year – so how bad could it be?

Eastern Kingbird

Black Headed Grosbeak

Then it hit me – HARD – two and two really does add up to four.  What if the reason the first gate was open was because the cowboys had the key and had come in to work the cattle AND what if when they were done, they went back out and locked the gate behind them AND what if I did not get there before they did?????  Trouble – BIG TROUBLE – because the rest of the area was completely fenced in and I would have been many miles from any help – if any help really would have been a useful help in any event.

I no longer was at all concerned about how birdy this area was, I got back into the car and went as fast as I could back towards what I hoped would be a still open gate.  Sure enough, I arrived at the gate just as the last of the cowboy vehicles had passed through and one guy was walking back towards the gate to lock it up and prevent weirdos like me from getting in – BUT of course in this case had it been a tad earlier or I had gotten there a tad later, it would also have locked this weirdo IN!!

I had lots of adrenaline racing through my system and once through the gate, I just stopped to catch my breath, settle my heart and thank all my lucky stars.  And as I did so what flew up and landed on that infamous gate – a Lark Sparrow of course – my first of the year and a wonderful consolation prize.

Lark Sparrow (on the sage next to the re-locked gate)

The good news (in addition to the Lark Sparrow) was that I was not trapped.  The bad news was that I had not had a chance to see the great birds at North Potholes.  The further good news though was that I definitely had time to get to Walla Walla early and try to find a White Faced Ibis at Millet Pond.

At Millet Pond I indeed found not just one but at least 10 White Faced Ibis and also had some other nice birds including Cinnamon, Green and Blue Winged Teal, Avocets, Black Necked Stilts, a Solitary Sandpiper and a single Yellow Headed Blackbird.  Four Bullock’s Orioles on the way out put an exclamation point on the day.

White Faced Ibis

Although I am not going to add much detail – saving it for another blog post, the following day I was joined by Jon Houghton and we accompanied the Dennys onto Biscuit Ridge where the birding was as great as the great company.  In addition to a dozen each of MacGillivray’s and Yellow Warblers and 25 Townsend’s Warblers, we also had 5 Lazuli Buntings, 10 Calliope Hummingbirds and’ oh yeah, a photogenic Great Gray Owl and a similarly photogenic Green Tailed Towhee – one of three.  And a bunch of other great birds.  Indeed a super trip!

Great Gray Owl

Green Tailed Towhee

It did occur to me that if I had not raced to the gate, I may never have made it to Walla Walla and had the great trip.  So what are the lessons here:  One might be – don’t trust your GPS or at least your Garmin (my version).  Another is maybe to use the GPS but be sure you have looked at a map personally.  Another is probably that when you get to an unlocked gate, think of why it might be unlocked and proceed if at all – very carefully.

But maybe too the lesson is that all’s well that ends well and as I have said before – life should be about gathering experiences that provide good stories and then being sure to live to be able to share them.  I hope you like this story – whether or not any of the lessons are of value.  And maybe the ending is that if you let it happen there is usually a silver lining or a consolation prize when first prize is not attained.  The Lark Sparrow was certainly that and will remain a favorite bird because of the associated story for me.

Pilchuck Audubon Society has a very active and dedicated group of birders who are off on a field trip somewhere almost every Tuesday morning.  I have not been able to join them as often as I would like, but always have a good time when I do.  This Tuesday the group headed off to Whatcom County to bird at the Blaine, Semiahmoo and Birch Bay area.  After threatening skies, the sun came out (sort of) and we had an excellent day with about 75 species seen.

As has been the case with every trip I have been on, Virginia Clark was the intrepid trip leader.  She is an excellent birder, a great leader and comes with a fabulous bonus – her wonderful homemade cookies and breads.  In addition to banana bread this time, Virginia brought cookies with bright green frosting – anticipating St. Patrick’s day later in the week.

We started at the Blaine Waterfront.  Tide was a bit higher than best for shorebirds so we settled for a variety of ducks and grebes, a dozen plus Golden Crowned Sparrows, a beautiful Killdeer and a single Greater Yellowlegs.  We had a distant look at a Long Tailed Duck – one of the hoped for species and some beautiful Greater Scaup with their iridescent heads colorful in the light.

Killdeer

Greater Yellowlegs

We moved on to Drayton Harbor on our way to Semiahmoo and found fewer ducks than generally seen and nothing of note.  Our fortunes changed at Semiahmoo though – one of my favorite birding spots in Washington.  Here we had both Goldeneyes, Red Breasted and Common Mergansers, the three Cormorant species, and Common and Pacific Loons, the former starting to come into their beautiful breeding plumage.  We also had some nice shorebirds many Black Turnstones, Killdeer, a single Black Oystercatcher and then a large group of  Dunlin and Sanderlings on one of the rafts.

Black Turnstone

Dunlin and Sanderlings

But the treat here was the variety and quality of looks at the sea ducks.  There were many Long Tailed Ducks, mostly females, and two that were in very close.  We had numerous Surf Scoters and some White Winged Scoters as well.  Nice Red Breasted Mergansers and close ups of Barrow’s and Common Goldeneyes. A female Belted Kingfisher provided a beautiful photo op perched on a colorful metal roof.

Long Tailed Duck Female

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye Female

Surf Scoter

Red Breasted Merganser

Belted Kingfisher

As we departed for our lunch stop at the base of the spit we had a Fox Sparrow and at the lunch stop, super views of a Pileated Woodpecker female and a flyover of the male.  A gorgeous Bewick’s Wren serenaded me as I searched for the male Pileated.

Fox Sparrow

Pileated Woodpecker

Bewick’s Wren

We went through the town of Birch Bay and had another Greater Yellowlegs but not many birds and not much of note.  At Birch Bay State Park though we finally got our Black Scoter, a distant view of an Eared Grebe and distant Red Throated Loons in addition to more of many of the birds we saw earlier and more Long Tailed Ducks.  On the way there a large flock of Wigeons included a single Eurasian.  At the Park we had many Brant included three up close one of which had a bright yellow leg band.

Banded Brant

Our final stop was Lake Terrell.  Not real birdy but we had our only Swallows of the day including a huge number of Tree Swallows and at least one Violet Green, my first of the year.  We also added our first Pied Billed Grebe and some Ruddy Ducks.  In the woods, Pacific and Bewick’s Wrens serenaded us and we had a good look at a Brown Creeper.  It was here too that we had our only Ruby Crowned Kinglet of the day…go figure.

Brown Creeper

Pacific Wren

We called it a day and shortly after leaving we found a Kestrel on a wire.  The group is very cordial and shares their expertise, observations and experience. Art and Carlos were great passengers – and Virginia delivered like always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bird and Memory of the Week is the Crested Caracara, Caracara cheriway, a member of the Falcon family and considered a bird of prey but also very much a scavenger. I have seen this species and its cousins in many locations but the spark for the memory was the very rare visitation of this species to Skykomish, Washington from June 15th through July 5th in 2014. The Caracara showed up while I was in Maine and I had no faith that it would still be there when I returned. This would have been a major disappointment as I had never seen one in the state before (the only other state record was in Neah Bay in early 1998). But the bird gods were kind this time and although I missed it on my first attempt to find it and there were thoughts that it had departed.  On Independence Day, July 4th, finally success…better than fireworks for me.

As I have stated before, a big reason for this “feature” in my blog is that each individual memory brings back additional memories and much of this post deals with these. My first Caracara was seen 37 years earlier on a wonderful trip that included great birding in Texas, Florida and Trinidad with friends taking advantage of an incredible offering on the long defunct Eastern Airlines. Eastern had a special that allowed travelers to go anywhere in its route system as long as they did not land in any city twice. As the name suggests, most of their cities were on the East Coast. The one exception was Seattle. The price for this incredible opportunity was $299.00 Round Trip. So we were able to go from Seattle to two different locations in Texas (enabling us to bird several spots in South Texas) and then to Florida and then to Trinidad and then back to Seattle. Ah, the good old days.

Back to the Caracara. We missed it in Texas, but after some really fun birding in the Florida Keys, and before heading to the Dry Tortugas, we visited Kissimmee Prairie Preserve and found our Caracara. We also had Short Tailed and Short Tailed Hawks there – both life birds at the time. My early record keeping was manual only and was on individual checklists from refuges etc. I did keep track of life list additions but otherwise it was primarily those individual lists many of which got lost over the years. Some other “lifers” seen on the Florida part of that remarkable trip were Swallow Tailed and Snail Kites, American Flamingo, Brown Noddy Tern, Masked Booby and many other specialties.

Swallow Tailed Kite

Brown Noddy Tern

So it is very possible that I saw a Caracara again in later Texas trips but as best I know it was not until 2013 that I next recorded this species. First at Laguna Atascosa on April 16th and then again at Aransas the next day. Other great birds at those birding hot spots were Aplomado Falcon, Bronzed Cowbird, Green Jay, Roseate Spoonbill and Scissor Tailed Flycatcher.  Later that year I saw a Caracara at Abra Gavilan in Peru in November. It was identified as a Crested but may have been the very closely related Southern Caracara, which I had seen in 2005 at Iguassu Falls in Brazil.

Crested Caracara at Laguna Atascosa

Bronzed Cowbird at Laguna Atascosa

Aplomado Falcon at Laguna Atascosa

Green Jay at Aransas

Scissor Tailed Flycatcher

Roseate Spoonbill at Aransas

In the intervening years in addition to the Southern Caracara, I had seen Yellow Headed Caracara at Tiskita in Costa Rica, Chimango and Mountain Caracaras in Junin de los Andes, Argentina and Black Caracara also in Brazil. All are very striking birds and were valued observations at the time. These were all bird rich areas: 409 species in Peru; 273 in Brazil, 152 in Costa Rica and 41 in Argentina even though Argentina was primarily a fishing trip and Costa Rica was a family vacation with little birding and Brazil was at most 50/50 birding and other activities. Future posts will likely provide details. But I have included a few photos of birds seen on the trips along with the Caracaras as I did above in the Texas and Florida Caracara sightings.

Hyacinth Macaws – Pantanal, Brazil

Magnificent Spatuletail – Peru

Yellow Headed and Black Caracaras (Pictures by Others)

     

All of that is prelude to the Washington Caracara. All of my other Crested Caracara observations had been in open areas – with little if any forestation and in general the birds were seen scavenging rather than perching or foraging. Often those observations were at distance, but the Washington experience was just the opposite. Skykomish is generally logging country. There are a couple of open areas but mostly lots of trees. One of the open areas was “the Goat Farm” and after looking there and in MANY other areas on both July 3rd and July 4th, it was finally at the Goat Farm, that the Crested Caracara was found.

There were many birders searching for the rarity on both days even though it had been around for more than a week and had already been seen by many. But perhaps because of the terrain, it was not seen every day as I had found out the day before. But on this lucky day we found it perched and on the ground at the Goat Farm but unfortunately that also meant we had to interact with the “Goat Farmer”.

Crested Caracara in Skykomish

Although we were on a public street and never went onto any private property, this sad character was tired of “outsiders” being in his world especially with their cameras and binoculars “spying” on him. Grace and Ollie Oliver were with me when we saw the bird and we were confronted by the farmer (who was with his son and another guy). Cursing and fuming, he got into my face and actually threatened to beat me and then, the coward he was, he changed instead to “getting his boys” to take care of us. His son prevailed and pulled him back – perhaps avoiding an even uglier scene. He had also threatened to “shoot the damn bird” and we worried that he might do it. Fast forward to the sad end of the Northern Hawk Owl at Cassimer Bar a few months ago, and such interactions and threats are all too dangerous.

The Caracara was reported again the following day and then it was gone. Who knows maybe Goat Man indeed did kill the bird…a horrible thought. As with all rarities, there is a fascinating question of “why here” and “why now”. The speculation was that however the Caracara had gotten to Skykomish, it had found many snakes there to eat and when finally it had cleared them all out, it left…if it was not shot that is…

The Bird and Memory of the Week is Ross’s Gull, Rhodostethia rosea, a super rare small gull rarely found out of the Arctic. I believe the Gull was first found at Palmer Lake in far north central Washington by Fish and Wildlife biologists on December 13, 2011 but it did not make it to the public grapevine until December 20th. When I learned of the sighting I immediately posted on Tweeters that I was going to go early the next morning. Three responses came in quickly – Michael Willison, Knut Hansen and _______.

Palmer Lake

We met at the Starbuck’s in Issaquah. Palmer Lake is approximately 280 miles from Seattle. December 21st is the shortest day of the year and there was snow on much of the route. We were all VERY keen on getting to the lake as soon as we could. I acknowledge a love for driving fast, especially when there is a potential treasure trove at the end of the journey, so I asked if anyone had a problem if I went fast. Being focused on the Ross’s Gull possibility, nobody objected. That was all I needed. Snow be damned, we made it to the lake in just about 4 hours…no tickets, no incidents, but I think there was some fear of loss of life along the way and definitely questioning about giving the “Go Sign”.

Snowy Roads – Clear Skies

Palmer Lake and the surrounding country are gorgeous, especially with the snow and especially since it was a bright sunny day. When we arrived in the town of Loomis, we were greeted by a herd of Bighorn Sheep. I see them often on the cliffs along the Yakima River Canyon, but these were up close and personal…impressive animals. There was some confusion as to where the gull might be and when we scanned the Lake from the South, we found some Common Mergansers, some Trumpeter Swans and some Canada Geese but no gulls at all.

Bighorn Sheep

The reason there was no gull was simple – it was tight against the eastern bank feeding on a deer carcass which apparently was the major reason it had remained so long. When we found the carcass, we found the gull – WOWSERS!!! Truly a gorgeous little gull, delicate and dove like with a hint of a dark spot behind the eye and a dark smudge around the eye. A tiny black bill and if the light was just right, a faint rosy pink on the breast. It was not yet even 11:00 a.m.

Ross’s Gull

We watched it for a long while as it pecked at the carcass and then flew off briefly only to return and continue its feast. This was only the second Washington State record and it was a life bird in the State and I believe in the ABA area for all of us. As bad as it feels when there is a chase and a miss, the elation and adrenalin rush when you find a target bird is much greater. Multiply that several fold for this super bird – a bucket list bird for many. It was exhilarating. Other birders arrived and joined the party and some had been there before we arrived. The Ross’s Gull remained for the rest of the week and was seen by many birders from Washington, B.C. and probably elsewhere – probably between 50 and 100 sightings.
We had other birds in the area and on the way home, including two Snowy Owls, but they fade from memory as the Ross’s Gull, as little as it was, remains a giant super fond memory in my birding life.

Snowy Owl (Distant) on Highway 17

Spring was definitely in the air as Steve Pink, Frank Caruso and I headed off early Saturday morning for some birding in Kittitas County with a special effort to find White Winged Crossbills reported for awhile at the Central Washington University Campus in Ellensburg.  The weather was predicted to be warm but with a good chance of precipitation and some wind.  Weatherman was wrong again as we had a mostly sunny, dry and wind free day after early morning fog.

White Winged Crossbill from Okanogan

Our first stop was in Cle Elum where we drove through town (and South Cle Elum) checking feeders and hoping for Evening Grosbeaks and Cassin’s Finches and whatever else.  Not a lot of birds and nothing of note.  We had little trouble finding  4 or 5 Pygmy Nuthatches at their favorite spot at the Northern Pacific Railroad Ponds but no Evening Grosbeaks or Cassin’s Finches and generally pretty quiet even though the fog had broken and we had nice sunshine.  We did however have at least 5 Tree Swallows – first of year for all of us. Also some Mountain Chickadees with their rasping calls.

Pygmy Nuthatch

We made the required stop at the Cle Elum Bakery for coffee and a donut and then returned to I-90 heading to Ellensburg and CWU.  As we got out of the car in the parking lot at the University, we saw a birder with camera intently watching a cone laden tree and we wondered if it was going to be a target quickly found.  Alas Lamont ? did not have Crossbills or anything else of note but he was a great source of info and told us two Seattle area birders (Grace and Ollie) had seen a single White Winged Crossbill earlier up by the Japanese Garden where they had been reported by Walter Szeliga earlier in the week.

As we wove our way through the campus construction projects and to find the  Garden, we heard a call that was “different”.  Steve was the first to suggest Townsend’s Solitaire.  I played the call and the bird came in immediately from a rooftop to a tree within 5 feet of us.  Posed for a few seconds and then left for its unseen rooftop hangout.

Townsend’s Solitaire

We finally arrived at the Garden and found another birder, Woody Wheeler, also intent on more cone laden trees. And now there were Crossbills – lots flitting around – mostly not in the open.  After a few moments, Frank and I independently got quick but fairly good views of a single bird with distinct wing bars – and then it was gone.  We all searched for quite a while longer and never again saw the singleton.  About 90% sure it was our target – especially after learning later that this was the same experience Grace reported.  There were also lots of Red Breasted Nuthatches and Black Capped Chickadees and a few Pine Siskins.  Sadly no photo of the disappearing “probable” WWCB.

Red Crossbill in Thick Cones

Red Breasted Nuthatch

After an hour plus, we gave up and headed East.  Deb and Bill Essman have been great friends and tour guides in the area before so we took a chance and stopped at their home east of Ellensburg not far off the old highway.  Frank and I had a wonderful trip with them up Coleman Canyon last year and any visit is always fun and informative.  Deb was home and we introduced Steve to the “trophy collection”. (They are serious, successful and ethical hunters as well as excellent birders.)  We shared stories, got some tips and then headed off.  BTW many years ago a White Winged Dove was at her place – long gone now LOL!!

Steve with New Friend (Jon Houghton will Recognize this photo)

We headed towards Vantage on the old highway.  We stopped first at a spot where Frank and I had Burrowing Owl last year – but no go – too early still most likely.  Then we birded some spots in the Quilomene.  At the Corral we were treated to several of the Sage/Shrub Steppe specialties although it is still a tad early for some others.    We had killer views of Mountain Bluebird, Sagebrush Sparrow and Say’s Phoebe.  We continued on to Gingko State Park and Recreation Road where we had very few birds including a distant heard only Rock Wren.

Mountain Blue Bird

Sagebrush Sparrow

Say’s Phoebe

It was now getting late so instead of returning for one more try at the White Winged Crossbills we headed down Huntzinger Road to a good spot for Canyon Wren. When we arrived I mistakenly played the Rock Wren song and almost immediately had a Canyon Wren reply and fly in towards us.  This feisty guy almost never shut up afterwards – definitely one of the best songs in the bird world.  He kept coming closer and closer – maybe only 15 feet away – best views ever.  Later returning the favor, we had at least 3 Rock Wrens respond when we played the Canyon Wren song followed by the Rock Wren.  They did not come in close for photos but provided nice views in the downhill mini-canyon.  And then out of nowhere a small falcon zipped through.  We had seen two Kestrels up the road, but this was a very dark Merlin – an unexpected treat.

Canyon Wren

  

So we ended on a high note and headed back to Edmonds.  I will be co-leading an Audubon field trip to the area on March 26 with Jean Olsen.  I hope these birds remain and some of the other special birds will join them and show off for us as well.

 

 

The Bird and Memory of the Week is the Red Legged Kittiwake, Rissa brevirostris, and I only wish that the memory included actually seeing this rarity. BUT…although sadly I did not find it, it serves as another example of why I write these posts – great memories for me and hopefully some enjoyment for others even when a bird is missed. As is usually the case, just in the process of being out in the field – looking for a particular species or just observing the world around us, there is great value and reward.

Red Legged Kittiwake (Photo by Charlie Wright)

On September 8, 2015 Charlie Wright and Linnaea Chapman found a Red Legged Kittiwake at Neah Bay and got Brad Waggoner on it a bit later. Their Ebird report included great photos…wow!  Now one should not need special incentives to go to Neah Bay even though it is quite the jaunt from Edmonds. This is an area that continually produces rarities in addition to many fine “regularities” and some incredible scenery. I am sure there will be many blog posts that involve Neah Bay in the future. But in this case the Red Legged Kittiwake report was a call for immediate action. Remember Rule 1 is “Go now” and Rule 2 is “No whining if you miss a bird because you do not follow Rule 1”. So on September 9, three hopeful birders caught the ferry from Edmonds hoping to find a new life bird.

As is sometimes (too often?) the case, we were a day late. And I guess since we stayed over for a second day, one could say we were also two days late. We searched diligently both days but it was simply not to be found. But after all, this was Neah Bay so likely there would be some consolation prizes and while there was nothing to report on Ebird or Tweeters as a rarity, we had great birds, great birding and a wonderful time – richly rewarded for our time in the field and together. Just in Neah Bay itself we had almost 70 species including Black Legged Kittiwake, Stilt Sandpiper, Sooty Grouse, Peregrine Falcon, Vaux’s Swift, Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Red Crossbill, Black Oystercatcher, Northern Pygmy Owl, Sooty Shearwater and Lapland Longspur. Neah Bay is also the only place where I succumb to the lister’s temptation to include Northwestern Crow (although I am a doubter) so that was added as well. That’s a great list for me any day.

Black Legged Kittiwake

We were of course really excited when we saw the Black Legged Kittiwake exactly where the Red Legged had been reported the day before. Just could not get those legs to change color for us. Still a gorgeous bird. And not far off we had Red Throated and Common Loons, all three Washington Cormorants, and some Sooty Shearwaters. Our first visit here produced Black Oystercatchers, and Least and Western Sandpipers as our only shorebirds.

Red Throated Loon

After many hours at the harbor area, we hit the Wa’atch Valley and picked up the Northern Pygmy Owl, some Band Tailed Pigeons and our Peregrine. The next morning we got an early start at the harbor again. Now there were two Kittiwakes but sadly both had those darn black legs…sigh. So we consoled ourselves with a nice array of shorebirds – numerous Oystercatchers, Stilt and Spotted Sandpipers, a Whimbrel, a Marbled Godwit, Killdeer, Sanderling and Black Turnstones. We also found the Lapland Longspur that Charlie et al had reported on the 8^th.

 

Black Oystercatchers

Whimbrel

Marbled Godwit

It was time for a change of scenery. There was a lot of fog along the Wa’atch so we headed for high ground and went up Bahokas Mountain/Peak, an area I had visited only once before. Again we had some nice birds and truly some incredible scenery. This is becoming a famous hawk watching spot and I hope to return for that this year, hopefully catching some of the Broad Winged Hawks that were reported in 2015 migration.

I rank grouse almost as highly as owls as favorite finds and we were treated to a very nice Sooty Grouse. I have never seen one that looks like the one we found with its eye completely surrounded by a yellow-orange patch – but not raised as in display.

Sooty Grouse

      

We also had a large number of Vaux’s Swifts, some Hutton’s Vireos, Red Crossbills and more Townsend’s Warblers than I have ever seen – 18. A Swainson’s Thrush was still singing and we also found a Warbling Vireo. But the highlight was the “light”. We had beautiful views of the fog in the Valley, the islands in the Pacific and a picture of Nathaniel in the forest broken light that I will just call “Enlightenment”.

Scenery

Enlightenment – Nathaniel “Sees the Light”

We looked again in vain one more time for the Red Legged Kittiwake – no go – but a very wonderful trip.  I am headed to Alaska this June with John Puschock and hope to see a Kittiwake with those bright red legs then.

The Bird and Memory of the Week is the Magnolia Warbler, Setophaga magnolia. Thanks to our digital world and good friends in the Washington Birding Community, on June 5, 2013 I got to see one in Washington State where they are quite rare. This is a perfect example of why I have chosen to include a “Memory” in this blog each week. It recalls great birds, great people, great places and great times.

On June 4 2013, George Pagos and I set off on a whirlwind trip to Eastern Washington. Jon Isacoff, an extraordinary birder in the Spokane area had agreed to meet us for a tour de force of Calispell Lake, a beautiful and very birdy area in Pend Oreille County on June 5. The area is home to a number of specialty birds and has become one of my favorite Washington birding locations. We left early on the morning of the 4^th with some planned stops before a night in Spokane and then another early start for our trip with Jon.

We had a long list of possible birds and a good number of target species but Magnolia Warbler was certainly not included. I first saw a Magnolia Warbler on May 9, 1975 at the Pocomoke River State Park in Maryland. I was on a field trip as part of the Maryland Ornithological Union Convention. It was led by the legendary Chan Robbins – an extraordinary birder and co-author of my first Birding Guide Book – Birds of North America – part of the Golden Field Guide series. In Maryland, Magnolia Warblers are a dime a dozen and on that extraordinary day, it was merely one of the 20 warbler species seen. In all we observed more than 135 species – many of them life birds for me as a beginning birder. I am sure that trip will have a blog post of its own someday.

Chan Robbins and Birds of North America (my first guidebook)

 

 

 

 

 

I had also seen Magnolia Warblers on April 25, 1978 on one of those heaven sent “fallout” days on High Island in Texas where migrating birds exhausted from their flights across the Gulf of Mexico literally fall to the ground at first opportunity – this day right in front of three of us. I no longer have the official list but recall that we had more than 25 warbler species that day. I would never have guessed that another 35 years would pass until I next saw this species – and certainly would never have expected it to be in Washington. Back to our trip…

George and I first stopped at Recreation Road near Vantage, historically a good spot for a Black Throated Sparrow. We were on the trail before 8:00 a.m. and were rewarded with close-ups of this beautiful bird, and among other species we also had Bullock’s Oriole and Rock Wren. A great start to the day. Unfortunately in the last couple of years Black Throated Sparrow sightings here have been few if any – a great loss.

Black Throated Sparrow – Recreation Road

We saw birds along the way, but our next official stops were Potholes State Park in Grant county and then Palouse Falls State Park in Franklin County. Our best birds in these locations were Forster’s Tern, Golden Eagle and Grasshopper Sparrow. We continued to Crooked Knee Lake and Sheep Lake in Whitman County where we found our targeted Black Tern (which proved to be easy elsewhere later). We ended the day at North Forker Road in Spokane County where we missed Clay Colored Sparrow but had a good look at our first Black Chinned Hummingbird.

Early the next morning we atoned for our Clay Colored Sparrow miss finding 2 in a grassland at West Medical Lake and then 2 more on South Stroup Road also in Spokane County. In both places they were accompanied by Vesper and Savannah Sparrows.

Clay Colored Sparrow

We pushed on to Pend Oreille and we met Jon Isaacoff near Calispell Lake. It was a picture perfect day and Jon was an extraordinary guide. I am not going to go into each location around the lake in detail – read the Guide to Bird Finding in Washington section on the area – or better yet find a trip with Spokane Valley Audubon or WOS and just go. The birds are wonderful, the scenery great and you will want to return many times. In three hours with Jon (including the time we were stuck behind a large bull on the road that did not want to give ground and we did not want to further arouse and possibly suffer major car damage), we tallied 76 species including several that this area is famous for: Bobolink, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart, and Red-Eyed Vireo.

Calispell Lake

Bobolink – Calispell Lake

Northern Waterthrush – Calispell Lake

 

American Redstart – Calispell Lake

Red-Eyed Vireo – Calispell Lake

Other good birds included more Black Terns, Virginia Rail, Sora, Redhead, Black Chinned, Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds, Red Naped Sapsucker, Cassin’s and Warbling Vireo, Pygmy Nuthatch and Ruffed Grouse. A wonderful place and day. Many many thanks to Jon.

It is a long drive back to Seattle and we wanted to make it home that evening. We made a quick stop at Reardan Ponds and then headed west. Somewhere along Interstate 90 I checked my email and found that Mike Clarke and Kevin Black had found a Magnolia Warbler at the Ranger Station at Ginkgo State Park. We had wonderful birds that day but a Magnolia Warbler would be a new State bird for both George and me and we were headed that way. To repeat something I am sure I have said earlier and will repeat often, “Just get out into the field and you never know what might happen.” Or said another way, “If you are not out in the field, nothing will happen.”

I had Mike’s cell number and gave it a try. Not only did he answer, he was still at the Ranger Station looking at the warbler. We were an hour away (“Officer, I swear there were no speed limit signs”). I hoped for detailed information and then a chance it would stay and we would find it. But Mike and Kevin are as good as it gets both as people and as birders and they said – “We will wait for you.” And they did. We arrived around 6:45 p.m. and joined them at the Ranger residence. Thankfully in June the days are long and even by 7:00 p.m. there was still plenty of light. The warbler had not left but was currently buried in a thick bush below and not visible. While we waited for it to make an encore appearance in the open, we were treated to a super view of a Common Nighthawk – roosting on a branch a few feet away.

Common Nighthawk

We could see fluttering below but the bird would not emerge. Finally after maybe 20 minutes we got a sufficient view for a sure ID and a photo. Mine (on left) was terrible. George who is an excellent photographer got a much better one (right).

We also had a Lark Sparrow and a Wilson’s Warbler there. All told we had nine different sparrow species and nine different warbler species for the trip – not bad in Washington.  The Magnolia Warbler was species number 107 for our trip. It was also my 296^th species in Washington for that year and and my 376^th Washington State Life Bird. And it was gorgeous…And how appropriate that it was within a couple of miles where we had found the Black Throated Sparrow the previous morning.

This was definitely a day when I got all three of the great possibilities when birding … great people (Jon, Mike, Kevin and of course George), great places (many) and great birds – again many but especially the Magnolia Warbler.

Fast forward to June 2015. I was in Maine on a birding trip described in a previous blog. Now Magnolia Warblers were commonplace. I saw 20 during the several days in Maine. Still never got a really great photo but now at least I had one of my own where you could see the head not buried in a thick bush.

Magnolia Warbler – Baxter State Park – Maine