Birds of Edmonds, WA. 2019

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Bill Anderson

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Staff member
Later that afternoon from Sunset Ave. The first time I have seen Brant perched on the tethered log at the underwater dive park at Brackett's Landing North.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Varied thrush continue to hang out in my neighborhood. Their loud, distinctive trills can be heard in the morning after sunrise. One continues to lay claim to the ground level suet feeder in my back yard. I have seen it chase off another thrush and a junco.

The varied thrush is hard to photograph because it is very very skittish. I took these photos Friday (3-8-19) through the glass of the sliding door on my back deck. The thrush took off as soon as I opened the door for some better photos. The white blur at the bottom of the photos is the deck rail.



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PSA for the photographers in the audience: Be sure to adjust the time setting in your cameras for the change to daylight saving time.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
I dropped by the marsh Sunday afternoon (3-10-19) to see how Marsh March Madness 2019 is going. Wesley reminded me to tell everyone to come down and watch the marsh progress from winter to spring.

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A female downy woodpecker was in the trees bordering the marsh along the walkway between the #2 and #3 viewing platforms.

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A small flock of bushtits was feeding in the trees around the #3 viewing platform.

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A small flock of Canada geese flew from somewhere northeast of the marsh to the pond on the Unocal property just south of Willow Creek. I looked for the greater white-fronted goose that has been hanging out with the flock I saw grazing at the Frances Anderson play field. I did not see the goose while I was taking photos, but found it after I had uploaded the photos to my computer at home. Another example of my "shoot first and ask questions later" philosophy paying off.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Tuesday afternoon (3-12-19) I took a break from Marsh March Madness 2019 to photograph some backyard birds after my son and I refilled the seed feeders.

Black-capped chickadee

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Dark-eyed junco (Oregon variety)

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red-breasted nuthatch

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
More backyard birds.

My nemesis, the ruby crowned kinglet

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Bewick's wren

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Song sparrow

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
More Marsh March Madness from Wednesday (3-13-19) afternoon.

Spotted towhee off the #1 viewing platform.

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Wesley perched on a bare shrub very close to the walkway.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Still more Marsh March Madness from Saturday (3-16-19) afternoon.

A beautiful light morph red-tailed hawk soared over the marsh and Pt. Edwards.

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The first time I have seen Wesley perched on the old martin gourd holder.

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bushtit

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thursday (3-21-19) a red-breasted nuthatch was pecking at one of the habitat stumps in my backyard. For a small bird it made a fairly loud pecking sound.

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It came up with something.

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rickyred

Member
A great Start to Spring. Waiting for the Osprey to return. The pair at the Fill can be approached easily and from different spots around the nesting pole. Keep crafting your beautiful pictures. R.J
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Last Wednesday (3-27-19) a pair of wood ducks was at Sprague Pond in Lynnwood's Mini Park. A serious birder friend said she has been checking the park for them and this is the first of the year sighting.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
For those of you who are on my bird photo mailing list that may be checking this thread: Yahoo has made changes such that I cannot send out group e-mails with links to this thread. Yahoo has a history of making "improvements" that are anything but. I will probably have to switch to Gmail to continue sending out the group notifications.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thursday evening (5-9-19) I went down to the marsh for the first time in ages. A friend had reported that herons were building nests in the old rookery that had been abandoned a few years ago. I got a shot with my 100-400L telephoto zoom of one of them on a nest. I need to return with the 500L + 2x III teleconverter for closer shots.

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In the past, black-capped chickadees have nested in the swallow box off the #1 viewing platform. This year a pair of tree swallows has taken it over.

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Song sparrow.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Sometimes the birds come to you. Two pileated woodpeckers were in my backyard Saturday afternoon (7-27-19). They took off before I had a chance to take photos. Fortunately a female doubled back and landed on one of my Doug firs, where it posed for a few photos and groomed itself.

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This may be a fledgling as the head feathers are still pink/light red rather than dark red of an adult.

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After a few minutes it took off and flew to Pine Ridge Park, located at the end of my court and home to at least one breeding pair pf pileateds.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
We have all seen crows harassing and chasing raptors. I have only seen two birds turn the tables and chase crows: redwing blackbirds defending their nesting areas and a peregrine falcon.

Thursday (8-2-19) I saw a small bird chasing and harassing a crow along the beach below Sunset Ave. Based on its size, shape, and behavior, I suspected it was a merlin. My photos were not good due to the distance and heat waves, but I think they are good enough to ID the bird as a merlin.

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The merlin not only chased the crow in the air, but also dove at it on the beach.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Wednesday evening (8-7-19) near sunset my son and I went down to the marsh. The fall migration has started as evidenced by a small flock of sandpipers in the mud flat on the far side. They were too far away for good photos, even with the 500L telephoto + 2x III teleconverter.

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A few guardians of the marsh were also present.

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One of the Pt. Edwards eagles was perched on the family tree at the top of Pine St. above the new condos. We had checked out Pt. Edwards earlier and found the babies in the nest tree and the other adult in a tree farther down Pine St.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
For the locals in the audience:

For the past few years, Terry and I have presented exhibits of our bird photos in conjunction with the annual Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds.
http://pugetsoundbirdfest.com/

The theme of this year's Bird Fest is shore birds. The star of our photo exhibit is Terry's shot of an oyster catcher that is hanging at the FAC. It looks a lot like the oyster catchers in this year's Bird Fest poster.

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Our photos will be on exhibit at the Frances Anderson Center and the Edmonds public library until 9-16-19. If you are in the neighborhood, please drop in and check them out.
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Daren and I went back to the marsh Thursday afternoon (8-8-19). It was overcast, so I hoped to get better photos of the sandpipers without the heat waves and glare of a sunny day. While the weather cooperated, the birds did not as they remained on the far side of the marsh. With their blacklegs, they look like western sandpipers.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Several herons were at the marsh. One was near the #2 viewing platform....

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while another was perched in a tree on the south side above Willow Creek.

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Heron action.

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Close up shots of the birds can make one forget that the marsh is in the middle of urbania.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Saturday afternnoon (8-10-19) I went down to the marsh to look for shore birds. A flock of sandpipers flew out of the marsh and headed north towards Brackett's Landing.

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Two Anna's hummingbirds were chasing each other in the tree above the #2 viewing platform. I got a photos of one. I don't believe it was Wesley.

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Next up in size from the hummers are bushtits. A flock was making its way down the row of evergreens that border the boardwalk. This one is a female as evidenced by her spooky yellow eyes.

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The sun came out, causing heatwaves, glare, and steam off the water and mud which made photography impossible. I did get a Sasquatch shot of a mystery shorebird, which might be a dowitcher or yellowlegs.

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