Tag: lazuli bunting

Back in Pierce

I’ve been travelling, working both in the yard a lot, and at the office a little, so have really not been out in Pierce County for the last couple of weeks.  My last significant birding locally was the TAS Birdathon, so since then many of the neotropic migrants have returned, and today I got 7 FOY Pierce birds in about 2 hours.  Confirms my thoughts that chasing early returning birds that are common if I just wait a bit, is fun but not key to having a good county year.

Started today at Levy Pond in Fife, looking for Green Heron and Spotted Sandpiper.  Not there.  Next a stop at Sha-Dax Fife Wetland, looking for Cedar Waxwing, Green Heron, and Spotted Sandpiper, again not there.  I did call up a Virginia Rail.

Next was the Hylebos Waterway path at 4th St in Fife.  Things finally got going there.  At least 3 FOY Warbling Vireos were singing on the near side of the creek path, along with an Olive-sided flycatcher singing from the hillside, and a Western Wood-pewee calling.  Yellow, Wilsons, and BTG warblers were singing, but no Spotted Sandpiper or Black-headed Grosbeak I had hoped for there.  On the way to the 56th St Stormwater ponds I stopped at Sportco to check the ponds in Fife, and a Green Heron was obliging, sitting on the fallen fence.

At 56th St Ponds I heard a singing bird just as I got out of the car.  Having just had Lazuli Bunting last week I was pretty that’s what it was, but it was on a wire far away, and in binos just the right size and shape.  It flew before I could get the scope up, and kept singing from out of sight.  Fortunately later I was able to get the scope on it:

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First for this location for me.  On the ponds a Spotted sandpiper flew and called, a pair of Blue-winged teal were feeding in the first pond, and a Black-headed Grosbeak was singing from the trees down the street.

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A nice day.

 

Taking a Break from Yard Work Yields Lazuli Bunting and Western Kingbird

Today I had a short window between yard work and covering SDC so the PAs could go to their quarterly meeting, and when Bruce texted about not just the usual Lazuli Bunting but Western Kingbird in Orting, where to go was clear.  I had only an hour to bird after dashing down the hill to the Orting Valley and getting to the 178th Street hotspot, but it was enough. I checked the powerline and fenceline on the way down 178th but couldn’t find the WEKI.  Lazuli buntings were on station and singing all over the place in the field past the bend in the road, in the Scotch Broom as Bruce described.  I had at least 4 birds, two males singing and posing near the gravel trail, and another two singing farther away at the same time. I think there were a minimum of 6 birds singing, but reported 4 on eBird.

I made it a quick stop in this area to have time for another look for the kingbird, and just before giving up on the way back I spotted the WEKI on the wire from the utility pole just in front of and to the left of the cell tower.  I managed a digiscope ID quality photo.  In the photo I can see the white outer tail feathers, and in the scope clearly saw the gray overall color with yellow belly.  These birds seem to frequently stop at this location in migration at this time of year.  last year Bruce and I had them in the same field 2 days earlier in May.

Western Kingbird in Orting
Western Kingbird in Orting

Two good FOY Pierce County birds.  Thanks Bruce.