Great Backyard Bird Count Starts TODAY!

February 18, 2011


Calling All Citizen Ornithologists! You can make a big difference by participating this weekend. 

Warbler
photo credit- Chris Southwick

The Great Backyard Bird Count is underway.

American Widgeons at Greenlake
photo credit- Janet Way

It is a yearly "citizen science" event sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The information gathered during this event is valuable to Ornithology Science.


Here's how to join the fun:


Go to the GBHBC site - 
https://secure3.birds.cornell.edu//Page.aspx?pid=2110&srctid=1&erid=6140651


1. Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. Count longer if you want to!

2. Tally the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. Optional: Print your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February.

3. Enter your checklists on the website at www.birdcount.org. You submit tallies for each day and for each new location where you count. The deadline to enter your checklists is March 1. 

Golden Crowned Kinglet
photo credit - Michael Oxman

Big Bird Answer!

So, the answer I got from "experts" on my "Big Birds" roosting at Ronald Bog is.......

Cormorants surveying Ronald Bog for fish
photo credit-Janet Way
Double Crested Cormorants!
Family: Phalacrocoracidae Order: Pelecaniformes   
"Double-crested Cormorants, our largest, has an orange bill and thick neck.  While in flight, look for a slight "crook" at the base of the neck. If a perched cormorant is holding it's wings out, it's almost suredly a Double-crested." is the description on the Bird Web site through Seattle Audubon. 

photo credit-Cornell Lab of Ornithology
"All About Birds" copyright - Marie Read
So what is cool about seeing cormorants at Ronald Bog. Maybe they've been hanging out there for a long time, but there has been some question for years about Ronald Bog as fish habitat. But in just a few months, I have personally seen 3 large fish eating birds, visiting Ronald Bog. Great Blue Heron, Osprey and now Cormorants. 

So, I would say that the case is closed. Fish live in Ronald Bog! It's Fish Habitat and it is the headwaters of Thornton Creek! 

Now back to election coverage.

Saw Whet Owl Discovered in Maple Leaf Neighborhood

Saw Whet Owl
Photo credit-Simone Lupson-Cook

This story originally published in Maple Leaf Life

http://www.mapleleaflife.com/2010/10/12/tiny-owl-rescued-in-maple-leaf/

Oct 12th

By amazing coincidence, Simone Lupson-Cook was living in the immediate neighborhood where the little owl decided to stop to rest. Simone is a volunteer at Sarvey Wildlife in Arlington and an experienced raptor specialist. Reportedly, the little owl has been recovering nicely at the rescue shelter.

Tiny owl rescued in Maple Leaf

Editor’s note: This post and photo are by Simone Lupson-Cook, a neighborhood resident and falconer who also posts at WingTrip.

Sunday night in the spitting rain a neighbor knocked on the door and said
he had found a baby owl in the street. I knew immediately it wouldn’t be
a baby as breeding season for owls has long since passed but wondered…
would it even really be an owl?

It seemed unusual for an owl to be in our neighborhood, although we did
have a Barred Owl in the backyard earlier in the year. Out the door I went,
wearing an owl shirt (not planned, mind you). There in the headlights of
the neighbor’s friend’s car sat a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Saw-whet Owls are one of our smallest owls (around 100 grams) so it was
no surprise my neighbor and his friends thought it was a baby. I had the
friends distract the small owl while I snuck up and plucked him out of
harm’s way.

He was weak and one eye was closed more than the other, but he had enough
left in him to put eight talons in my hand during the transfer into a nice, comfy
box with towels. He also snapped his beak at me repeatedly, an owl’s way
of telling potential predators to back off.

I volunteer at Sarvey Wildlife in Arlington (www.sarveywildlife.org) and we
were soon off for some much needed fluids and pain meds for the owl. He
has a bruised ear but other than that should be fine and able to be released.

What, you may ask, is a small, usually secretive owl doing in the middle of
the road in Maple Leaf? Most likely this owl was on migration and does
not live in the area. He may have become weak during the journey or
decided to look for prey too close to the road.

Saw-whet Owls mostly feed on small rodents,
especially deer mice. I am not a rodent expert
but I would say mice are scarce in a neighborhood
like Maple Leaf. (Someone please correct me if
I’m wrong; rats are another story all together!)

From Seattle Audubon’s BirdWeb:

Some Northern Saw-whet Owls are residents, while others migrate, either latitudinally or altitudinally. Recent studies suggest that more migrate than had been previously thought. In Washington, birds from Canada and mountainous areas winter in Washington’s lowlands.

If you happen to find an injured bird or
animal in the Seattle area, Sarvey is a good
option as a rescue center. You can find
locations for drop-off points on their website.

Tags: Uncategorized

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Merlins Sighted at Echo Lake and Pinehurst

This season, rare visitors to the Seattle area were sighted at Echo Lake in Shoreline and the Pinehurst Neighborhood in North Seattle.  Merlins have been documented in both areas this year, and it is considered an exciting and rare urban wildlife sighting here by the birding community.

Merlins are raptors, a type of small falcon which utilize tall trees for their nesting and habitat.
http://www.seattleaudubon.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=112

Here are some photos from local birder, Barbara Deihl who has been following the nesting, hatching and fledging of a family of Merlins in her Pinehurst yard.

Thank you to Barbara and all the Merlin fans for this report.

photo credit - Barbara Deihl

Seattle

Hello Merlin Fans and Interested Bystanders,

As I picked up the plastic garbage can lids that had been used for waterbaths for the Merlins of Pinehurst after the fledgling Merlins showed an interest in water, I finally felt a sense of peace with the nesting season the neighbors and I (and, oh the Merlins, too!) had just gone through.  Four wild 'n' crazy months of excitement, surprise, new observations, new people, new events and hours spent peering through scopes and binoculars and catching various photographic remembrances - it was another very special season, special in ways both similar and dissimilar to the past 2 wonderful Merlin Years.  And suddenly, in early August, the new young Merlins must have mastered their flight and hunting skills enough to heed the pull (and maybe some push as well) to head out on their own, to points unknown.  Maybe you will see one or 2 somewhere this fall or winter...  

The neighborhood is pretty quiet now, with the occasional call between Thor and Spike bringing smiles and raised heads, like yesterday, when a Merlin or 2 were heard in the morning and early and late evening, and seen on 3 deadtop firs other than the "2010 Meeting Place" one on the south end of the nest site block.  The Victory Heights neighbors are noticing that the deadtop on 107th and 17th is again being used, as well as that famous (and ever so dangerous?!!!) Deodar Cedar above Adrian's "Merlin" mailbox!  People are hearing them a couple blocks north, west and east of this year's site, and farther away as well.  Soon they will mostly just be seen and not heard, either perched at the top of a tall conifer or as a dark shadow either flapping furiously or gliding easily overhead.

For some of us, it is time to catch up on things let go during the nesting season, time to sit down and watch Molly and McGee the San Marcos Barn Owls who are on their second clutch and being videoed 24/7 again:

   ( http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Owl_Nest_Box_Cam.html ) They and their past brood as well as Carlos and Donna and Austin Royal, the nest box monitors and photographers, will be featured tomorrow night (Sat. Aug. 7) on the NBC Nightly News at 5:30 p.m. PDT, in case you are interested.

For some audio and photographic reminders of Merlinning 2010, you can check out the Seattle Times photos for July 22, 2010 (see the gallery of Alan Berner's great shots of the "Seattle Black Merlins", Martha Baskin's radio show from the same date  (www.greenacreradio.blogpost.com) or Nancy Rauhauser's  Merlin post on the Pinehurst Blog on July 29 (http://www.pinehurstseattle.org/2010/07/29/merlin-falcon-update/).  And, if you attend the Puget Sound Birdfest in Edmonds on September 11, you may want to (or not!) sign up for my "When Merlins Choose Your Neighborhood" presentation (see http://www.pugetsoundbirdfest.org/ ).  

Since the end of the Merlin season seems to coincide with a big time for people to consider big-tree pruning, my and some others' energies are being diverted toward a bit of tree activism, both in our neighborhoods and this Sunday afternoon at a public meeting at the Broadview Public Library from 1:30 - 4:30.  The Merlins aren't the only creatures who need the trees...

In a bit, there will also be a blog post and a picture or two about the Shoreline 5, on Janet Way's blog - these fledglings and parents were a late-season discovery (early July) - their timing was a few days behind the Pinehurst 5.  Some of us were lucky  to get to see them occasionally during a 3-wk. period, before they, too, dispersed away from the home territory.

Here are a few of my final photos from the Pinehurst Merlin site, from the past couple of weeks.  No more updates except for the occasional reporting of something merlin-related of note.

I'm off to find my inner Falco...  :-)

Your faithful NML,

Barb Deihl     8/6/10 

Osprey Confirmations

Have now received many confirmations from Birders and even experts about my Osprey sighting at Ronald Bog Park in Shoreline on Friday, July 30th.  
Check my previous post from yesterday for details and photo.

Osprey 

photo credit-Seattle Audubon

http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=96

Here are some details from Seattle Audubon Bird Web -

General Description

North American Range

The Osprey is a unique bird that is unmistakable when seen at close range. It is the only species in its family, and it is found worldwide. Its breast and belly are mostly white, with some dark streaks. The white extends out the wings, but the primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers are mottled black-and-white. The back is mostly black or dark brown. The head is distinctive with a white crest, a face bisected by a dark eye-stripe, and yellow eyes. While there is much variation, the female tends to have a streakier breast than the male. The Osprey's talons are uniquely adapted for catching and carrying fish: their surfaces are rough, and their toes can be held with three forward and one back, or with two forward and two back, an arrangement seen in owls but not in other diurnal raptors. In flight, they are most often confused with gulls because of their long wings, which are bent at the wrist. However Ospreys have a bounce to their flight that gulls 

Habitat

Ospreys live near rivers, estuaries, salt marshes, lakes, reservoirs, and other large bodies of water. They are rare along rivers in the shrub-steppe zone, as they prefer water surrounded by forested habitat. They can be found near fresh or salt water, as long as the water can sustain medium-sized fish.

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Behavior

Ospreys hover over the water, plunging feet first when they spot prey. They fly with slow wing-beats interspersed with glides. Ospreys form pair bonds through aerial flight displays and courtship feeding.

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Diet

The vast majority of the Osprey's diet is fish, typically 5-16 inches in size. Only occasionally, when fish aren't available, will the Osprey eat small mammals, birds, or reptiles. However, the Osprey is highly specialized for eating fish and does not stray from this diet unless necessary. When it catches a fish, the Osprey usually flies with it held headfirst.

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Nesting

Ospreys build large nests near water, on top of dead trees or artificial structures that are similar to dead trees, such as utility or nesting poles. Nests are made of branches, sticks, and twigs, lined with smaller twigs, grasses, bark, moss, fish bones, and other material. They will reuse nests year after year and continue to add sticks each year, ending up with a huge nest. Nests may be more than seven feet across and over five feet deep. The female typically lays 3 eggs, although clutch sizes between 2 and 4 eggs are normal. Both members of the pair incubate the eggs for 38-43 days. After the young hatch, the female stays with them, and the male brings food. Once the young can be left alone, both parents provide food. The young do not fledge until they are 44-59 days old.

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Migration Status

Ospreys are migratory, the majority wintering south of the US border. Most reports of Ospreys wintering in Washington are likely to be misidentifications of sub-adult bald eagles.

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Conservation Status

The Osprey suffered great declines in the past century as a result of DDT and other eggshell-thinning pesticides. Since the ban of DDT in 1972, the Osprey has made, and continues to make, a strong comeback in much of North America. Range expansion into formerly occupied areas has been slow due to their strong philopatry to nesting areas. Artificial nest platforms have significantly increased nesting in many areas. The Breeding Bird Survey has reported a significant increase in the Osprey population in Washington.

Thanks to all who care about Wildlife Habitat in Shoreline! 


Send me more sightings! 


Happy birding!


Janet

Red Breasted Sapsucker Banded in Shoreline

New Wildlife Sightings

Chris Southwick, a volunteer "bird bander" with the Puget Sound Bird Observatory Caught, banded and released a Red-Breasted Sapsucker in the Briarcrest neighborhood this weekend.  She also teaches volunteers how to monitor local birds with the bird banding program and works with  the Shoreline Backyard Wildlife Project to help Shoreline become a "certified" City  with the National Wildlife Federation. Shoreline is very close to the goal of certification now. You can help by certifying your yard
by contacting the project at - http://www.sustainableshoreline.org/WildlifeHabitat.html

Interesting fact from Bird web: Sapsuckers get their name from their foraging strategy, which consists of drilling neat horizontal rows of holes into tree trunks and then returning to those holes later to feed on the running sap and the insects attracted to it.

Also significantly, volunteer advocates, Ruth Williams and Janet Way observed many small fish in the channel of a tributary of Thornton Creek at Park #6 entering the Beaver Pond. The Channel in question flows from the site of Hubbard Homestead Park.  The Great Blue Heron was also sighted again feasting on many tasty bites there. Volunteers will attempt to get a photo soon that shows these fish. Fish Habitat is an extremely important issue in Thornton Creek Watershed.  This creek, which is the largest watershed in Seattle and Shoreline is home to at least 5 species of salmonids. The Hubbard Homestead Park site is controversial currently, because a spring and wetland were to be part of the design for the park. Mr Bruce Hubbard discovered a map showing the "stream" labeled.  Citizens point to this stream labeling as signifcant to the future of the promised design.

Seattle Audubon has more details on this beautiful bird.

http://www.seattleaudubon.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=273

Click for WA Range Map

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber 
Order: Piciformes 
Family: Picidae 
Status: Fairly common resident west. Rare east.

Listen:

Source of Bird Audio

General Description

North American Range

Red-breasted Sapsuckers are similar in appearance to the closely related Red-naped Sapsuckers, but they have red heads and breasts. Their upperparts are black barred with white, and they have a prominent white stripe across each black wing. They lack the black breast-band of the other two sapsucker species found in Washington, and they have yellowish bellies. Males and females look much alike. Juveniles are mottled brown but have white wing-stripes like the adults.

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Pictures

[Enlarge]

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Habitat

The dense mixed and conifer forests typical
 of western Washington are the preferred
breeding habitat of Red-breasted Sapsuckers.
They are often found in mature and old-growth
forests, but will breed in second growth as long
as there are some large nesting trees. They can
also be found in riparian habitats with large
cottonwoods.

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Behavior

Sapsuckers get their name from their foraging
strategy, which consists of drilling neat horizontal
rows of holes into tree trunks and then returning
to those holes later to feed on the running sap
and the insects attracted to it. Unlike most
woodpeckers, they forage in healthy trees
and can actually kill a tree if they drill too
many sap-holes around its trunk, although
this is quite uncommon.

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Diet

The main food of Red-breasted Sapsuckers is
tree sap. They also eat some insects and fruit.
They take more insects during the nesting
season, and they feed insects to their young.

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Nesting

Much is not well known about the nesting
behaviors of Red-breasted Sapsuckers.
They form monogamous pairs, and both
members of the pair excavate the nest cavity.
Nests are usually built in deciduous trees, such
as aspen, alder, cottonwood, or willow, but they
may also be in firs or other conifers. The nest
is often high, 50-60 feet off the ground. Both
sexes typically incubate the 5 to 6 eggs for 12
to 13 days. Both feed the young, which leave
the nest after 25 to 29 days. The young are
probably dependent on the parents for ten
days or so thereafter. Red-breasted Sapsuckers
typically raise a single brood each year.

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Migration Status

Red-breasted Sapsuckers are the least migratory
of Washington's sapsuckers and the only sapsuckers
that regularly occur in Washington during the winter.
If the weather turns cold enough for sap to freeze,
they may descend into the lowlands or move out to
the outer coast to find food.

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Conservation Status

Red-breasted Sapsuckers are considered a keystone species, because many other species use the sap
wells they drill. Their numbers may have declined
because of habitat degradation, but these sapsuckers
are still fairly numerous, and the Breeding Bird
Survey has identified a non-significant annual increase in Washington since 1966. In the Cascades they
hybridize with Red-naped Sapsuckers.

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When and Where to Find in Washington

Red-breasted Sapsuckers are common breeders
in appropriate habitat west of, and just beyond,
the Cascade crest, to the outer coast. They are
rare breeders in conifer forests east of the
Cascades and may be rare breeders in residential
areas or city parks in western Washington.
Wintering birds can be found in the western
Washington lowlands. They are extremely rare
winter visitors to eastern Washington.

Click here to visit this species' account and 
breeding-season distribution map inSound to Sage, 
Seattle Audubon's on-line breeding bird atlas of 
Island, King, Kitsap, and Kittitas Counties.

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Abundance

C=Common; F=Fairly Common; U=Uncommon; R=Rare; I=Irregular

Ecoregion	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Oceanic
Pacific Northwest Coast	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F
Puget Trough	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F
North Cascades	U	U	U	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	U	U
West Cascades	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F
East Cascades	R	R	R	U	U	U	U	U	R	R	R	R
Okanogan				R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Canadian Rockies
Blue Mountains
Columbia Plateau

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Washington Range Map