RED KNOT EXTRAVAGANZA!

I went down with my friend Blair on Friday to see Red Knots at Bottle Beach in WA. I ended up meeting scientific researchers from Alaska with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), who have banded and tagged them with radio transmitters. They were at the beach looking for their flagged birds.  To read more about why scientists are studying the Climate-endangered Red Knot click HERE. To read about the impact of the Canadian study click HERE, both the USA and Canada list the bird as Endangered.
During my visit we counted 500 breeding plumaged Red Knots and dozen of Ruddy Turnstones. It was incredible as I had never seen that number of Red Knots ever in one spot. Hearing them and watching them fly in the large flocks was breathtaking. I took off my shoes and walked barefoot onto the mudflats. Other shorebirds present were Whimbrel, Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Black Turnstones, Short-billed Dowitchers and Black-bellied Plovers. Had my FOY Brown Pelican too for WA!
The researchers found many of their birds that nest in Alaska but they also found a single bird from Russia which they were extremely excited about!
The day before they had counted 850 Red Knots and found an Elegant Tern. The only Elegant Terns I have ever seen were in WA but I was not to see one that day.
However, I couldn't complain after a day of pure magic.
Here are some of my shots from the day.

Adult Red Knots in breeding plumage in WA - Photos: Melissa Hafting
A flock of mostly Red Knots in WA - Photo: Melissa Hafting
A Red knot runs across the mudflats - Photo: Melissa Hafting
Red Knot feeding on the mudflats - Photo: Melissa Hafting
A mix of shorebirds in WA - Photo: Melissa Hafting
The 3 Amigos (Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied Plover and Red Knot) - Photo: Melissa Hafting
Red Knot with leg tag - Photo: Blair Bernson

Comments

  1. EmmaMay 21, 2018 at 12:34 AM

    Sounds like a great experience. They are gorgeous birds, especially in their breeding plumage!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LonelytravellerMay 21, 2018 at 8:08 AM

    Must have been great to see. Beautiful photos

    ReplyDelete
  3. Peter ZadoroznyMay 21, 2018 at 8:17 AM

    WOW - those breeding Red Knots are something. What an experience/adventure you had there. I like the kind of light you caught those beauties in for your great shots. I hope one day I will get looks like that of even one in our area. thanks for sharing and giving me something to dear about.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMay 21, 2018 at 9:39 AM

    Cool, that must have been an amazing sight.
    great shots too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Viktor VandereykMay 21, 2018 at 12:45 PM

    Amazing! Such beautiful birds!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Melissa HaftingMay 21, 2018 at 9:47 PM

    Thanks everyone for your kind comments, much appreciated.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Dowitcher Identification

Image
Birders notoriously find it difficult to tell Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers apart. I have got a request to do an identification explanation on them so here goes, I hope it will be helpful. Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed look so similar. Using their habitat is helpful but not diagnostic. Short-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer Salt water and brackish water and Long-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer fresh water. However, I have OFTEN seen Short-billeds in freshwater and Long-billeds in brackish and salt water. Therefore, DO NOT rely on habitat. Another feature many people will tell you to rely on is spotting on the side of the flanks of Short-billeds and barring on the side of Long-billeds. Usually this is a mark that you can use but it is not always as distinct as you like. I have seen Short-billeds with a barred appearance to the flanks. It is only at the side of the breast where you have to look for this diagnostic feature for the spots on a Short-billed and t
Read more

Hawk Identification Tips from every angle (Sharpie vs Cooper and Red-tailed Subspecies)

Image
I get several questions about the difference between accipiters. The most common ones are between Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks and between Cooper's Hawks vs Northern Goshawks (to a lesser degree). Next, I get many questions dealing with a certain race of buteos the Western Red-tailed Hawk and Harlan's. So I thought I would do a post on these to help answer those questions. I will deal with Cooper's and Sharpies and not Goshawks because they are much more common here and look much more alike. My friend John Reynolds inspired me to write this up. COOPER'S AND SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS EYE COLOUR - YELLOW OR ORANGE? RED? Normally a juvenile Cooper's hawk has a bright yellow eye and a Juvie Sharpie has a orange eye but some cooper's can have a dull yellow eye that looks a bit orangish. Cooper's Hawks usually only transition to the orange eye colour when they are sub adults, so in good light, it's a very very reliable feature. However you
Read more

STINT IDENTIFICATION

Image
As per request, here are some tips that I hope will be helpful in identifying and differentiating Red-necked Stint from Little Stint. I will also do a brief intro on Long-toed and Temminck's Stint... if you build it they will come right?😉 Red-necked and Little Stints look very much alike in worn breeding plumage. The amount of Red on the face, throat and breast in Red-necked Stint is vary variable). They look even more alike in non-breeding plumage, that is why it is essential to learn structural differences to separate the two. They are similar to Semipalmated Sandpipers as well as Sanderlings. Both species are often confused for Red-necked Stints. Little Stints rarely get confused with Sanderling because they have a hind toe which helps differentiate it from this species. Sanderlings in breeding or worn breeding are usually confused with Red-necked Stints but they are much larger than Red-necked Stints. Let's first start with Bills in this complicated ID proces
Read more

*Updated - The most famous Red-tailed Hawk is eating fish on the ground just like a Bald Eagle!

Image
Update - There are plans in the works to make a documentary film on this young Red-tailed Hawk who thinks he's an Eagle. You can read the latest news about that on CBC HERE . Watch this incredible footage of the little Red-tailed Hawk who grew up in a family of three Eaglets and 2 Bald Eagle Parents. He is imprinted now on Bald Eagles. He looks and acts just like one, as you can see here in the video below. He is standing over a large salmon carcass, just like a Bald Eagle would and he's eating the decaying flesh. Red-tailed Hawks like to eat voles and rabbits etc. not fish! Imprinting is usually irreversible according to raptor expert David Bird. However, I hope it's reversible so that he doesn't attempt to mate with a Bald Eagle, as the Eagle would kill him because it would view him as a Hawk. Eagle expert David Hancock said that the bird will likely starve and get killed by an eagle. He said this possibly can be prevented if someone grabs it and takes it to O
Read more

My First Mother's Day Without My Mother

Image
This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom. I am still deeply affected and afflicted with emotional pain. I took the day off from the RBA to just remember her and honour her. My dad, sister and I visited her grave with a bouquet of flowers. I cried a lot but it gives me a bit of comfort that she now has a head stone that I can touch. I didn't want to leave. I can’t believe it’s been just over 4 months since I lost her. To my Mom: Mom you were so great. You were so loved. I miss you so much today. I wish every day that you were here with Meghan, Dad and I.  I will never be truly happy again until I see you once more. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother. I will never ever forget you. I cannot wait to see you again in Heaven. Since you died in my arms, this is one of the hardest days I have been through without you. Normally I would be taking you out for brunch today, hugging you and telling you how much I loved you. Mom, you watched me take my first breath and I unfortunate
Read more