Edmonds Bird Fest 2014

[Bill Anderson]

This year I led two bird walks at the annual Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds. I'll post up some of the photos I took during the walks. If anyone else has photos taken at Bird Fest, you can post them up here as well. Joe has an excellent digiscoped photo of an exit sign in the gym.

Saturday afternoon (9/6/14) teen age bird book author Lorenzo and I led two groups through Yost Park. It only took Lorenzo about fifteen minutes to find the resident barred pair. The male was perched in a tree close enough to the boardwalk that even folks with cell phone cameras could get photos. With the large group, I could not maneuver to get rid of an intervening branch. The female was a short distance way, but not in a location for a good photo.

The male stretched




then yawned and went back to sleep.


What I thought was a nearby robin chirping at the owl turned out to be a downy woodpecker.

 

[Bill Anderson]

One of my group spotted a Hutton's vireo, but I could not get a clear shot.

We kept hearing the resident pileated woodpeckers while we were at the bottom of the ravine and finally spotted the male when we were up on the service road. It was late afternoon and the back lighting was horrible, which resulted in slow shutter speeds and lots of + exposure compensation.





We also spotted what I believe was a flycatcher.


There was another flycatcher perched at the top of a tree high on the hill above the swimming pool. I believe this is an olive-sided flycatcher. It may have been the same bird we saw earlier.


A humming bird was able to get much closer than we could to check out the flycatcher.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Sunday morning (9/7/14) two of us led a walk of the marsh, fish hatchery, and Pt. Edwards walkway.

An Anna's hummingbird was perched on Wesley's tree behind the #1 viewing platform of the marsh. I think it was either a female or a young male.




I think it was hunting bugs, as one is visible above the hummer.


Regardless, the bird soon drew Wesley's attention.

 

[Bill Anderson]

The two checked each other out before Wesley chased it away.




My son and I returned to the marsh later that afternoon, where we met a woman who has been living in England for the past forty years. She had never seen killdeer and was disappointed none were at the marsh.

I felt bad for her, as a flock of about fifteen killdeer flew over the marsh about a half hour after she left.

 

[Terry O]

Great job on all these shots, Bill. I am amazed at the variety and numbers of birds you saw for such a slow (bird wise) time of year! Thanks for all your efforts on the Edmonds Birdfest!!