Return of the Sandhill Cranes

March has been a wild ride, definitely entering as a lion and now leaving as a lamb. This past week I had the opportunity to be in West Richland, WA and tour a large wetland complex managed for migratory waterfowl and associated species. This time of year there is a large, and increasing, concentration of migrating Sandhill Cranes.

Historically these birds have been relatively uncommon in the area. But in recent years, with improved wetland management on this nearly 2,000 acre wetland complex, the numbers have exploded. Attracted to the seclusion of the protected site, and the remnants of corn food plots, the cranes have actually changed their migration pattern to make this site a main stopover on their way to the far north. Their raucous calls are truly strange and engaging.

I was able to capture a few shots of these magnificent birds, as well some other great looks at migrating birds. A unique find was a leucistic mallard hen - not albino, but lacking most pigments in her feathers.

Sandhill Crane in flight

Mallard pair in flight

Northern Pintail drake

Leucistic Mallard hen - sorry it's a little blurry, it was a loooong way off

Sandhill Crane-likely juvenile

Sandhill Cranes in flight

Congregation of Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes preparing to land

Sandhill Cranes pulling up to land

Tundra Swan

Spring can be overwhelming in the variety and numbers of birds suddenly appearing, and then moving on. Have your binoculars and camera with you at all times! You'll be surprised at much better you become as a birder!

                                  - Hawkeye

Duck, Duck...and Goose!

The snow and ice are finally giving way to shallow pools of open water. Green shoots are emerging from frigid soil. And the ducks and geese are on the move! Several new arrival include the Northern Pintail and the Green-winged Teal. These birds are augmenting increasing numbers of Mallard, American Wigeon and Ring-necked Duck that have overwintered in our area.

Here's a few shots from today's birding.

                    American Wigeon - beautiful drake

                 Canada Geese

             Green-winged Teal - probably wondering why he's standing in snow this late in March

            Northern Pintail - on their way north to Alberta or Alaska

              Ring-necked Duck


Today's outing found these feathered adventurer's feeding and loafing on fields that ranged from  snow cover to mud! The day also featured several great views of birds other than waterfowl. Soaring Bald Eagles, Red-tailed hawks, and a Say's Phoebe.

                          Bald Eagle

                          Pair of Red-Tailed hawks ('Rufous morph" on the right is a race known as                                       "Harlan's Red-tailed hawk)

                            Say's Phoebe - usually the first Tyrant flycatcher to return each spring

The spring migration is heating up. Get out there are see what's new today. If you don't you might miss your one chance this year to see certain species. Be on the look out for Tundra Swans, especially. They are here early and gone very quickly.

Good Birding -        Hawkeye

Birding is sometimes...hard to...Swallow

(...grooooan.....) Horrible pun. Sorry. But more sightings of swallows are being posted daily. They're moving north and have already hit Spokane and the south end of Pend Oreille County. Most sightings have been for Violet-green swallows, with at least one sighting of Tree swallows. Swallows are pretty much exclusively flying insect eaters so that means there must but early hatches of some insect species to feed on. The recent warm weather is sure to bring on more hatches.

Swallows move so fast, and make so many quick turns, it's sometimes hard to make clear identifications. The Violet-green_Swallow is very common in Northeast Washington. Their metallic green backs and iridescent purple rumps are good field marks to identify this swift flyer.  Males have a white "cheek patch" that helps distinguish them from females and juveniles.

Violet-green Swallow, male (courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology)


Our other early arrival swallow is the Tree_Swallow. Their steely blue-green feathers flash in the sunlight. Males have a narrow blackish eye mask that serve as a good field mark. They lack the white cheek patch of the Violet-green male swallows.
 
Tree Swallow, male (courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

As the spring progresses look for other swallows to breed in our area. Look for the Northern_Rough-winged_Swallow near rivers and streams. Barn_Swallows favor fields and grassy areas for finding insects and, of course, barns and other buildings to build nests. The Cliff_Swallow is found near lakes and ponds and builds crazy nest colonies on bridges and rock ledges (and cliffs!) nearly always at the juncture between vertical walls and horizontal ledges.

Check out the All About Birds website for more details on these swallow species (and more), including little known fun facts.

Get out there and enjoy the first days of spring and welcome the new arrivals

             -Hawkeye

It's In Between Time

I've noticed that there are a couple of times each year that are "in between" for birding. I think right now is the first "in between" period (the second "in between" is late summer and early fall, before the main migrations south are underway).

Winter is ebbing and spring is rising. Birds that used to be found in predictable concentration areas are now dispersing. It seems they have disappeared overnight, But careful listening will tell you they are certainly present and now in a different  mode.

Listen at sunrise and you will hear the early stages of the "Dawn Chorus". Many birds that overwintered in the area are now clearing their throats after a quiet winter and are now singing their hearts out, letting everyone know they are here. Songs let other members of the species know that a healthy male is trying to claim the best territories and best mates. As spring progresses, and day lengths rapidly increase, more species and total numbers of birds will arrive. The simple Dawn Chorus of March soon becomes the beautiful cacophony of April and May. The volume and variety of songs is bewildering and spell binding.

Wouldn't it be nice to know when to expect certain bird species in our area? Well, you can! The eBird science page has some very interesting options for learning about bird behavior and biology. One of these shows the migration pattern of the Rufous hummingbird as it travels north from Central America, through Mexico and California,  into the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska for breeding. Notice the return trip south. Many of these these little dynamos follow the Rocky Mountains gleaning every last insect and drop of flower nectar to get them to their wintering grounds.

                           Rufous hummingbird - male

                                 (photo by S. Follett, courtesy of the Macauley Library)

So, keep your ears open and listen for the arrival of spring through the Dawn Chorus of the birds!

                      - Hawkeye

"Yellow " House Finches?...and Christmas is only 291 days away

If you keep a bird feeder well stocked during the winter in Northeast Washington you will very likely have several House finches as regular guests at your table. These birds are well adapted to being around human presence and thus have gained the moniker "House" finch. The males are generally easily identified with their raspberry red head and breast. Females remain brownish with narrow dark stripes along their flanks and chest, but no appreciable color.

But wait...did you just see a strangely colored bird that looks like a House finch, but is orange-sh to even maybe yellow-ish in color?  You very well could have. Male House finch color variants are not uncommon. Depending on diet, some male House finches can have a distinctly different color than red; typically orange-ish to yellow-ish in tone. I saw one of these variants at my feeder earlier this winter (see photo below). The color variation can be due to specific types of foods that the bird has eaten, or, may be due to a diet that lacks the necessary pigments to produce the distinctive red coloration we are used to.

                           House Finch-male color variant

                           House Finch- typical red coloration

Here's a Bird Note article and audio podcast about the House Finch color variations. Bird Note is a daily podcast that is actually produced out of the Seattle area and can be heard on public radio, and of course, by subscribing.  It's a quick and fun listen that covers a wide variety of birds facts and life histories.

March is a very tough time for birds. Most natural foods have already been eaten or decomposed over the preceding months. So, if you have been keeping a feeder this winter don't quit now. As more spring early migrants arrive there will be increasing competition for scare food resources. Until insects start to emerge and receding snows uncover new caches of seeds your feeder might be their only lifeline.

Christmas? So why do I mention Christmas? Crazy, right? This is an early reminder that every year (for over a 100 years now) thousands of volunteer birders participate in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Audubon recently posted some results of the 2018  Christmas Bird Count. You can select individual species and states/regions/provinces to view the trend in winter sightings over time.

Consider joining your local CBC this coming December. L coal CBC's are conducted in Colville, Chewelah and Newport. The CBC surveys are conducted each year sometime within two weeks before or after Christmas each year. This is a citizen science effort that helps scientists and decision makers to identify bird species that might be in trouble and which ones are doing well.  More will be posted regarding these events as we move into November.

Get ready, the spring migration is coming...

Good Birding,
                             - Hawkeye

Birds, Yes...and More

One of the unexpected gratifications of birding is seeing the unexpected around you. It might be a beautiful sunset sky , snow capped peaks, a country road, or maybe a family of River Otters enjoying a sunny winter day. And, yes, then there are the birds.

Last week I spent several days in Skagit County for my work (the thing that pays for cameras, lenses, gas, binoculars, etc.) and visited the famous Skagit River and Samish River deltas. These are fantastic places to see Trumpeter and Tundra swans, Snow geese by the thousand, and Short-eared owls. Besides the birds, the snow capped peaks and colorful sunsets just topped it off.

                    Short-eared Owl, Fir Island, Skagit River delta

                     Thousands of Snow Geese lift off when a Bald eagle flies over, Fir Island

                      Trumpeter Swans at sunset, Fir Island, Skagit River delta

                        Trumpeter Swans at sunset over Puget Sound, Fir Island, Skagit River delta

                         Trumpeter Swans "dancing"

Then, as I looked around, I realized that birds weren't the only thing worth looking at! Mt. Baker and the Cascades were in their royal winter robes of snow.

                       Whitehorse Peak, Skagit River delta

                       Mt. Baker from the Samish River delta

                      Cascade Mtns. from Samish River delta

Closer to home on the Kettle river, I spied this mother otter and her pup doing some fishing and sun bathing. The Kettle River is mostly froze over right now, but has a few open leads for waterfowl and otters to swim and feed. These cuties were spotted just down stream from Barstow.

                       Momma otter checking me out from the Kettle River

                      Fish for lunch (breakfast and dinner, too)

                    Momma otter and her pup playing and sunning

                     Checking the surroundings before taking another fishing expedition

So don't get so hung up looking for birds that you miss the best scenery on earth!

                                                - Hawkeye