December 21: Alan Huggins and EOB class potluck saw a Great Yellowlegs at Shawnee.
December 27: Christmas Day Richard and Susan Rogers found a Killdeer and 2 Wilson's Snipe in the field west of 13710. This location would be on the way down to Lisabeula Park on 220th once you've passed Westside Hwy. Richard got some great photos.
December 28: The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) went well with an initial tally of 109 species -- this number usually rises. Vashon's first recorded Glaucous Gull showed up at the Tahlequah dock, seen independently by two different parties, Ed Swan/Pete Murray/Nancy Miracle and Kathy Kirkland/Michael Perrone. John and Ellie Friars and Brian Bell found a Townsend's Solitaire near KVI -- a first for the CBC and Vashon's second or third winter record. Dan Willsie saw a Long-tailed Duck at Dockton. Richard Rogers re-found two Wilson's Snipe on 220th and Ed Swan, Pete Murray and Nancy Miracle found another 2 at Portage. Several pintail were found in different locations on the Island and the off-Island contingents also saw several very good birds.
January 5: Bob Hawkins saw Black Turnstones and Sanderlings at the little point 50 yards or so north of Fern Cove where the gulls like to gather. It's worth checking here for Surfbirds and Rock Sandpiper as well, we've yet to get Rock Sandpiper on the list.
Carole Elder reports that before Christmas, one of the Napa Auto Parts people came into the Vashon Bookshop while she was working and said that about 25 Snow Geese had landed in the fields behind the store. The worker was familiar with them enough to remember about the black wingtips, having seen them many times from I think formerly living up around the Skagit.
Then Jack Barbash emailed me about seeing a “v” of 30 Snow Geese silently flying down the length of the Singer Valley (Judd Creek between Cemetery and 204th). He also noted the black wing tips. These might be the same flock as mentioned above.
January 14: Sue Trevathan found a snipe in the wet fields that are part of the Land Trust's Judd Creek preserve. (Those connected with the Land Trust might ask them about not planting that whole area with trees to keep some habitat for open area birds like the snipe.) We have had a lot of snipe sightings in the last month: Richard Rogers on 220th, Karen Fevold on Cemetery Rd, the one at Portage on the CBC and this one. Usually, Rich Siegrist is the only winter report along his driveway. I think this probably means more snipe this year but it may be at least partially increased observer effort and shared reporting. They may always be out in the wet fields and the snow might have just bunched them into more observable areas.
Gary Shugart saw 80+ Western Grebes in the outer Quartermaster Harbor. It seems funny to have this be worth mentioning but that's how it is these days with the grebes. He also saw the turnstones at Fern Cove. I saw some Harlequin Ducks on the Tramp Harbor side of Portage where they used to be fairly regular and easily visible.
January 22: Sherry Bottoms had a Barred Owl and a saw-whet owl in the Island Center Forest. Jack Dowdy took some beautiful photos of Brant at the Tramp Harbor side of Portage early this week and Gary Shugart later saw 18 there. I saw about 20 at mid passage from Fauntleroy on Tuesday. Larry Huggins saw 80 Common Mergansers at Lisabeula. Rich Siegrist had 5 snipe along his driveway in the Colvos area. I think that's a high number for one location in winter here. Numbers more than one or two have always been in the fall. He was also wondering about owl sightings having not seen or heard many lately when Sherry's email came in.
January 26: Rich Siegrist has had a Mourning Dove regularly at his place the last few days. I saw a beautiful male pintail at KVI today. I wonder if it was the one reported by Kathy Kirkland as oiled there on the CBC? Only one or two a year are usually seen on the Island. Last week I saw a female Barrow's Goldeneye on Mukai Pond which is a little unusual. Also, Lincoln Sparrows have been regular where Monument Rd. runs into Quartermaster Dr. Often they've been in the low scraggly blackberries just west of the Y at the end of Monument Rd on the edge of the road and the corn field. Today I saw one on the east side of the street but farther up just where the trees start.
February 3: Yesterday, Richard Rogers had a flock of Tundra Swans fly over his place at Lisabeula. Last week, Amy Watkins described well a Townsend's Solitaire in her yard on the north end. Also yesterday, I saw at least 150 Red-throated Loons in Tramp Harbor in the late afternoon. Running around the Dockton area I heard Black Scoters along the shore of the residential area that reaches down to the water and saw a Hermit Thrush foraging along the roadside of one of the fields. A pair of Harlequins was at the Tramp Harbor side of Portage.
February 9: Today a Great Yellowlegs was at Raab's Lagoon. Also there was a nice male Hooded Merganser. Today, a half run on a loop around Dockton counted up 43 species in a half hour. That's about ten species better than the Ellisport/Tramp Harbor/Monument Rd run that I do in the same amount of time. There were a number of Hermit Thrush, a scrub jay, and Black Scoters as some of the more interesting birds.
February 14: Gary Shugart and Jeff and Ray Adams saw a Canvasback at Raab's Lagoon. Jeff saw a Canvasback in the lagoon which then later swam out and around in front of the bluff for awhile and then onwards into Quartermaster Harbor. This is the first recorded Canvasback for Vashon, though I'm sure they have strayed here before. They winter in shallow protected bays, delta mudflats and sewage ponds. Numbers are quite a bit smaller in western Washington than a century ago but they still have a number of localized areas where they can be found. Along Lake Washington Blvd near Seward Park in Seattle has been a good traditional spot nearby.
February 15: Gene Hunn saw two Ruddy Ducks near Portage yesterday. These are the first this winter unless there were some on the CBC and there were none last year.
Gilbert Findlay counted 252 Common Mergansers in inner Quartermaster Harbor. That's a big number for the C. Mergansers, has anyone ever seen more at one time around the Island?
This morning at the end of a birding tour I led, an immature Peregrine Falcon came in and provided quite a show at Ellisport. It went after some gulls and ducks in the water, tangled with an adult Bald Eagle and made an airborne Belted Kingfisher dive under water to escape. As it zipped across the water to attack the pond at KVI, I could see two foot geysers where the Bufflehead and goldeneye were diving so hard to get out of the way.
February 16: Sue Trevathan called to say the Canvasback is back at Raab's Lagoon sitting on a log close to the dike on the other side of the lagoon (across the water from where you enter).
Looking into their food preferences, in winter they prefer plant matter, often roots and tubers. Their body design and diving style is set up to help them dive hard perpendicularly into the substrate so that they can get in deep into the mud. They mostly show up in lakes or shallow delta marine areas or other brackish water areas. All of Vashon's likely spots are on the small side which I guess is why they don't usually show up here to stay. I'm not sure why we don't notice strays or migrants stopping by like this more often.
Raab's Lagoon seems like a micro micro version of the type of habitat they like in winter so maybe that's why the Canvasback is there. Over where the Ruddy Ducks go at Portage, the mouth of Judd Creek and maybe Fern Cove would be other possibilities.
February 16: Joy Nelsen saw some small looking Canada Geese at Raab's Lagoon and at the pond along the highway north of the Vashon Community Care Center.
We have only one modern record of Cackling Goose for Vashon in 2006 of 2 minima and four taverni subspecies birds together. And we also have only one record of the parvipes (Lesser Canada Goose) subspecies of Canada Goose, the only subspecies record other than that of the usual moffitti (Great Basin) subspecies geese that we usually get, also in 2006.
So if you see some small looking Canada Geese get some photos, they don't have to be competition quality, just good enough to see what it is. Or take very good notes, comparing size to other birds present and look especially at the shape of the head. The Cackling Geese, especially the minima form, have boxy looking heads, where the forehead and back are nearly vertical. Canada Geese have more of a sloping forehead into the bill. If you know differently or have some other pointers to share that would be especially useful for taking notes, let me know, and I'll pass it on here.
Also, as I was going through email and putting sightings into the database, I noticed where Dan Willsie had 300 C. Mergansers at his place back in December, even more than Gilbert Findlay had recently.
March 13: Rich Siegrist sent me photos of a Cackling Goose recently that I've sent on to get a sub species id on as well. Today, I think with the Audubon or birding class field trip, Alan Huggins saw a Greater White-fronted Goose at Dockton. Bob Hawkins then saw it there with seven geese at least one of which looked like a Cackling Goose. If anyone could get photos of these geese, that would be helpful. I received many reports of Rufous Hummer arrivals and Margie Morgan reported the first singing pugetensis White-crowned Sparrow today.
March 27: Bent and Marie Blichfeldt had a White-breasted Nuthatch in Dockton yesterday though they haven't seen it again today. This would be a second record for Vashon and is very rare west of the Cascade crest.
I heard the first Violet-green Swallows last Friday, the 20th, that have been reported. No reports of other swallow species yet, several of which are already possible.
Today WC Sparrows were singing in the Chautauqua elementary parking lot and a flock of at least a dozen Black Scoters (could have been more, it was too cold to check further) were blowing their kazoos at Raab's Lagoon.
The Friars had a White-throated Sparrow turn up at their place near KVI today. OC Warblers and Savannah Sparrows should be back but I have yet to get any reports.
Kathryn True had a Turkey Vulture pass over all the way back on the 15th that I don't think I reported in these notes.
March 31: Rich Siegrist saw a Turkey Vulture moving northward by his place in the Colvos area of NW Vashon. Joy Nelsen spotted a Northern Harrier flying over the beach at her place near Pt. Robinson.
April 6: John and Ellie Friars brought in the first Orange-crowned Warbler report on April 5 at their place by KVI. Usually they are reported somewhat earlier.
Savannah Sparrows were also late with a report by Rich Siegrist on April 2 and another on the 5th with nesting material already. I looked in several good spots for them on the 3rd with no luck.
No Ospreys have apparently been observed yet. The nest at 188th was cleared off last fall by the cell phone co. Usually I see birds sitting on that nest at the latest by Apr 3. I haven't been out to check the cell tower site north of town along the highway or the one by the golf course. Another was reported by Camp Sealth and Wax Orchard Rd last year but I haven't heard anything about birds at any of these locations yet. Osprey were reported at Purdy and other close by Puget Sound locations in the last week of March.
Snipe are winnowing down by Roy, with all of the snipe sightings we had this winter, it might be interesting to see if we had any stick around here. The most likely spots would be along Rich Siegrist's driveway at the Monument Rd and Quartermaster Dr. corner and the new Judd Creek reserve. Try as close to dawn as possible.
April 7: There were reports from many of Osprey at Dockton and other parts of Maury Island on Sunday the 5th in response to yesterday's email.
Orange-crowned Warblers seemed to have really come in Sunday and Monday, appearing Island-wide.
Savannah Sparrows were at KVI and I think I heard N. Rough-winged Swallows there as well.
Emma Amiad found House Sparrows already nesting in a hole in the theater wall.
Over the weekend, I heard and saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying slowly over the trees and giving what I think were courtship calls. Our Anna's Hummingbird likes to sit about 60' up in the top of an alder and flew a bit higher up to chase the sharpy off. Later a sharpy, a red tail and two Bald Eagles were using an updraft to circle overhead and the local Barred Owl was calling from the gully. The new chicken yard we're putting in will definitely need fencing over the top.
April 9: Visiting birders found a Townsend's Solitaire on Wesleyan Way on the south part of Vashon yesterday. We've had at least one if not two or three around this winter but this bird is probably part of the yearly April passage. Pt. Robinson is the best spot to look for these in April, watch along the shoreline trees from the lighthouse south.
John and Ellie Friars had a single Dunlin in breeding plumage down at KVI.
Joy Nelsen had a Merlin at her place.
I've been forgetting to mention the Yellow-rumped Warblers passing through. It seems like it has been rather light here this year. There's been some regularly at 232nd and Wax Orchard that I and Gary Shugart have seen, Steve Caldwell reported some by his place above Tramp Harbor and others have reported them at Pt. Robinson, a common place for them.
Gary Shugart saw two PB Grebes at Fisher's Pond, possibly they'll nest there again this spring.
April 14: Sanderling with a few Dunlin mixed in should be moving by there now though I didn't see any when I checked today. Peeps and others should also be showing up any time.
Gary Shugart found about 50 swallows at Fisher's Pond on the 11th with at least 2 Northern Rough-winged (the first definite for this season, though somewhat late) and several Barn Swallows, the first of the season. Looked for but didn't see any Tree which have yet to be reported. Cliff Swallows might be looked for at the airport and the school buildings.
Michelle Ramsden saw a Turkey Vulture over the Dockton area yesterday.
Today on the first run around the Ellisport/Monument Rd. area that I've had time for in about a month, I counted 45 species and with added time would have easily had more. I heard the first cowbirds of the season and also saw two Gr. Yellowlegs at Portage. The yellowlegs might be migrants or I suspect that there are one or two that range between Raab's Lagoon and the mouth of Judd Creek throughout the winter each year.
I've also been noticing many RB Sapsuckers flying along the roads all over the last week or so. At Mukai Pond, quite a few Common Yellowthroat were scolding a lot and singing a little and as I was on my way back, about 20 Greater White-fronted Geese were flying north over Vashon Highway at Vashon Center.
April 17: Mike Feinstein saw a Townsend's Solitaire at Pt. Robinson yesterday. Tuesday, Joy Nelsen found snipe still in the marsh at Portage. Amy Kitchener says the Osprey are rebuilding the nest at the cell tower on 188th. It appears that the nest on the cell tower along the highway north of town also was cleared off but that a pair is rebuilding there as well.
Yesterday I saw a Greater Yellowlegs fly in to the shoreline at Dockton park.
April 20: Sue Trevathan saw a Swainson's Thrush in her yard yesterday, a bit on the early side. Today I had Black-throated Grey Warblers and Pacific-slope Flycatchers in the trees surrounding my yard. Rich Siegrist had yet another Townsend's Solitaire at his place on the 17th and still has snipe in the fields along his driveway. Haven't heard or seen Purple Martins at Tramp Harbor yet.
April 21: Sue Trevathan saw a Cassin's Vireo in her yard today. Gary Shugart saw Caspian Terns off the south end. This is the first sighting for Vashon this year but they have been seen around Puget Sound for a week or two. At KVI Beach I saw three Least Sandpiper foraging in the mud at the middle of the little pond/marsh. No martins around though.
April 23: This morning Sue Trevathan and I found Wilson's Warbler in our nearly adjacent properties. Ron Simons saw a Brown Pelican off the north end ferry dock yesterday. Laura Bienen on the north end and Joy Nelsen on Maury both report Golden Pheasants, native to China.
April 25: Gene Studer (fide Bob Hawkins) had 140 Brant in front of his house. That's the largest flock I've heard of this year. I saw a group of 50+ a week ago at KVI but they seem to not be coming as much this year.
April 27: Peter Droge saw a vulture at the Swallow's Nest near Pt. Robinson on the 24th.
April 28: This afternoon Joe Van Os had at least 5 Townsend's Solitaires in the field behind his office on Old Mill Road. This ties the record of 5 seen at once at Pt. Robinson in April of 2000 by a Tahoma Audubon field trip. I thought he said 5000 at first and was really amazed. It would have been a little like a scene from the movie The Birds.
Joe also reported a Chipping Sparrow in the last week at his place on Maury Island and a Lazuli Bunting. That's very early for Lazuli Bunting and Chipping Sparrows are very rare on Vashon but that's right on for them to move through. Several were reported around Puget Sound recently.
Also this afternoon I found five Western Sandpipers with a breeding plumage Dunlin at KVI Beach at low tide on the spit.
John and Ellie Friars had two American Pipits at KVI yesterday and have been hearing Warbling Vireo for 2 weeks, earlier than Rich Siegrist's sighting I mentioned for this last weekend.
Pete Murray sent some awesome photos of an eagle after its attack on the small heronry at his place.
May 1: Yesterday Joy Nelsen saw a male Western Tanager in her bird bath near Pt. Robinson.
This morning Nancy Miracle had a Black-headed Grosbeak at her feeder south of Burton, I heard one or two near my place at mid-Island and Alan Huggins had one at his place on the north end, they must have arrived during the nice weather last night.
On my walk back up from the pavement this morning, I had the grosbeak, Cassin's Vireo, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle), Black-throated Grey, Townsend's and Wilson's Warblers.
Joy Nelsen saw a couple of hundred shorebirds just south of Pt. Robinson today and wasn't sure which species, thinking Western Sandpipers. More likely in those numbers would be Sanderling and Dunlin mixed together.
Yesterday I saw 10 Least Sandpipers at KVI Beach at high tide.
This evening I heard Varied Thrush still singing in the woods by my house. Wish I had the time and skill for hunting them down for potential nesting sites.
May 8: On Tuesday, Brenda Sestrap had a meadowlark on her horse fence in Dockton.
Bob also had a large flock of goldeneye in front of his place in Dockton. They'll be gone in the next week or so.
Susan Bublitz saw Purple Martins at Tramp Harbor on the 1st and Joy Nelsen on the 5th. I still haven't heard or seen any yet.
May 14:
On the 8th, John and Ellie Friars had the first Olive-sided Flycatcher report.
Also on the 8th, a post on tweeters reported a Brown Pelican at Pt. Defiance. The birder was looking for a reported Humpback Whale in the area. Single humpbacks have been seen at this time of year in the last few years. So far this year there has not been a confirmed sighting.
On the 9th Gary Shugart had: 47 brant off Tramp Harbor Pier; 2 eared grebes in breeding plumage; scattered white-wing mostly and a few surf scoters; 1 breeding plumage loon at Tramp Harbor; 3 western grebes in the outer harbor. Also on the Audubon field trip on the 9th at Mukai Pond 2 Vaux's Swifts flew by.
On the 12th Sue Trevathan had the first Western Wood-Pewee. Over the weekend Sue found the Barred Owl fledglings from this year's nest near her house. They were spread out around just north of the south access trail to the Land Trust area along Judd Creek. For the first time, Sue thinks she found the actual nest location in a thick broken off snag viewable from the road. At the bottom of a crack in the top, it looks like some nest material is visible. Pete Murray got some great photos.
Gary Shugart saw two Harlequin Ducks at the Tahlequah dock on the 12th.
Kathryn True saw a bobwhite at the end of her driveway on the north end. That's the first report from that end of the Island of these hatched and released birds.
On the 13th, Marcy Summers had 5 Evening Grosbeaks at her feeder.
May 20: On Monday the 18th Gary Shugart saw a Brown Pelican over the Pt. Defiance dock heading toward Vashon.
Today, Geri Peterson sent Sue Trevathan some nice photos of a Lazuli Bunting. She has a pair at her place.
I've had widespread reports and personal sightings of Evening Grosbeaks. It will be interesting to see if they stick around.
On Saturday, I saw several fledged Song Sparrows. I had Yellow Warblers along 91st as I looked for orioles at their usual spot at 91st and Van Olinda. No orioles though.
May 23: Tommi Parker 463-5101 at 24526 - 59th (over by the Swallow's Nest) saw two birds she thinks were Painted Buntings today at her bird bath. If someone has some time to look around out that way, it's just within the realm of the possible that these might actually have been Painted Buntings. There's one other record for Washington from 2002 in Seattle and maybe one other possible confirmed sighting since then.
May 27: On Thursday the 21st, Gary Shugart and Kathryn True saw 1, possibly 2, Common Murres on the Tahlequah ferry run.
On Friday the 22nd a Willow Flycatcher was in the brush at the corner of Old Mill Rd and 232nd. Sue Trevathan reported another over the weekend in Paradise Valley and today John Friars had one near his place at KVI Beach and I heard another at 91st and Van Olinda. There were four flycatcher species calling at once at the Old Mill/232nd corner: Willow, Olive-sided, Pacific-slope and a Pewee.
Geri Peterson had a Lazuli Bunting at her place yesterday by the Ellisport/KVI Beach area four way stop.
June 12: Getting out some belated sightings: Last week on Thursday and Friday, I led tours to Mukai Pond. There was a female Hooded Merganser with 5 chicks, a Mallard with one and a Wood Duck with two.
On the next street to the east at the old Mukai plant, a Mourning Dove flew overhead. I would bet there's at least one pair nesting somewhere on the Island.
I also saw a pair of Marbled Murrelet along a rip from the Tahlequah Ferry last Sunday.
Last night, Kathryn True heard a Common Nighthawk at her place on the north end, the only report so far this year.
June 17: This morning I heard first and then found a House Wren along Old Mill Road. It was singing just inside the north end tree line of the clearing on the north side of 220th on Old Mill Road, about 100 yards in to the gravel part of Old Mill Road.
June 28: Rich Siegrist saw a Turkey Vulture circle into his neighbor's recently cut field and land today only to be chased off by a raven and some crows.
Kathryn True has an active Great Horned Owl nest with young in her neighborhood.
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