Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Washington State: Birding with a Camera® Tour Leader: Ben Knoot
Pigeon Guillemot - Photo by guest Jen
*This was Tropical Birding’s first “COVID-19 Tour”. Due to this and a few other personal reasons, I (Ben Knoot) did not take too many photos on this tour. Most of the trip report photos come from the guests. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Introduction
Washington was our first COVID-19 tour of the year and if I could sum it up in on word? It would be “successful”. There were several adaptive measures that needed to be taken but in the end, the tour was smooth and we were able to see a lot of our target species and get a lot of great photos, especially some of the specialty breeding species found in the PNW. This wonderful 9- day tour is split between the lush, green and vibrant western half and the dry, hot, breeding bird filled east. We take care to move slowly through each habitat, seeing as much as we can. We began the tour with a trip west to the Olympic Peninsula. Our first job was to cross the water via two ferry crossings. We then spent several days exploring this truly amazing place. The peninsula is home to Olympic National Park which contains some of the last 7% of old growth forest in the U.S. We visited the stunning Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park and all of the birding hotspots the peninsula had to offer. Highlights from this portion of the tour included: Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Belted Kingfisher, Barred Owl, Harlequin Duck, Sooty Grouse and mesmerizing waterfalls wild flower meadows. After a few days on the peninsula we left for the east. This day long excursion across the beautiful cascades had us stopping at some key stops along our route. Highlights along our route included; Golden-crowned Kinglet, Pacific Wren, American Pika, Hoary Marmot, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-eyed Vireo and the stunning Diablo Lake. Now in the east, our target birds have completely altered. We are now targeting perfectly plumaged breeding song birds and waterfowl. The dry hills are broken by areas of perfect riparian habitat that host a slew of breeders from woodpeckers to ducks and even down to small Calliope Hummingbirds. Our time in the northeast then moved into the dry Okanogan for yet more breeders. Here, the small lakes and stunning forests captivated our binoculars and our cameras. Highlights of the northeast were; Common Loon, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Black- backed Woodpecker, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Lazuli Bunting, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Prairie Falcon, Spotted Towhee, Mountain Chickadee, Black-headed Grosbeak and Western Tanager. The last portion of the tour traveled south and then west. The southwest portion of the state is even drier and hotter than the rest. This of course means different birds and different habitats. Dry ponderosa pine, isolated lakes and oak woodlands hosted a ton of new species for us. Our highlights for our last portion of the tour included; White-headed Woodpecker, Western Grebe, Black-crowned Night Heron, Pygmy Nuthatch, Gray Flycatcher, Long-eared Owl, Burrowing Owl, Sage Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Wilson’s Phalarope, Brewers, Vesper, Lark and Grasshopper Sparrow. We then traveled back to Seattle for our last dinner, final checklist and goodbyes. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Top Five Birds
1. Marbled Murrelet
2. Varied Thrush
3. Black-backed Woodpecker
4. Lazuli Bunting
5. White-headed Woodpecker
Top Three Photographic Opportunities
1. Pigeon Guillemots Nesting
2. Bubbling Ruddy Duck Display
3. Lazuli Bunting/Spotted Towhee Photo Shoot
Top Three Other Animal
1. American Pika
2. Hoary Marmot
3. American Black Bear
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Itinerary
July 10th Day 1: Arrival Day (Introductory Dinner)
July 11th Day 2: Mainland WA to Olympic Peninsula/Sequim
July 12th Day 2: Port Angeles Area/Dungeness to Hurricane Ridge
July 13th Day 3: Olympic NP/Sol Duc Falls to Port Angeles Area
July 14th Day 4: Olympic Peninsula to Winthrop
July 15th Day 5: Winthrop Hotspots
July 16th Day 6: Okanogan Region
July 17th Day 7: Winthrop to Moses Lake
July 18th Day 8: Moses Lake Hotspots
July 19th Day 9: Moses Lake to Seattle via Vantage to Departure
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Tour Summary Day-to-Day
Day One (July 11th) - The group arrived in Seattle and after a personal pick up in our very own van to prevent any unknown contamination possibilities, the group was transferred to our lovely first nights hotel; the Cedarbrook Lodge. The group met later that evening for a nice dinner, an introduction to the tour and to receive their checklist. We also went over some of the new COVID-19 policies that we would be implementing during the tour.
Day Two (July 12th) - Today we began very early. Our plan was to catch a reserved ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula. I had originally reserved a time to have a smooth crossing with good light for possible photos and good alcid viewing opportunities. After a quick coffee stop, we arrived at our first ferry crossing in Kingston. And here came the first COVID-19 adaption necessity. Unfortunately, I did not account for fewer ferries operating at this crossing so we ended up taking a later ferry than I had intended, putting our main ferry crossing in jeopardy. We birded around Mukilteo Lighthouse Park. Here we got our first looks at Marbled Murrelet, Pigeon Guillemot, Rhinoceros Auklet, Glaucous-winged Gull, California Gull, House Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Great Blue Heron.
Mukilteo Lighthouse Park - Photo by guest Alex www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
From the ferry we saw more of the same as we saw from the park but added a fun little Gray Seal. We arrived on Whidbey Island and we were definitely running late for the ferry but I knew we could make it if we got lucky with lights and traffic. So, we pushed on and arrived at the Coupeville Ferry Terminal just literally a minute too late. As we arrived the standby guests had just filled the ferry…bummer…HOWEVER, we were in luck. I parked the car in line and I took everyone out to the jetty where we were delighted to find a dozen or so nesting Pigeon Guillemots and we had an excellent photoshoot. We also added Pelagic and Cormorant Double- crested Cormorant, Harlequin Duck, Savannah Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Bald Eagle, Canada Goose and Red-winged Blackbird. So, COVID-19 struck but could not break us. We then boarded the ferry and prepared for a big target search.
Rhinoceros Auklet - Photo by guide Ben
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One of the big possibilities on this ferry crossing is Tufted Puffin. Unfortunately, strong winds and relatively high waves made visibility difficult during the crossing and we were unable to find the puffin, but we were able to try our photography luck with more of the same alcids we saw earlier. Of course, no guide at Tropical Birding Tours gives up easily. So, when we landed on the peninsula, I took the group to Diamond Point Overlook, a known viewing spot for Tufted Puffin just off of their breeding grounds of Protection Island. Unfortunately, we struck out again so instead, we birded the nearby pond. Highlights here included; Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Pintail, Mallard, Canada Goose, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Purple Martin, Anna’s Hummingbird, House Finch and Spotted Towhee. A fun non-bird highlight was a mother Black-tailed Deer who brought her fawn down to the pond to splash around and bath. Lots of fun.
Black-tailed Deer with Mallards and Chicks - Photo by guest Jen
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After this nice stop, we checked another small pond named Pitship Pocket Estuary where a family of Belted Kingfisher were hanging around after a successful nesting season.
We then checked into our hotel, grabbed a quick bite to eat and went off to our main location for the afternoon; Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. Majestic mountains, stunning fields of wild flowers and epic views greeted us on the way up the mountain.
Scenic View (Hurricane Ridge) - Photo by guest Alex
Further up the road, we ran into one of our main targets, the Sooty Grouse. We got really lucky and actually ran into a female with her chicks! It was a very cool sighting.
Sooty Grouse and Chicks - Photo by guest Alex
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Feeling quite good at this point, we continued towards the visitor center of Hurricane Ridge to locate a few more of our target birds. We were able to add; Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow- rumped Warbler (Audubon’s), Dark-eyed Junco, Canada Jay, Northern Flicker, American Black Bear and Olympic Marmot. We took a walk for a very uncommon and difficult bird for this tour, the American Three-toed Woodpecker. Unfortunately, even though we had a lovely walk and saw more gorgeous scenes and flowers, we were unable to locate the woodpecker.
Wildflowers - Photo by guest Jen
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The day wound down and we returned to Sequim for a lovely dinner and good nights rest, eager to explore more of the Olympic Peninsula in the morning.
Day Three (July 13th) - Today was another early morning and we started by visiting a local Sequim hotspot, “3-Crabs Mudflats”. When we arrived a small group of Long-billed and Short- billed Dowitcher, Western and Least Sandpiper, Killdeer and Canada Geese were waiting for us to immortalize them in digital film.
Long-billed Dowitcher - Photo by guest Mark
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With the addition of these fine new species, we continued on towards another fantastic hotspot, Dungeness Wildlife Area. This incredible forest has some pretty amazing views but what was truly awesome was running into a family of Barred Owl. A family of four birds were hopping around a small patch of Big Leaf Maple, entertaining us for a few glorious minutes.
Barred Owlet - Photo by guide Ben www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
We also added a few extra species like Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red Crossbill, Hairy Woodpecker, Swainson’s Thrush, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Chestnut- backed and Black-capped Chickadee. Once we finished here, I moved the group to one of my favorite places in Olympic National Park, The Sol Duck Falls Trail. Here we got our first really good look at Harlequin Duck. We watched two females enjoy a calm spot in the middle of the raging Sol Duc River.
Harlequin Duck - Photo by guest John
We continued up the road, the air filled with the sound of Pacific Wren, Pacific Slope Flycatcher and Steller’s Jay. We didn’t focus on these birds in the moment because I had heard an even more delectable target, the Varied Thrush. With a little bit of patience, we were finally able to get great looks at this gorgeous bird. Though we tried, the best we could do on photos was a near vertical photo opportunity of it perched on snag. We continued on towards what I believe is considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the entire Olympic National Park; Sol Duc Falls.
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Sol Duc Falls - Photo by guide Ben Cascade in Olympic NP - Photo by guide Ben
One of the reasons this places holds such a special place in my heart is because it is one of the few remaining locations for Old Growth Forests. There is less than 7% of this pure virgin forest remaining in the U.S after logging hit its peak in the early-mid 20th century. So, it’s always fun to see a reminder of what used to be. After this lovely walk, we returned to our van and started back towards Sequim. We went to visit Eidz’s Hook and were delighted to find; male Harlequin Duck, California Gull, Pelagic Cormorant, and Heermann’s Gull. We called it a day and went to one of the best seafood restaurants in town for our last night on the Olympic Peninsula.
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Day Four (July 14th) - Today was a big travel day. We spent the majority of the day in the van as we crossed the cascades into the east. This is about a 6.5hr drive but I am not merciless, so we made several stops along the way for a few key birds and mammals. Our first stop lay at the foot of the cascades, a place called, Howard Miller Steelhead Park. Here our target was simple, the Red-breasted Sapsucker. On our walk we were able to see; American Robin, Black-headed Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, Red-eyed Vireo and yes, the Red-breasted Sapsucker. After a nice break, we continued another hour or so and half-way through the mountains we arrived at our next stop, the lovely Rainy Lake. The trail to the lake is only about 2-miles long but, the first mile holds all that we need…We were able to have a tremendous photoshoot with Pacific Wren and a Golden-crowned Kinglet just a few minutes into the trail.
Pacific Wren - Photo by guest Mark
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Golden-crowned Kinglet - Photo by guest Jen
We arrived at our mile marker, a stunning field of boulders, short grass and flowers. I had kept our target at this destination a secret until I finally heard the small mouse like animal. A small shrill like squeak, high-pitched and distant. I told the group, you guys, I’ve just heard it, the small American Pika. After a few minutes of scanning, I was able to find the little brown fur ball sitting pretty on a rock. After another few minutes of waiting, we had several close encounters with the American Pika. While everyone was shooting, I identified another special mammal for the area, a Hoary Marmot. Though it was a bit distant, it was still quite a joy to watch. A few people were also able to get on a very, very distant Townsend’s Solitaire. Even though we were enjoying ourselves and loving the crisp, fresh air of the mountains, we had to start heading back to the van so we could continue east towards our overnight halt in Winthrop. Another hour and a half of winding, scenic mountain roads saw us dropping into the Ponderosa Pina forests near Winthrop. We grabbed a nice and quick pizza dinner (with some delicious MUD PIE) to celebrate a lovely day and went to bed.
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Hoary Marmot - Photo by guest Alex
American Pika - Photo by guest John www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Day Five (July 15th) - We started the day nice and early at one of my favorite locations in Winthrop, Lester Road. We spent the entire morning working the road as best we could. This gorgeous location is a rich riparian area that attracts a variety of birds for breeding. Just in the first half mile or so, we encountered; Western Wood Pewee, Cassin’s Finch, Spotted Towhee, Lazuli Bunting, Western Tanager, Northern Flicker, California Quail, American Goldfinch, Gray Catbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Bullock’s Oriole, Black-headed Grosbeak, Tree and Violet- green Swallow and Cedar Waxwing. Moving further up the road and into more of the pine habitat we added; House Wren, Red-naped Sapsucker, Western Bluebird, Hairy Woodpecker, Dusky Flycatcher, Pacific Slope Flycatcher, American Kestrel and Clarke’s Nutcracker.
Lazuli Bunting - Photo by guest John
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As the light began to harshen and the birds started to become less active, we called it a morning and went for a nice brunch. We took a nice mid-day break to edit photos or have a quick nap. After a few hours, we traveled back up Lester Road but this time, we went straight to the end to a place called Pipestone Canyon. This is a dry pine area with towering rocky cliffs on both sides. The birds here included many of the same but with the addition of a few notable species; Vesper Sparrow, White-throated Swift, Calliope Hummingbird, Eastern and Western Kingbird, Violet- green Swallow and Prairie Falcon. We started back down the road and made the “Golden Hour” stop at Campbell Lake to photograph; Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot and Ruddy Duck.
Ruddy Duck “Bubbling Display” - Photo by guest Jen
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Pied-billed Grebe - Photo by guest Alex
Just as the light began to fade from the lake, our time to head up the hill for a special bird began. We traveled just a few minutes before flushing a group of Gray Partridge from the grassy edges. Luckily, they stopped in the road long enough for everyone to get a great look. This is a very difficult bird to get a photo of. We continued just a few extra minutes, parked on the side of the road and hiked up a small hill, found a nice little bare spot to sit and we started our wait. As we waited, a solitary Black Swift flew low across the golden hills and then moments later, our main target flew into its feeding tree, the Lewis’s Woodpecker.
Lewis’s Woodpecker - Photo by guide Ben www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
What a day! We returned to our hotel in Winthrop thrilled with our results. We grabbed another quick bite and went to bed, for we had yet another early start in morning.
Day Six (July 16th) - The reason we had to make today an exceptionally early day was because we were going to spend the entire day traveling up to and in the Okanogan Highlands. Before the sun rose we were off for a few hours drive. Our first stop was for a big target, the Black-backed Woodpecker. I have a known nesting site I like to visit every year but of course, with an uncommon bird of this magnitude, it’s never a guarantee. Finally, after a little bit of walking around, I heard a short “peek” call, our Black-backed Woodpecker was found moments later. Unfortunately, it was rather high up on a snag so we left without photos but with some nice looks. We also managed some nice looks at Swainson’s Thrush, Red Crossbill and Dusky Flycatcher. After this successful stop, we made another stop in Loup Loup Campground for another big ticket bird, the Williamson’s Sapsucker. Stopping in around the first treed meadow, I was able to pick up the call of a few birds, I thought at the time to be a family. And it was so! We were able to get great looks and some decent photos of a family of Williamson’s Sapsucker. We also got some great looks at Mountain Chickadee and Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel.
Mountain Chickadee - Photo by guest John www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
We continued north towards a really rare Osprey nest that was on the side of a hill. It is rare because it just so happens to site eye-level to the road! So, we were able to get some nice shots of this beautiful family. We continued to a local hotspot for a difficult upland game species, the Chukar. We arrived on Fletcher Road with some relatively harsh light and the heat of the early morning already beating down upon us. Amidst the heat, we were still able to add; Wilson’s Snipe, Mourning Dove, Lark Sparrow, Say’s Phoebe, Golden Eagle, Black-billed Magpie, Yellow Warbler and another great look at Lazuli Bunting. After a few minutes of searching, a few members of the group were able to get on a solitary Chukar sitting high on the hill before it vanished into the sage brush. We gave chase but unfortunately had no luck relocating the bird.
Osprey Family - Photo by guest Alex
We continued into the highlands and made a quick targeted stop for Mountain Bluebird of which we were able to locate several nesting pairs. After this brief but successful stop, I finally pushed the group further into the mountains towards the “lake district” of the Okanogan. We started by birding the road towards Bonaparte Lake. Here we added another empidonax to our list, the Willow Flycatcher. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Willow Flycatcher - Photo by guest Jen
Along the road we managed more of the same species but improved looks. We had a very fun photo session with an Orange-crowned Warbler, showing off that crown beautifully and a lovely little female Calliope Hummingbird. When we finally reach Bonaparte’s Lake we were treated to some lovely, close views of breeding plumaged Common Loons, Mallard hen with chicks and a very cooperative Cedar Waxwing.
Common Loon - Photo by guest Jen www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
We continued through the Okanogan for a few more hours and picked up; Pine Siskin, Olive- sided Flycatcher and a really stunning Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler.
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Photo by guest Mark Pine Siskin - Photo by guest Alex
As we were now about 2.5hrs from our hotel, we took off as the sun started sink. We arrived back in time for a nice dinner and a good nights rest before our last morning in this beautiful part of Washington State.
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Day Seven (July 17th) - We used the morning as a “clean-up” day. Either for photos or birding but as a group, we decided we’d like to try Lewis’s Woodpecker, Lazuli Bunting and Spotted Towhee again for photos. So, back to our old stopping grounds, Lester Road. A lovely surprise as we traveled up the road was a new bird us, a Dusky Grouse! We found a female feeding on a berry bush admits falling trees and gorgeous purple flowers, very neat! We continued up the road just minutes and found another new bird for our trip, a Yellow-breasted Chat. These skulky birds nest in the riparian areas but can be difficult to capture. Even so, they are always nice to see. I took the group down a different road spur than the first day and we were delighted to find two of our photo targets; Lazuli Bunting and Spotted Towhee in a beautiful field that included several berry bushes. After a bit of work, we were able to get some really lovely photos of both of these species.
Lazuli Bunting - Photo by guest Jen
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Spotted Towhee - Photo by guest Mark
I was unable to find another Lewis’s Woodpecker for the group by the time we had to leave but on the way down we ran into several large Black-tailed Deer bucks. Very cool to see three of these big boys just hanging out and having some good ol’ fashion “bro” time! We returned to town to grab a nice breakfast, brush our teeth and pack our bags to prepare for our journey south towards Moses Lake.
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Black-tailed Deer Buck - Photo by guest Jen
Bummed I missed the Lewis’s Woodpecker in the morning, I was keeping my eyes peeled as we exited Winthrop. Having spent so much time in this area, I have a good sense of where these birds have nested, are nesting and are like to nest. As we passed an old burned out Riparian area along the main highway out of town, I slowed down and quickly eye-scanned the trees and boom, I spotted a Lewis’s Woodpecker fairly low and close to the road, nesting in a cavity. I pulled off the road and parked (safely). We waited by the side of the road but unfortunately it turned out that this was just a little too close for comfort for the woodpeckers. They would come to the tree with food but refused to come to the nest. After recognizing this and assessing the possibility of us backing off (not an option as we would’ve been standing in the middle of the road) I finally called it off so we didn’t bother the parents any more than we already had. Not moments later and about 20 feet further away, I looked back and an adult entered the cavity, indicating that we had made the right choice leaving them be. NO PHOTO IS WORTH CAUSING AN ANIMAL STRESS. That is a philosophy that myself, Tropical Birding Tours and all of the guides at TB share.
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We continued down the highway for a few hours before our first stop. I have been going to this one road corner for awhile now to see a sagebrush specialty, the Sage Thrasher. Though finding the bird was not difficult, we had arrived near midday and it was a very warm day so unfortunately, my little buddy was not up singing but instead used a nearby fence to perch and when we approached, it would retreat down into the sage. So good looks only for this bird. But no matter, I had another stop in mind that I hoped would provide some better opportunities. Just a few miles away from our destination in Moses Lake. I told my shotgun rider to keep an eye out on the rocks to our left and moments later, the eagle-eyed shotgun rider said, “THERE!”. We hopped out and slowly approached our beautiful little target sitting high and mighty outside of his rock burrow. A beautiful adult Burrowing Owl.
Burrowing Owl - Photo by guest Mark www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Having all got some excellent photos and with the sun starting to get quite strong, we went to our hotel in Moses Lake, checked in, had a quick lesson in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom and then rested for a few hours before headed out for the afternoon shoot.
Our stop for the afternoon was a little place called McCains Pond. This pond is tiny but it just seems to attract some really cool bird species. We were able to add; American White Pelican, Swainson’s Hawk, Wilson’s Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and Yellow-headed Blackbird to our ever growing list of bird species. After a lovely afternoon of birding, we went back into Moses Lake for a nice and early dinner and then went to bed eager for Potholes State Park in the morning.
Yellow-headed Blackbird - Photo by guest John
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Day 8 (July 18th) - Another early start saw us arriving in Potholes State Park just as the sun was rising. An excellent time of day in Washington. We started off on a small trail that lead us into a small riparian area where we added: Bewick’s Wren and Song Sparrow to our list. We then checked out the beach line and marsh area and found Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Black-crowned Night Heron and a hunting Forster’s Tern. We then searched around the drier areas of the park for our main target, the Gray Flycatcher. Through endless Western Wood Pewees we could not locate our main target. No matter, TB guides do not panic. Instead, we enjoyed watching the peewee as well as a large flock of Violet-green Swallow before leaving the park and going for brunch.
Western Wood Pewee - Photo by guest Alex
After a lovely brunch and a good rest to escape the afternoon heat, we went to the other famous ‘potholes’, the North Potholes Reserve. On the way to the reservoir, we stopped to try our luck with some Lark Sparrow. They were uncooperative but just a few minutes later and miles down the road, I pulled off to try for a Grasshopper Sparrow. Soon it was heard and spotted perched up
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about 30 meters away. This was a great lesson for the group, so I organized everyone into a tight group and orchestrated a “group stalk” so we could get closer. Moving slow and as one, we appeared less threatening and through periodic stop and shoots we were able to get within 10 meters of the bird and everyone got some excellent shots and learned a bit about this very useful field tactic.
Grasshopper Sparrow - Photo by guest Alex
When we finally arrived at the reservoir, the light was perfect so we approached the water to see if one of our main targets would allow us some nice photo opportunities. This reservoir hosts about 50 pairs of nesting Western Grebe. There was some serious algae on the water that was preventing them from getting too close but we got some nice looks at them along with some young male Wood Duck and Black-crowned Night Heron. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Western Grebe - Photo by guide Ben *About 1200mm was needed for this capture.
As the sun sank, we admired the roosting American White Pelican and numerous California Gull before heading out on the road out back towards the town. On the way out, we made efforts to photograph Western Meadowlark but unfortunately they were too skittish for really excellent photography.
Day 9 (July 19th) - The last day is always a sad affair but at least on this tour, it is a full day with departures set for very late in the evening or even early the next morning. So today we made our way west towards Seattle. I have several great spots we visit for this day, including a location to try for the difficult (on this tour) Sagebrush Sparrow. Though we searched and searched we could not find our target sparrow but instead found large numbers of Mountain Bluebird, Horned Lark, Brewers, Vesper and Lark Sparrow, Sage Thrasher and Swainson’s Hawk. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Brewer’s Sparrow - Photo by guest Mark
Though we tried and tried, it was time to head to our next location. A spot known only as the Wenas Wildlife Area. The road into the area is often quite good for Western Bluebird and this time was no different. I was able to locate a nesting pair for the group and they provided some pretty decent photo opportunities that we took great advantage of. And that wasn’t even the best part of our travels toward the wildlife area. While driving, I quickly turned off the road, pulled over and told everyone, “You guys, I’ve just seen something truly epic.” Everyone hopped out of the van with excitement and there it was, sitting low down and in tangled branches, a stunning adult Long-eared Owl! What an amazing site to see and I am so happy I happened to be looking in that direction. A personal highlight for me this morning. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Long-eared Owl - Photo by guest Jen Western Bluebird - Photo by guest Alex
After this awesome ride in, we finally arrived in the actual “Wildlife Area”. Here we had two targets. Remember earlier when I said, “…we TB guides don’t give up so easily?” Well, we had one last shot at Gray Flycatcher and I was sure going to give it my best effort. Especially since it was a life bird for a few of our group. Just moments of searching in the area yielded fantastic views of our last empidonax flycatcher. Awesome! We also managed to pick up White-headed Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch and Pygmy Nuthatch.
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Gray Flycatcher - Photo by guest John (his lifer!)
Well, after a near perfect ending (seeing all targets for the day plus the Long-eared Owl) to this great tour, we hit the highway and ventured towards Seattle. After a nasty traffic jam, we finally made it to our original hotel for another night, Cedarbrook Lodge. We had a wonderful dinner at the lodge, did our final checklist and said our goodbyes.
*Some guests departed on this evening and some departed the morning after.
Day Ten (July 20th) - Departures
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
*Seen: The bird/mammal was seen well by the guide and at least one member of the group
*Photographed: From the guides perspective, there was a good photographable opportunity of this subject
Summary: - 158 Birds Seen - 87 Birds Photographed
- 11 Mammals Seen - 7 Mammals Photographed
Species Seen Photographed Ducks, Geese and Swans Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Gadwall Northern Pintail Lesser Scaup Harlequin Duck Common Merganser Ruddy Duck New World Quail California Quail Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys and Old World Quail Chukar Gray Partridge
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Ring-necked Pheasant Sooty Grouse Dusky Grouse Loons Common Loon Grebes Pied-billed Grebe Western Grebe Cormorants Double-crested Cormorant Pelagic Cormorant Pelicans American White Pelican Herons, Bitterns and Allies Great Blue Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron New World Vultures Turkey Vulture Ospreys Osprey Kites, Eagles and Hawks Golden Eagle
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Swainson’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Caracaras and Falcons Prairie Falcon Rains, Gallinules and Coots American Coot Lapwings and Plovers Killdeer Oystercatchers Black Oystercatcher Stilts and Avocets Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Sandpipers, Phalaropes and Allies Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Long-billed Curlew Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Phalarope Gulls, Terns and Skimmers Ring-billed Gull California Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Heermann’s Gull Forster’s Tern Auks, Murres and Puffins Pigeon Guillemot Marbled Murrelet Rhinoceros Auklet Pigeons and Doves Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Eurasian-collared Dove Mourning Dove Barn Owls and Typical Owls Long-eared Owl Barred Owl Burrowing Owl Goatsuckers Common Nighthawk
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Swifts Black Swift White-throated Swift Hummingbirds Anna’s Hummingbird Calliope Hummingbird Kingfishers Belted Kingfisher Woodpeckers Lewis’s Woodpecker Williamson’s Sapsucker Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-naped Sapsucker White-headed Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker Northern Flicker Tyrant Flycatchers Olive-sided Flycatcher Western Wood Pewee Willow Flycatcher Hammond’s Flycatcher
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Gray Flycatcher Dusky Flycatcher Pacific-slope Flycatcher Say’s Phoebe Western Kingbird Eastern Kingbird Vireos Cassin’s Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Crows and Jays Clarke’s Nutcracker Gray Jay (Canada Jay) Stellar’s Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven Larks Horned Lark Swallows Purple Martin Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Barn Swallow
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Northern Rough-winged Swallow Cliff Swallow Chickadees and Titmice Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee Chestnut-backed Chickadee Nuthatches Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Pygmy Nuthatch Creepers Brown Creeper Wrens House Wren Pacific Wren Bewick’s Wren Kinglets Golden-crowned Kinglet Thrushes Western Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Townsend’s Solitaire Swainson’s Thrush
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Hermit Thrush American Robin Varied Thrush Mockingbirds and Thrashers Gray Catbird Sage Thrasher Starlings European Starling Waxwings Cedar Waxwing Wood-Warblers Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) Common Yellowthroat Yellow-breasted Chat Emberizids Spotted Towhee Chipping Sparrow Brewer’s Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Cardinal, Piranga Tanager, and Allies Western Tanager Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Blackbirds Western Meadowlark Red-winged Blackbird Yellow-headed Blackbird Tricolored Blackbird Brewer’s Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Bullock’s Oriole Fringilline and Cardueline Finches Cassin’s Finch House Finch Red Crossbill American Goldfinch Pine Siskin Old World Sparrow House Sparrow
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Species Seen Photographed ADDITIONAL SPECIES Olympic Marmot American Black Bear Yellow Pine Chipmunk Townsend’s Chipmunk Black-tailed Deer Mule Deer Douglas Fir Squirrel Hoary Marmot Grey Seal American Pika Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
Guest’s Top 5 Photo
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Washington Birding with a Camera July 10th - July 19th, 2020
www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected]