Hello everyone,
It was another hot and humid summer morning. We found an absolutely perfect and beautiful spider web with a spider in the middle of it at the beginning of the walk. Many other caterpillars, butterflies, moths, and spiders were also found today, including a beautiful large spider in the sink in the women’s restroom. A muskrat was in the Columbia Basin, trying to hide from us.
We still had a few Purple Martins around but their numbers were much lower than last week, as we suspected we would find. The Chimney Swifts, however, were present in very large flocks, and we think they are preparing to begin their southward migration too.
Two birders in our group spotted a flyover bald eagle. The Baltimore Orioles are still here and were very active – the kids must be grown up and ready to migrate. The Eastern Kingbirds and Barn Swallows are still raising their families. We saw a Kingbird feeding a juvenile and there are several Barn Swallow nestlings still being fed. Osaka was snoozing in a tree above the pathway in the Japanese Garden, and we later saw him from the Music Bridge at his usual spot.
The biggest surprise of the day was when we came upon a Cooper’s Hawk, with prey under its talon, on the pathway in the middle of the island. The prey looked like a mouse, which the hawk picked up and flew off with to a spot where it could enjoy its meal without human spectators.
BIRDERS: (35) Mark C., Gary, Luther, Cheryl, Roger, Marian, Jennie, Jane, Eric, Mike, Leslie, Marisa, Jeff, Kristin, Katie, Sarah, Paul, Howard, Robert, Simone, Gabe, Val, Nolan, Fred, Amir, Mark W., Jan, Sarah W., Pam, and welcome to Lori, Sudhanda, Nicole (from Washington), Vadim and Jason (both from Minnesota), and Joel (from Nebraska).
TIME: 8:00am to 11:55am
WEATHER: Sunny, high 70s and rising quickly, humid.
Compiler: Cheryl
Observations
Canada Goose Number observed: 65
Wood Duck Number observed: 6
Mallard Number observed: 8
Chimney Swift Number observed: 100
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 1
Spotted Sandpiper Number observed: 3
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 3
Caspian Tern Number observed: 2
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 2
Black-crowned Night Heron Number observed: 1
Green Heron Number observed: 4
Great Egret Number observed: 2
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 5
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 1
Bald Eagle Number observed: 1
Broad-winged Hawk Number observed: 1
Red-tailed Hawk Number observed: 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Northern Flicker Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 1
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 9
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 4
American Crow Number observed: 3
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 5
Purple Martin Number observed: 12
Barn Swallow Number observed: 14
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 6
Northern House Wren Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 40
Gray Catbird Number observed: 3
American Robin Number observed: 8
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 2
House Finch Number observed: 5
American Goldfinch Number observed: 14
Song Sparrow Number observed: 1
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 7
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 5
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 35
Yellow Warbler Number observed: 4
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 5
Indigo Bunting Number observed: 2
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions, and comments are welcome.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie
Photo: Dark-eyed junco by Alan Kolnik