Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2015
- Thread starter Bill Anderson
- Start date
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Several respondents from Tweeters said it was a juvie spotted towhee as well. They certainly don't look like an adult, not even red eyes.
Sunday afternoon (8/30) I went down to the marsh to see if any major damage had been done by Saturday's major windstorm. We lost power at my house for about fourteen hours. Some areas are not expected to get power restored until today.
I got a nice sequence of a heron making a short flight across the marsh.
I got a nice sequence of a heron making a short flight across the marsh.
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The male and female kingfishers continue to chase each other around the marina and marsh.
The female took a break on an old fence post near the #1 viewing platform.
I stopped by Sunset Ave. on the way home where I caught a flock of Canada geese flying over the sound. The afternoon lighting created a monochromatic effect that was broken up by the orange buoys of the underwater dive park.
The female took a break on an old fence post near the #1 viewing platform.
I stopped by Sunset Ave. on the way home where I caught a flock of Canada geese flying over the sound. The afternoon lighting created a monochromatic effect that was broken up by the orange buoys of the underwater dive park.
Saturday (9/1) was overcast, so my son and I went down to the marsh in the hopes of improved photographic conditions, specifically no heat waves or other bright sunshine induced distortions. I mounted the 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter to the tripod.
The usual tiny sandpipers that we had been seeing in August were present. I believe these are western sandpipers based on their size in relation to the killdeer and their black legs.
I saw a mystery sandpiper which I believe to be a pectoral sandpiper. Sibley's describes it as resembling a large least sandpiper, which is exactly what it looked like. I took some shots of it walking past a killdeer for a size comparison.
I switched over to the 2x teleconverter.
The mystery sandpiper walked past the second mystery shorebird of the afternoon, which I believe was a yellowlegs. I'll leave it to the real birders in the viewing audience to decide if it was a lesser or greater yellowlegs.
The usual tiny sandpipers that we had been seeing in August were present. I believe these are western sandpipers based on their size in relation to the killdeer and their black legs.
I saw a mystery sandpiper which I believe to be a pectoral sandpiper. Sibley's describes it as resembling a large least sandpiper, which is exactly what it looked like. I took some shots of it walking past a killdeer for a size comparison.
I switched over to the 2x teleconverter.
The mystery sandpiper walked past the second mystery shorebird of the afternoon, which I believe was a yellowlegs. I'll leave it to the real birders in the viewing audience to decide if it was a lesser or greater yellowlegs.
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The mystery sandpiper ran at and chased off a smaller sandpiper, which I believe was a least sandpiper. You can see their close resemblance but disparate sizes in these photos.
Some more photos of the second mystery shorebird, which I believe is a lesser(?) yellowlegs.
Some more photos of the second mystery shorebird, which I believe is a lesser(?) yellowlegs.
Anyone have an opinion as to whether that last bird is a greater or a lesser yellowlegs?
Joemeche
New Member
My vote is for Lesser for all the diagnostics: shorter/straighter bill, longer legs, etc.
The peregrine falcon made another cameo flyover of the marsh Thursday afternoon (9/3) on its way towards the marina. It traversed the marsh quite quickly and was very hard to photograph, especially with the 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter combo. The only shots I got were when it flew past the Pt. Edwards condos.
Some backyard birds from Saturday (9-5).
House finch and red-breasted nuthatch at the bird feeder.
As many as five or six Steller's jays were in the backyard ready to pounce on the peanuts I left on the deck rail. Sometimes they would get a little too close to each other.
The Douglas's squirrel continues to steal peanuts from the caches of the jays and eastern gray squirrels, then runs back to Pine Ridge Park.
This evil minion of the Dark Lord made no attempt to compete with the jays for the peanuts. After the jays left, I saw it flying off with two peanuts in its bill. I can only conclude that like the Douglas's squirrel, the crow sat back and observed where the jays and eastern gray squirrels stashed their peanuts, then stole some.
House finch and red-breasted nuthatch at the bird feeder.
As many as five or six Steller's jays were in the backyard ready to pounce on the peanuts I left on the deck rail. Sometimes they would get a little too close to each other.
The Douglas's squirrel continues to steal peanuts from the caches of the jays and eastern gray squirrels, then runs back to Pine Ridge Park.
This evil minion of the Dark Lord made no attempt to compete with the jays for the peanuts. After the jays left, I saw it flying off with two peanuts in its bill. I can only conclude that like the Douglas's squirrel, the crow sat back and observed where the jays and eastern gray squirrels stashed their peanuts, then stole some.
Later that day I went down to the marsh.
Savannah sparrow. Not rare, but not common either.
Black-capped chickadee digging for larvae in a cattail head.
I believe these are two female common yellow throats. A pair may have nested at the marsh this summer.
Savannah sparrow. Not rare, but not common either.
Black-capped chickadee digging for larvae in a cattail head.
I believe these are two female common yellow throats. A pair may have nested at the marsh this summer.
Some more marsh birds from Sunday (9/6).
A local birder reported seeing a solitary sandpiper at the marsh Sunday. That may/may not be it standing behind the two green-winged teals, the first I have seen this fall.
The sandpiper moved a little closer, but still far away.
Common yellow throat?
I saw something I have never seen before. A great blue heron literally parachuted into the marsh from the southeast. It first made a controlled vertical descent, then went into a glide and landed with a skill that would be the envy of any sky diver.
A local birder reported seeing a solitary sandpiper at the marsh Sunday. That may/may not be it standing behind the two green-winged teals, the first I have seen this fall.
The sandpiper moved a little closer, but still far away.
Common yellow throat?
I saw something I have never seen before. A great blue heron literally parachuted into the marsh from the southeast. It first made a controlled vertical descent, then went into a glide and landed with a skill that would be the envy of any sky diver.
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Appropriately enough, my son and I were laboring in the back yard on Labor Day (9/7) when I heard the distinctive bark of a Douglas's squirrel coming from a neighbor's tree just over my back fence.
I placed some peanuts on the fence posts for the squirrel so that it would not have to steal from the jays. I don't know if the squirrel got any before it headed back south towards Pine Ridge Park via the backyard squirrel freeway.
I placed some peanuts on the fence posts for the squirrel so that it would not have to steal from the jays. I don't know if the squirrel got any before it headed back south towards Pine Ridge Park via the backyard squirrel freeway.
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A tale of misidentification with a happy ending.
Tuesday morning (9/8) I received an e-mail from a friend with a photo of a juvie peregrine falcon he had photographed at the fish hatchery. I thought it might be the same falcon I have recently photographed flying over the marsh, so that afternoon Daren and I went to the fish hatchery to look for it.
We came up empty on our search of the fish hatchery grounds, but I heard an evil minion of the Dark Lord and its corvid cousin, a Steller's jay, raising h*** in the tall trees south of Pine St. We located the birds and discovered that they had indeed located a raptor that I thought was the juvie peregrine.
The bird had heard enough from the noisy corvids and flew to the top of a telephone pole on Pine St. across from the Pt. Edwards condos.
It remained there for quite some time and allowed me to get shots from various angles.
Continued
Tuesday morning (9/8) I received an e-mail from a friend with a photo of a juvie peregrine falcon he had photographed at the fish hatchery. I thought it might be the same falcon I have recently photographed flying over the marsh, so that afternoon Daren and I went to the fish hatchery to look for it.
We came up empty on our search of the fish hatchery grounds, but I heard an evil minion of the Dark Lord and its corvid cousin, a Steller's jay, raising h*** in the tall trees south of Pine St. We located the birds and discovered that they had indeed located a raptor that I thought was the juvie peregrine.
The bird had heard enough from the noisy corvids and flew to the top of a telephone pole on Pine St. across from the Pt. Edwards condos.
It remained there for quite some time and allowed me to get shots from various angles.
Continued
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