Birder PapaRrazi
An Amateur Birdwatcher's tally
Perhaps the best thing about the end of the year is the coming new year. It gives new perspectives and hope for a future. Here in King County, Washington, this fresh opportunity is greatly looked forward to. Bird watching has been a bright spot this year for me, and I look forward to a new year.
In December, 2020, darkness and rain clouds hung around. But in my yard gold finches, house finches, house sparrows, white crowned sparrows, juncos, a towee, chickadees, starlings, scrub jays and a pair of humming birds provided beauty in their appearances and songs. Even a few crows joined in. I put out varieties of food and suet and just watched from my window as I drearily worked. The work became a little less cumbersome as I smiled at my entertainment outside. My weekly trips birding took me to Flaming Geyser state park several times, where I saw swans, kingfishers and blue herons. I take turns walking Katie and Maggie, my dogs, on these jaunts. They enjoy sniffing and rolling and meeting other dogs and people. They don’t enjoy stopping for photos. Katie will sometimes notice bigger birds such as crows and robins. She doesn’t chase them, but she will try to race them if they hop around. It’s clear that her goal is to get ahead of them, and they don’t appear alarmed when she does this so I don’t fuss. Maggie ignores the birds. They’re not worthy of her notice. I also like to take the girls riding in a semi rural area of my city of Auburn, WA. On one of these drives we saw a common egret, which is not a common sighting for me. I believe I have only seen 1 egret before. We also saw 5 bald eagles in 1 trip! Two were in one tree, probably mates. The others were solitary. It is not uncommon to see 5 hawks in a ride, but it is unusual to see so many eagles. While I tried to take a picture of a kestrel, of which I have never gotten a good photo, a second kestrel flew in and settled beside him. Mates? They looked like it. I put 2 pictures on my gallery board. Take a glance. Mallards, mergansers, pintails, wigeons, northern shovelers and a wood duck were all massed on swamps and marshes. Canada Geese mixed with them as well as swans. I also saw killdeer and plovers on my birding expeditions. Pigeons and Seagulls graced the light poles and bridges of the city. This month I counted over 20 species of bird. Over 10 of those were in my own yard. Only one was uncommon for me. Their liveliness and cuteness cheered a dull, grey month. Now we face a new year. May it be bright and beautiful for you, and I hope you see a lot of birds.
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November in King County, WA is wet and chilly. This year was no exception. Lots of ducks, geese, some raptor birds and swans all joined us here. Blue herons were plentiful, and we saw a few kingfishers. Fog fills the mornings after the sun has begun to rise. We don’t get to go birding in the evenings anymore – it’s too dark.
But my yard was host to all day celebrations as hummers, sparrow (house and white crowned), chickadees (black capped and chestnut backed), scrub jays, juncos, finches (house and American), a towee and more feasted and partied. My party was inside, as I watched through the window. I had to work, after all. Someone has to pay for the food, suet and sugar water. I had companions inside – my cats chirped excitedly as the birds landed in our overgrown (over 6-foot-tall) Camilla bush. They aren’t allowed out. I haven’t taught them to walk on a leash and I refuse to be irresponsible and let them out to get hit by a car or attacked or lost. My dogs walk in the park with me on weekends. Maggie enjoys following smells. One day she might find what she’s sniffing for. Whose to say? Katie likes attention – from other park visitors and their dogs. Neither like to stop and look at birds or worse, take photos. But they’re the best dog companions I could ever hope for. Maggie is good on a trail. Katie likes crossing the meadows. They provide more opportunities than I can imagine for bird watching, though that is not their goal. |
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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