Fall Field Trip Reports
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
SNOW BUNTING FOUND AT MAGNUSON PARK ON OCTOBER 28, 2023
Participants on this half-day field trip were thrilled to find a Snow Bunting feeding on plant seed pods at the edge of the gravel bank of Lake Washington near the bath house. The bird was undetected for several minutes while leader Andy McCormick was setting up his spotting scope to view the gulls on the raft. However, one alert birder pointed out the bird and it was quickly identified. Snow Bunting is a rare visitor to Western Washington. I reported the bird on the Tweeters listserve and by the time we were ready to leave the park a half dozen people had arrived to view the bird.
The day had begun with some gray skies and quiet birds as we walked Promontory Point. However, when we approached the restored wetland we found Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, and Bufflehead. An active mixed flock of Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees were joined by Bewick’s Wren, Downy Woodpecker, and Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. We sorted out the gulls on the raft and identified Ring-billed and Short-billed Gulls, and several Glaucous-winged x Western Gull hybrids.
Soon after viewing the Snow Bunting and gulls, we crossed the wooded area to climb Kite Hill where we observed an interaction between an immature Cooper’s Hawk and a Merlin as they both pursued a small flock of songbirds. Also seen were Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hairy Woodpecker, and Northern Flicker. Passerines included House Finch, American Goldfinch, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Spotted Towhee. A total of 33 species of birds were observed.
MARBLED MURRELET AND BONAPARTE’S GULLS HIGHLIGHT MARROWSTONE ISLAND TRIP ON NOVEMBER 11, 2023
A Marbled Murrelet was seen at Salsbury Point County Park near Port Gamble in Kitsap County. It was an auspicious start which also included close looks at Pigeon Guillemots, a dozen handsome Bonaparte’s Gulls, Horned and Red-necked Grebes, and a Common Loon. A pair of Ravens perched on the same branch made an exotic “hoot” call.
Marrowstone Island can often provide surprisingly good views of birds and it lived up to its reputation when we arrived to find hundreds of Dunlin (400), Sanderlings (45), and Black-bellied Plovers (56) on the lawns at the beach campground parking area. I had never seen so many shorebirds in a grassy area before. We had excellent looks and could compare the shorebirds by size and coloration of their winter plumage. Two Black Turnstones were soon seen on the beach and when we returned from the walk along the spit, the two birds were peacefully resting in the middle of the flock of shorebirds.
Common Loons, Horned Grebes, Surf Scoters, Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants spread out around the Admiralty Inlet. Buffleheads (20) and Harlequin Ducks (7) were very close to shore and photogenic in good light.
Earlier, after crossing the Hood Canal bridge, we made our way to Mats Mats Bay where we found Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, and a Great Blue Heron and on the road back to SR 116 three Varied Thrushes crossed the road. We stopped for a better look and found ourselves in the midst of a winter mixed-species feeding flock of Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, two Brown Creepers, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. A short while later we were surprised to see a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk at the entrance to Portage Beach at Indian Island County Park. A total of 51 species of birds were seen in Kitsap and Jefferson Counties.
EDMONDS MARSH ADD-ON
Time management was a challenge on the Marrowstone Island trip as the ferry system was on an alternate schedule. We decided to head home early and were fortunate to catch the 2:30 p.m. ferry. With time to spare, we decided to bird the Edmonds Marsh. Mallards and American Wigeon filled the north end of the marsh which was flooded at high tide. However, two adult Bald Eagles quickly caught our eye. One of those ducks had met its demise and was providing dinner for the eagles as they stood in a pile of down feathers at the edge of a small island in the marsh. When the eagles left, a Red-tailed Hawk came by to inspect the leavings, but found nothing of interest, and it flew to a nearby tree and perched there until we left. We also added Marsh Wren and a calling Virginia Rail to our day list.