Eastside Audubon is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities supporting local conservation and education efforts.
The Puget Sound Seabird Survey is looking for birders in King County to join this established Community Science program.
In the quiet of the woods the bubbling song of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet erupted, and the high trill of the Brown Creeper signaled its presence. The hormonal drive to breed had birds singing regardless of the weather.
The Pectoral Sandpiper is uncommon in Western Washington but can usually be seen during fall migration. Adults begin passing through Washington in late July and juveniles show up from mid-August to late October. The juveniles will be in new plumage having completed their prejuvenile (or first prebasic) molt, which results in the change from downy feathers to their basic plumage.
The Canvasback stands out from the crowd. Its stately presence separates it from other ducks. It has been called “the aristocrat of ducks” (Mobray), and “elegant” (Alderfer). Its large size, sloping forehead and characteristic “dark at both ends and white in the middle” appearance (Bell and Kennedy) make it easy to pick out of a group of other ducks.
The genus name Passerella (pass-er-EL-ah) is from Latin, passer, meaning a sparrow. The species name iliaca (eye-lih-AY-cah) is Latin relating to the marked flanks. The common name is from the reddish or tawny “fox” color of feathers. The Fox Sparrow (FOSP) is about 7” long with a wingspan of 10.5” and a weight of 1.1 oz. (32g). It is one of our largest sparrows.
At the time the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, MA the Passenger Pigeon was probably the most abundant bird in North America (Kaufman). Enormous nomadic flocks of these pigeons numbering in the millions roamed around the eastern two-thirds of the continent eating beechnuts, acorns, grains, and berries.
