Birder PapaRrazi
An Amateur Birdwatcher's tally
Hot. Dry. A little dismal. That describes August for birdwatching in King County this year. But as usual there were some good moments. Mostly in my yard. Sparrows, scrub jays, starlings, chickadees, and juncos predominated. A hummer flitted through sometimes. I heard the Canadas flying in toward the rivers.
Ah, yes. The Canada geese are back. That makes me happy. I miss them when they go. A few ducks have also returned, though not many. So far, I have only counted mallards and wood ducks. With the heat the marshes and wetlands have dried up. So, my yard and the sidewalks have been the best venues for me to watch birds this month. I got to visit the beach, at Long Shores, WA. It was not a birding visit per se. But there were lots of gulls, especially at sunrise. A lot of people struggle with identifying the little brown birds. My issue is with gulls. Without a cheat sheet or book nearby, I am out of luck beyond “seagull.” This may be my shortest blog yet. But September is coming. Rains will begin again, and the water birds will return. I look forward to it. In the meantime, I delight in my side and back yards.
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Birdwatching in the month of July 2020 was like the month itself. Hot, a little annoying, a little disappointing were all good descriptions. After last months’ wars in my yard have the birds have settled down. Sparrows, juncos, and chickadees all returned. I was glad to see them. The starlings didn't come as often, though they do enjoy the suet. The scrub jays only yell a few times a day now. A hummer has been visiting, so I've been extra careful with the hummingbird feeders. That includes cleaning them, which is not my favorite thing. Ants are among the annoying part of this season. The geese have gone, and I think so have the Sapsuckers. Starlings, Red Wings, and swallows remain, but there aren’t as many. They all seem to be gathering. Possibly they are preparing to migrate. We have seen house finches, goldfinches, and common yellowthroats, but not as many as we'd like to. Also, we haven't seen many raptor birds. One lone eagle posed for me in July. Blue herons have done guest appearances in our travels. In our weekend escapades we have only seen ducks once. Our trips have been quiet. The dogs still enjoy getting out though. We are always hopeful that we will get some good sightings, so we always head out with enthusiasm. But July was a bit disappointing. One jaunt didn’t produce even a single crow! I am happy that our yard still teems with birds. I’m an optimist. I believe August will be better for birding in King County, WA than July was. I look forward to sharing my finds. |
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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