Observations of the passing seasons |
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rob@whiterabbits.com
2003
- July - May - April - March - February - January - Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge visit, March 2001 
- Insiders' Guide to the Olympic Peninsula - Creeping with Utah Nature Study Society - Tidepool - Association for the Study of Literature and Environment 
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Natalie and I made our last research trip for Birding Washington yesterday, venturing north in the unusual 80-plus degree heat to explore the trails at Marymoor Park in Redmond - one of a series of urban birding sites we are including the in book. Along the two-miles or so that we walked along the Sammamish River, to the shores of Lake Sammamish, and back to our parking area near the large off-leash dog area in the park, we managed to see a couple dozen bird species and to spy some huge mushrooms, including the one in the shot above, nestled in the shaded areas of the natural area at the far end of the park. Our visit to the park started with a sighting of what I think was an immature Red-tailed Hawk. It was a large, very white hawk seen from the underside only, and although it didn't have a belly band, it wasn't mottled enough to be an out-of-place Rough-legged Hawk and it didn't seem lanky enough to be an immature Bald Eagle. Of course, it helped that I had just seen a couple of Bald Eagles, including an immature bird, flying low and fast over us as we left the Proctor area of Tacoma on our way to Marymoor Park. It is always a treat to see Bald Eagles in the north end of Tacoma, but the mature Bald Eagle we saw today was magnificent, flying low, fast, and with a purpose as it cruised past the Starbucks shop in N. 26th and Proctor. A few moments later an immature Bald Eagle flew past in pursuit of the mature eagle. Our last birds of the day were pretty common - a pair of White-crowned Sparrows seen as we walked out of the interpretive trail area at Marymoor and back into the off-leash dog area. A dog owner asked if we had seen the Sharp-shinned Hawk that was sitting on a fence post nearby just a few minutes earlier. We think so. Natalie saw it a few yards away earlier in the walk, near the river. I was shocked to see as many species as we did today, with hundreds of dogs running wild in the off-leash area and lots of people milling around in the middle of an unusually hot end of September day. It just goes to show that it can pay off to watch birds anywhere, any time, despite your preconceived expectations... 
I can't think of a better way to mark the fall equinox than by leading a nature walk. Although I only led two people through familiar territory in Puget Gulch this afternoon, it was a great way to spend two hours. After walking down the hill from home, birding along the way, I met the Mayers at the base of Puget Gulch for our walk and talk, and by the time our walk ended I was happy with the results. We didn't see many bird species, but the species we did see were winners - a female Downy Woodpecker hammering away inside a cavity it was carving in a dead tree branch, and a few minutes earlier a Merlin silently hunting in the gulch after our presence startled it. We were able to take looks at both birds through the spotting scope, but I wasn't able to take any photos. Back at home, more sure signs of fall were in the yard this morning as a White-crowned Sparrow was joined by two Gold-crowned Sparrows - the first I have seen since spring. It may be sunny, and the fall sunsets like the one above are grand, but fall is here. Ready or not! |