This is intended as a way to let us stay more in touch through this time with less opportunity to get together in person. I encourage everyone who wishes to share their best bird sighting/find of the past week in the comments section below. All you need to do is click on the little Talk bubble symbol beside the title, leave your comment, and I’ll review for spam and it will be live. I believe once I’ve approved one of your comments, the rest will get up without my manual approval. Sorry about the delay in approving some of the comments. I got busy birding!
Last week in comments grosbeaks ruled, with both Evening and Black-headed Grosbeaks getting multiple votes.
This week as another great week of migration. Ken and I got east of the Cascades Friday and Saturday, and it’s hard to say which of the 26 FOY birds was my best. I guess I’ll go with the calling Flammulated Owl that was calling at the same time as a Western Screech Owl and Common Poorwills up Dry Creek Rd out of Wenas Creek Campground Friday night.
You can read about our trip here: http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2020/05/18/ken-and-ed-get-east-may-15-16-2020/
You will also find a link to the latest Bird Banter Podcast episode with Nate Swick of the ABA there too so you will be entertained while you drive to your next birding stop.
Good birding.
Ed
Marbled Murrelet topped my week, at Potlatch s.p. great day in Mason co. Went chasing: Western Meadowlark, Yellow-breasted Chat and Lazuli Bunting too. Great day!
You are rocking Mason. Dual County Birding is working for you.
Just yard birds right now, but my big fat quince bush is still my best hummingbird feeder even now that it has leafed out, leaving all the blossoms buried deep. The female Anna’s just zoomed in between leaves and disappeared. I thought she must have escaped after a few minutes, but then she came out and perched, too sated to fly off, with a tiny drop of nectar or dew on the end of her bill, looking quite smug.
Also just had my first fledglings of the season, Juncos of course.
Amazing birds those Anna’s Hummingbirds. The young are already at my feeders.
This sighting rose to the top for me this week as this interaction was something that I have never experienced before!
At my feeders I have a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds that stop by every morning (probably from nearby Theler) between 7:45-8:30. A few days ago, I also had a very unwelcome Brown-headed Cowbird at the same time. He perched on a nearby conifer overlooking the feeders and the male Red-wing flew right at him, chasing him off. But what was most amazing was the sound that he made! It was a raspy hissing. I have never heard a blackbird make a sound anything like this previously, and wasn’t sure that I even heard it right at first. But the Evil Cowbird returned, and perched a little further off. The male Red-wing took out after him again making this same hissing sound, chasing him off into the far distance until I could see neither of them. I have not seen a Cowbird in my yard since.
I interpret the hissing sound as “Get the #*#^!@(*& away from here. Ed
Canada Jays at Beaver Creek trailhead off the #8 road Elbe Hills.
Way cool. Not on my year list yet. Ed
Been seeing Spotted Sandpipers a-bobbing along the shores of lake Pen d’Oreille here in Bonner County. By no means a rarity here in the summer, but delightful and cheery to watch as they hunt.
I just saw a pair on the Puyallup River today. They are so spectacular in their spotted summer plumage. Thanks for the comment. Ed
Migrating Franklins Gulls have been a treat! Finally saw my first county Franklin Franklin’s at Scooteney but the best site seems to be the Walla Walla River Delta where loads of WF Ibis remain!
Cool. Charlie Wright spotted one off Point Ruston, and several of us got our FOY FRGU there this week too. Thanks for the comment. Ed
FRGUs are so good looking in breeding plumage, but it’s hard to imagine them beating out White-faced Ibis! You really chanced into a bird beauty contest there!
Where did you get the Ibis? Ed
BUOR are one of the relatively common birds in Pierce that I always seem to struggle to find each year. Glad to hear it’s not just Pierce, in a perverse sort of way glad. Good find. Thanks for commenting and sharing.
Two Bullock’s Orioles at Theler Wetlands — they are a challenge to find in Mason County.
https://ebird.org/pnw/checklist/S69113377
I am going with the same species as last week, a Yellow Breasted Chat…but this one was at Spencer Island … a Snohomish County Lifer!! Second place goes to the Lazuli Buntings at Foster Slough Road … stuck around so I could show Cindy as well…brownie points.
County birding has the excitement of another set of lifers in each county. 39x the joy.
Thank you for starting out with my favorite bird, Ed!!
American goldfinch! I was minding my own business working from home when I saw the bright yellow catch my eye as it darted amongst the branches of a cedar tree outside my window on the forest edge. I did not get a picture, but I did smile and pause to watch the few seconds before it continued north across my neighbors’ backyards. Summer is not far away.
You have to love the joy of seeing these guys. Their yellow, black and white (males) is a joy.
My pleasure.