I had resigned myself today to not birding as we are packing and preparing to fly off tomorrow. I declined an invite from Bruce to chase the Tennessee Warbler and other FOY birds in SW WA. Then this morning I learned of the Whooper Swan only 90 miniutes north at teh Monroe Prison Farm Pond in Snohomish County.
Wooper Swan is not just a lifer WA bird, it’s a lifer world bird. This species is found in the northern parts of Europe and Asia, and rarely in the lower-48.
I had a lunch committment, so after lunch I skipped off to chase the bird. After some minor panic as I looked over maybe 250 Trumpeter Swans and 1 Tundra Swan on the main road, I was told of the proper place by Brian Bell and another birder, and dashed over to get killer views from near the farm pond.
The big yellow base of the bill, the large size, more or less the same as the TRSWs. It was an impressive bird, and a pretty easy lifer right here in WA!
Tag: Snohomish County
WA 396th Species Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Few More Snohomish County Ticks
Today I decided to ignore the light rain, and headed with Marian to Everett to try for the apparent adult female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that has been faithfully seen in a specific tree for a couple of days. On arrival, after traffic, I noted a couple of birders looking up at a tree, and on closer approach the birder left was good friend Bruce LaBar (see episode #3 of The Bird Banter Podcast). He pointed up, I saw the bird, dashed back to the car for my camera and to fetch Marian. A few photos, a short time in the rain, and we had had enough, but WA species #396 for my life state list is in the books, or on the blog and in eBird anyway.
I see Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nearly every summer when I visit Maine. They are pretty common around the family camp at McGrath Pond, but I’ve not made a chase for the occasional one seen in WA until now. Years ago I was not really trying hard on my WA list, as I had seen them many times on the east coast, and lately the times just have not worked for me until today. One of my easier stakeout ticks.
After this Bruce and I tried for a Harris’s Sparrow that had been seen just blocks from the YBSA, but rain made it tough birding, and we only gave it a half-hearted try.
I finished the day with a couple of stops in Edmunds, the waterfront and the nearby marsh, and added 5 more Snohomish county ticks, Harlequin Duck, Black Scoter, Brandt’s Cormorant, Black Turnstone and Surfbird. Lunch in the Panera Bread drive through and an easy drive home before traffic made for a great day of birding in Snohomish County.
Good birding and very good day!
King and Snohomish County Birding Nov 4, 2020
Today Marian worked on a school project with her grandson Ethan in Lake Forest Park, so I rode up with her and birded the nearby Snohomish waterfront and at Juanita Bay Park in King County. It was really warm, in the 60’s, but also windy making birding tough.
I had really not done much salt water birding in Snohomish, and at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park the wind and waves made it tough viewing, but at Ocean Ave. I managed to pick up 5 new county species, Horned and Red-necked Grebe, Surf Scoter, Pelagic Cormorant and Pacific Loon. Then in King County across Lake Washington I walked the path at Juanita Bay Park. It was really windy, but I managed to hear one, maybe two Virginia Rails doing their grunt calls. County birding continues.