Birder PapaRrazi
An Amateur Birdwatcher's tally
An eagle Juvenile seagull chestnut back chickadee I A seagull, an eagle, a chestnut back chickadee mixed in with golden crowned kinglets
all spotted in less than a minute. There is no way to explain our joy. Here's the tale of a quiet Sunday morning of birdwatching. Picture it. This was a driving birdwatching experience with my sister, Sarah, and two dogs, named Katie and Maggie. Yes, it was a Sunday, which began foggy around eight a.m. But the sun was trying fiercely to break through and start the day. We drove through a valley area so that bright ball of fire did not penetrate until we turned into the park. Along the way we saw a lot of our regular culprits. Crows and seagulls, starlings, and sparrows delighted our eyes. Somehow, they never get boring. Their energy and beauty stay fresh in my eyes. They also emanate cuteness to the max. Because it had been raining quite a bit in King County, WA, ducks, and Canada geese dotted the fields and the ponds that filled them. Today we only saw mallard ducks. Cheerful creatures, mallards are. We never know what to expect at Flaming Geyser Park, so we all perked up and rolled down our windows. Katie and Maggie each stuck their heads out the window as far as they could. Of course, we seatbelt them into their car beds. Otherwise, Katie would dangle herself completely out of the window. She loves the wind in her ears and fur. She loves the freedom. The tour continued down the road. To the left is a raging Green River. On the right are meadows, hills, and then a marsh area. The water in it is still. Right now, it’s also empty. This is a grand place for red wing blackbirds and kingfishers. Only a Berwick wren showed up on this trip. At the end of the road is a circle so that we can turn. Its good because the sun has broken through and now it is at our backs. The marsh on the left and is still empty of birds as far as we can tell. The rocky beach on our right is also... "Wait" I called out. "Back up" I pleaded. Sarah is used to this request and checks to make sure there was no incoming traffic before backing. I pointed. "Is that a duck?" In the back seat the dogs were back at their windows. Sarah pulled out binoculars, but I prefer to use the zoom on my camera. "No, that is a seagull, probably a juvenile, with a black beak." He was wading at the edge of the river. Well, we had already seen a seagull and we don't usually try to identify the juveniles. There are clues – the black beak and the color of the legs can help. We didn’t bother, though. It's just too confusing. But I had never seen one there before, so I was pleased. But I wish I had gotten a better photo! We turned the bend. "Whoa." We both saw it at once. An eagle, a bald eagle. Something about raptor birds take my breath away. This was no exception. We had passed him and couldn't back around the corner so we went up to turn around. On the way, we passed another car with dogs. Katie and Maggie enjoyed their communications for a few moments, trading greetings and who knows what else. The other dogs were german shepherds, beautiful big dogs with pretty eyes. Katie is a tiny girl because she is part chihuahua, but she loves big dogs. Maggie prefers human attention. Both cars slowly passed so that the dogs could do their thing. "What's up there?" Sarah asked. I peered up. "I can see fluttering, but those are tiny birds, and they are on the move." In other words, I didn't know. We went a few feet, turned around and returned. We puzzled for a few moments over the little birds. "A chestnut backed chickadee." I announced, as I snapped his picture. "With golden crowned kinglets." Sarah responded. I could see the little kinglets, but never managed to get a picture. To my knowledge, the kinglet is a bird I've never snapped. They're just too small and too fast. I leaned forward to focus on the big bird - the eagle. He perched on an upstanding log hanging out over the water. He wasn't in a rush but was interested in his surroundings. For a full five minutes we admired him. Luckily no one came along who needed to get by! We should have a bumper sticker – “I brake for birds”. But on a quiet Sunday we had the time to gawk. I took a ton of pictures with the hope of getting at least one good photo. Then we turned around and left the park. Four different birds in a quick space of time. It doesn’t always happen that way. This November day will make us pause at that spot every time we visit Flaming Geyser Park! In case you’re interested, here are tips for identifying gulls. They work better with adults but at least you can use them to narrow down the field. I get my information on gull identification from a variety of sources, including Identification of Pacific Northwest Gulls · University of Puget Sound. That site even has a checklist! Look for these details. In King County, WA, 3 of the four most common gulls have dark gray mantles. Check the mantle first. If it’s dark gray, check the size. If the mantle is light gray skip to next step. Small – about 16 inches – with yellow legs and beak – Mew Gull Medium – about 21 inches – with green yellow legs – California Gull Large – about 26 inches with pink legs – Glaucus Winged Gull Light gray mantle – yellow legs, black tipped beak – ring billed gull. So, check for: Size Color of mantle Color of beak Color of legs Wingspan, if possible Sometimes, I cheat. If I can get a good picture with my cell phone, Google Lens will identify my gull. This works with other things, as well. I’ve discovered birds, trees, plants, and more with Google Lens. Technology has its good uses. Happy birding in November in Washington State!
0 Comments
|
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 |
Proudly powered by Weebly