Birder PapaRrazi
An Amateur Birdwatcher's tally
Hot. Dry. But not too different. These words describe this month’s birding for me. This has been one of the hottest years on record for us here in the northwest. It’s dried things up, like big ponds across the field, streams, marshes, and more. Big water birds are scarce. This is a sad event for me. Big birds are easier to photograph. I have not seen a single Canada goose on land this month. There have been a few small flocks in the air. I have only seen 2 ducks on water this month – a mallard and a merganser. I have seen a few flying, presumably toward water sources. I have not seen a blue heron at all. About three seagulls have appeared in the last month. For raptor birds, we saw a pair of eagles hanging out over a river, a couple of hawks in flight, and one in a tree. At least one of the hawks was a red tail. I’m not sure about the others. Smaller birds ruled. I told you last month that we had found a small area set aside as a habitat – wooded, marshy, and perfect for birds. In that area I saw western peewees for the first time ever. They are small, and quick, and I didn’t get photos. There were cedar waxwings, house finches, goldfinches, humming birds and robins. My Birdnet ap also picked up common yellow throats, but I didn’t actually see them. There is nothing like turning into your driveway to witness a pair of hummingbirds going along your rose bushes. I had that happen several times this month. I was afraid the heat would be too much for those little birds. But they seem to hold their own. Beside food I do also provide water. House finches, house sparrows, chickadees, juncos, starlings, and scrub jays also stayed in my yard for the month. After viewing the lazuli bunting last month I didn’t think I’d be so lucky this month. But they appeared twice – in different parts of the county! I was awed. With the heat and dry weather I really don’t expect much in the month of July for birding. Yet, today I went out hopeful anyway. I saw some chickadees and some juncos. A dove. At my next birding spot I saw nothing – exactly what I expected. I almost didn’t go to my third planned viewing place. But it was along my way so I did. This is where the bunting has been hanging out. He wasn’t there. I’ve seen goldfinches and also common yellow throats. They were silent and hidden today. A flock of swallows swooped over a field with cows in it. Then I heard him. I looked up in a tree at the very end of the road, overlooking a very thin river. He cried again, sounding like a baby. Some of the swallows were shoving him out of “their” tree. He was a red tailed hawk, handsome and unhappy. He left soon. The swallows wouldn’t leave him alone, with good cause. But I was glad to see him. Check out my birding gallery for a very few birds of July.
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The case of the misnamed bird. “Remember when we saw the lapis lazuli here that summer?” My sister sounded wistful on one of our recent drive by birding tours. We had seen one before in the area many years ago. Since we had seen one, we had always been on the lookout for another one. We’re just like that: wishful thinkers. If a bunch of ducks are on a pond once we always hope to find a lot of water birds on that pond. If an eagle perches in a tree we always look up hopefully into that same tree as we pass by. The first clue that he was in the neighborhood came from Birdnet, an application on my cell phone that works through Cornell to identify birds by their sounds. It's still a very new program , a beta, but we were surprised to see that identification. Surprised and very excited. He never showed up on that trip so we assumed the program had made an error. But we were still hopeful. “I can't quite remember what they look like.” my sister said. Since we were pulled over to the side of the road, I handed her the bird book to look it up. The bird was not listed in the index. He was not in the finches, where I guessed he could have been. We were confused. “Why is the lapis Lazuli not in the bird book ?” we knew he existed. We had seen one before. Over June we continued to visit that area, always hunting for this bird, along with common yellowthroats and goldfinches. Meanwhile, I searched several references for a picture. Finally, I googled it on my phone, “Huh?” My voice request brought up multiple pictures of rocks and stones. A flash of understanding turned into a theory. We had been saying the wrong term. A lapis lazuli is a gemstone, not a bird. What we were looking for was a lazuli bunting. I found the picture in my standard bird book. On our next jaunt we saw the real thing. Saw him, heard him. Got photos of him. It was good. Take a gander on my birding gallery for some of the pictures. The moral of the story? Don’t give up. And don’t assume you know what you’re looking for or at. A name can be misleading. Other sightings in King County this month: sparrows, finches, herons, hawks, killdeer, mallards, mergansers, kingfishers, juncos, swallows, red wing blackbirds, cedar waxwings, and scrub jays. Check out my bird gallery for pics! |
AuthorI love birdwatching. It's relaxing and fun. Even though I've been birding for over 10 years I classify myself as an amateur birder. I plan to write a blog each month about my experiences. Hope you enjoy them! Categories |
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