Our smallest accipiter, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, commonly known as the “Sharpie” is a bird of the forest. It is compact, quick and agile with short wings and long tail that help it navigate in wooded areas where it hunts small birds.
American Kestrel
If you see a small, long-winged bird hovering over an open field, most of the time it will be an American Kestrel. This type of hunting pattern is used by only a few species of birds and it is a trademark for a kestrel, which hovers by facing into the wind, flapping its wings and spreading its tail.
Black Swift
Purple Finch
House Finch
Evening Grosbeak
Ruddy Duck
Swainson's Thrush
Brown Creeper
The Brown Creeper (BRCR) is about 5 - 5-1/2" long and is camouflaged with brown streaked plumage above and dull white below. It has a relatively long downcurved bill and long, pointed tail feathers. Creepers spiral upward from the base to the branches of a tree, then will fly to a lower place on another tree, probing bark for insects and larvae.
Killdeer
Gyrfalcon
Common Repoll
The Common Redpoll visits Washington in some winters in flocks ranging in size from a dozen to hundreds of birds. Because its arrival is unpredictable, it is known as one of the irruptive species of northern birds, which, depending on weather conditions and the availability of food sources, will migrate farther south in some winters
Wood Duck
Varied Thrust
Vaux's Swift
Wandering Tattler
The genus name Heteroscelus (heh-teh-ROSS-keh-lus) is from the Greek heteros, meaning “other” or “different”, and skelos, for “leg” which alludes to legs of this species being different from other sandpipers. The tarsus is scutellated instead of reticulated at the back. “Scutellated” is when the bare skin of the tarsus is a horny skin cut up into overlapping scales like shingles on a roof.
