Black-throated Gray Warbler

On 27 May 2019 at the McLane Creek Nature Trail near Olympia, Erika and I were startled by a female Black-throated Gray Warbler. The bird collected objects from the ground along our path. Females are apparently entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. Males’ only contribution is to scold the female while she works. Nests are lined with feathers, grass fibers, and/or animal hair (Guzy and Lowther 2012). I don’t know what this warbler is gathering—perhaps dog hair, as plenty of dogs were being escorted through the park.

Barred Owl

I went dragonfly hunting on a warm weather breaking 10 May 2019. In Grass Lake Nature Trail about a mile from our home in Olympia I came  upon two robins giving serious alarm chirps. I did not think a solitary Odonata searcher warrented such wrath. In the trees overhead perched a solitary, young Barred Owl. Hallucinating up a rare and endangered Spotted Owl would have been exciting, but this bird appears to be too light and not in the old-growth forest preferred by Spotted Owls. 

Killdeer

On 10 April we found a Killdeer nesting next to a sidewalk a couple of feet from a road and next to a elementary school. The bird brooded four eggs. One would not expect a nest would be successful in such a busy location, However, success is possible. (Killdeer have nested in more unlikely spots like between railroad tracks and on roofs that the young can’t exit (Jackson and Jackson 2000)). The last photo was taken in a busy Olympia park on 11 May. Then a Killdeer pair tried to lead us away from two recently fledged young.

Four-spotted Skimmer

We have begun finding dragonflies in Olympia. These two critters are both Four-spotted Skimmers. The first is from a barrow pit near the house on 13 May. The second is from Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on 7 May (both 2019). Four-spotted Skimmers are old friends from Minnesota. We often saw them in Erika’s garden and elsewhere around Northfield. In fact, For-spotted Skimmers range across Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States—also across Eurasia (where they are called Four-spotted Chasers) from Great Britain to Japan. Curiously this dragonfly is migratory in the Old World, but apparently not in the Americas (Paulson 2009).

I added this species to our Olympia yard list on 15 May. I was surprised to find it perched on the ground—actually on a small twig. A quick review of the literature indicates that Four-spotted Skimmers do perch on the ground more often than their close relatives. Their brown bodies and relatively unpatterned wings make for great camouflage. 

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warblers are common breeders from northwestern Mexico to British Columbia, and wintering mostly in Mexico. Guzy and Lowther (2012) report that this warbler is relatively tame and easily approachable. Not a whole lot seems to be known about  this warbler’s biology. I wonder about the purpose of the yellow spots behind the bill. In some other birds, spots like these are used to sight down the bill and aim for prey. This individual is the only one I’ve seen since moving to Olympia. I banded this bird on 2 May 2019.

MacGillivray’s Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warblers breed in the Rocky Mountains and winter in Mexico and Central America. Their range and taxonomy are both interesting, but today I write about their nomenclature. They are one of the few birds named for more than one person. Their scientific name is Geothlypis tolmiei. William Fraser Tolmie was a physician and worked for the Hudson Bay Company. He made the first recorded ascent of Mount Rainier. John Townsend named this warbler for him in 1836.

William MacGillivray was a zoologist who ultimately taught at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) and helped write many of Audubon’s publications. Audubon gave Macgillivray scant recognition but did name this bird after him--Sylvia macgillivrayi. Unfortunately, Townsend published his description of the bird slightly before Audubon, so Townsend’s scientific name takes precedence. Audubon’s common name remains in the popular literature. 

I was delighted to band this female MacGillivray’s Warbler in our Olympia backyard on 18 May 2019. The bird was in a huckleberry thicket. Usually they are found in brushy riversides. Although relatively common, they are often hard to see.

Dot-tailed Whiteface

The Dot-tailed Whiteface is a dragonfly with which we were familiar from Minnesota. We found this individual at a barrow pit near our home in Olympia, Washington. This whiteface enjoys a transcontinental distribution. It frequents all sorts of lakes, including farm and garden ponds. They can also be found along slow streams and even perched on waterlilies.

Cardinal Meadowhawk

On 13 May 2019 Erika and I found outselves in the Olympia Watershed Park, a surprisingly wild area just blocks from the state capitol. The park paths often wind along on boardwalks over a small creek. Within the forest, we discovered this Cardinal Meadowhawk. It repeatedly returned to the same perch within a tiny clearing. I believe this individual is an immature male, in which case it will become bright red. Paulson (2009) writes that females are seen only infrequently. The species is common along the west coast and in the Southwest.

Spotted Towhee Fledgling

My third fledging of the season—a Spotted Towhee, almost unrecognizable compared to the adult plumage. You can see just a hint of what will become this bird’s chestnut sides. Identification was helped by the nearby scolding parents. The date of this record was 19 May, which seems a tad early for a fledgling towhee. Marshall et al (2003, however, report fledglings in Oregon on this date. The second photo is of an adult female, which fearlessly foraged in Erika’s garden after raking.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Baby birds are beginning to leave their nests. On 18 May in Olympia, I banded this recently fledged Red-breasted Nuthatch. This species forms pairs at almost any time of year. These nuthatches usually raise one clutch per year, but individuals may pair twice in a single year. They excavate oles in tree snags. Finding nuthatch holes is not proof of breeding, since the birds may begin excavating and then move elsewhere to actually breed.  Young fledge after about three weeks. They stay with their parents for about another two weeks but some parents may feed their young for longer times (Ghalambor and Martin 1999).