A Great Weekend With Seaducks, Forest Birds And A Black Phoebe

Ilya and I went to Washington State this weekend. It was a gorgeous sunny day and it was so nice to get out and a break from our local routine. We first stopped at Blaine to shoot some Long-tailed Ducks near Semiahmoo Spit. We were happy to have these stunning ducks so close, which rarely happens... at least for me!. We found a young male and a female. The male had a growth on his neck. This is the one duck that I prefer in non-breeding plumage than in breeding.

Immature Male (pink bill) and Adult Female LTDU in Blaine, WA - Photos: Melissa Hafting

Next we went to Wylie Slough on Fir Island in Mt. Vernon. Here we saw 1 of the 2 Black Phoebes that are present there. These birds have successfully had 2 broods already. I think soon we will see this species having confirmed breeding in BC; especially with the continued warming of our planet. Wylie Slough had some other rare birds today including a Northern Waterthrush and Lesser Yellowlegs. We dipped on the Cinnamon Teals that were seen there yesterday. There were a few Tundra Swans about and some Barn Swallows. Spring sure was in the air despite Short-eared Owls still flying around. Skagit County really is a wonderful place to bird at this time of year.

Black Phoebe at Wylie Slough in Mt. Vernon - Photos: Melissa Hafting

 We stopped at the delicious Harris Ave Cafe on the way home in Fairhaven, Bellingham before coming home. It was a peaceful day indeed and so nice to get away to beautiful Washington.

 The next day we stayed local and went to Stanley Park. Here we found a large flock of Steller's Jay that would come to our hands full of seed. We also saw an Interior subspecies of Steller's Jay. This is the first time either one of us had ever seen an Interior Subspecies in Metro Vancouver. We also had fun photographing Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Varied Thrushes and the like. Here are a few shots of that endeavor.
Coastal Steller's Jay at Stanley Park, Vancouver - Photos: Melissa Hafting

Interior Steller's Jay at Stanley Park in Vancouver - Photo: Melissa Hafting

Chestnut-backed Chickadees at Stanley Park - Photos: Melissa Hafting

Black-capped Chickadee at Stanley Park - Photo: Melissa Hafting

Song Sparrow at Stanley Park in Vancouver - Photo: Melissa Hafting

Also speaking of Jays and Corvids.... we all know they like to eat baby birds from time to time. But did you know that Tits and Chickadees can kill mice and other birds as well? Same with woodpeckers. Read this interesting article HERE which depicts stories of how birds we would define as sweet and innocent as bold killers! 

Comments

  1. ShouMarch 1, 2020 at 9:46 PM

    Wow super cool pics! My favs are of the jays on that orange lichen and of the long tailed duck QTs! Skagit county sounds beautiful, I hope to visit sometime! I am glad that you two had a great past couple of days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa HaftingMarch 2, 2020 at 8:19 PM

      thank you so much shou! the fungi on the log was awesome. kudos to ilya for finding that log for us to work with

      Delete
  2. Beauty of Wild BirdsMarch 2, 2020 at 2:12 PM

    nice post

    ReplyDelete
  3. LonelytravellerMarch 2, 2020 at 4:08 PM

    Gorgeous photos!

    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

1 year since I lost my father

Image
My dad and I whom I miss terribly. One year on since I lost him. Today would have been my mother's bday. Her name was Valerie and it is also the first year anniversary of the death of my beloved father, Arne. There is not a day that goes by where I don't think of them. Now for ever more the day of his death will be connected to her birthday, a very sad day but in a way that connection is beautiful to tie them together. My beautiful family before we lost both parents. I put flowers down at their grave to celebrate them both today. I hate that it is one year since I told him I loved him and hugged him. I miss him so very much. I miss his voice, his love and guidance and support. The ground for me feels shakier without his guidance and safety. I hate I will never see him again or talk to him again. Can't believe how quick time passes. This is why it is so important we treasure every single day to the fullest and tell those we love them. I will never forget the day he passed aw...
Read more