Pacific Tree Frog

Apparently the Pacific Tree Frog is Washington’s only chorus frog and Washington’s State Amphibian. It is found from Northern California to southern Alaska (where they may have been introduced). Most active at night, this frog is often common and is found in a variety of aquatic habitats. They can change color, ranging from green to brown. They are identified by the black line from their noses to their shoulders. We found this tree frog at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Paddle-tailed Darner and Eight-spotted Skimmer.

Actually the “best” critter we listed during our 20 September 2016 Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge hike was this Paddle-tailed Darner. Not that this dragonfly is rare. This species is the common, late-season darner in western Washington. But it was a new one for my list. Paddle-tailed Darners are found from Alaska to southern California, east to South Dakota and Nebraska.

The Eight-spotted Skimmer has a similar, although less northern range.  The skimmer, also common, usually flies earlier in the season. Dennis Paulson, who wrote Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West, wrote me that his last one this year was in Seattle two days later.  Erika and I previously listed this dragonfly last July, also in Nisqually, and elsewhere in the West. 

Mew Gull

As I hustled down the tidal-flat boardwalk at Nisqually National Wildliufe Refuge, I paid scant attention to the many Ring-billed Gulls—except to take a this photo. As I glanced at another bird to my left, the bird alarm rang in my brain. The field marks did not add up. No ring or other markings on the bill. The bird seemed slightly small. The head seemed, rounder, more delicate than that of the Ring-billed Gull. “This could be an adult Mew Gull,” I thought as I began taking pictures.

Mew Gulls breed in the Canadian northwest and in Alaska. They also breed across much of much of northern Eurasia. Our birds winter off the Pacific coast of the United States. They are common in Puget sound from August until early May. Thus my September record is not exceptional. These are, however, my first photos of this species.

Whimbrel

Birders we met at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge were atwitter over several Whimbrel at the end of a long boardwalk over the tidal flats. “Hightail it out to the end now, and you will probably see them—but go quickly because the tide is going out,” said one birder. I hurried the family along, although I was not sure why they birders were so excited about Whimbrels. Turns out, while these birds are fairly common migrants along Pacific shores, they are uncommon in Puget Sound.

The Whimbrels were not hard to find at the end of the boardwalk. My photograph is not fabulous, since the birds fed some distance from us. We watched them probe the deep mud with their long bills. Their bill shape matches the shape of some species of fiddler crabs. Whimbrels also eat other crustaceans, worms, mollusks, and fish. 

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpipers are common migrants across Washington. A few can be found at any time of year in Puget Sound (Bird Web). Most, however, winter in northeastern South America. They walk slowly while eating amphipods and other small arthropods. This sandpiper uses “surface tension transport,” using water surface tension to deliver prey to its mouth. Opening and closing its bill, the sandpiper moves drops of water containing the prey to its mouth (Prakash et al. 2008). The downside to this feeding technique is that it leaves the birds vulnerable to surface pollutants.

The species can usually be identified by its yellow legs and small size. We saw this individual in the tidal flats at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on 20 September 2016.

Bushtit

Bushtits are foliage-gleaning specialists, as they hunt for insects and spiders. They usually travel in flocks. Unlike this individual in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge near Olympia, Bushtits more often forage in foliage rather than on stems or branches (Sloane 2001).

Genetic studies reveal that Bushtits are the only New World member of the family Aegithalidae (long-tailed tits). The research further suggests that Bushtit ancestors arrived in North America by way of the Bering land bridge 10-12 million years ago. They are now found in western Canada, United States, and in the mountains of Mexico and Central America.

Song Sparrow

I took this first Song Sparrow photo on 30 September in Carleton College’s Upper Arboretum. The second was taken at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Washington on 20 Sepember. I am always surprised by how dark Song Sparrows are in the Pacific Northwest. Up to 52 races have been proposed for this variable sparrow; the American Ornithologists’ Union recognizes around 38. 

My Minnesota bird is probably the eastern Melospiza melodia melodia. This race is small, brown, and black streaked. Western Washington Song Sparrows should be Melospiza melodia morphna, which is more brownish than other western races, but darker than eastern ones. The largest of the Song Sparrow races is found on a couple of Aleutian Islands and is dark, gray, and the size of a towhee.

Red-tailed Hawk

On 28 October I head a cacophony of jays and nuthatches in the backyard. Erika spied a Red-tailed Hawk quietly perched in our woods. We knew the species’ identity even before we saw the red tail. Note the streaks across its lower breast.

Red-tails generally prefer more open areas, but we have noted this raptor in our woods on a number of occasions. This hawk is common and its populations are increasing. The species survives in urban disturbed settings if prey and perch sites are available (Preston and Beane 2009).

American Coot

Back at the Jefferson Parkway Wetlands here in Northfield, on 27 October, I photographed this American Coot. Standing on one foot, definitely stretching or practicing for a synchronized swimming performance. Brisbin and Mowbray (2002) simply list stretching among “comfort movements” noted in captive coots. 

I am surprised that primary feathers appear to be absent. The authors cited above report that coots lose primaries, secondaries, and all wing coverts almost simultaneously. The result is that coots are probably flightless for about four weeks. Primary feathers take a few more days to be replaced than the secondaries. This difference, however, probably does not explain the lack of primaries in this bird since the secondaries are long.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons were common during our 20 September 2016 hike in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Although we had just seen one take a frog, thier main prey is fish. Other amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are also taken. They occasionally scavenge carrion.

This heron is showing typical hunting technique—waiting and ambushing prey. Other strategies are reported, including using bread crumbs as fish-bait. Great Blue Herons are found in a number of habitats, both in and near fresh and salt water. They can also hunt on dry land. Consequently it is one of the most common of the North American herons and egrets (Vennesland and Butler 2011).