Cackling Goose

There used to be 11 races of Canada Geese. Now the smallest four subspecies are recognized as a distinct species—the Cackling Goose, which breeds further west and north than the larger birds. This goose is abundant at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in the non-breeding seasons. Erika and I counted over 1000 individuals on 22 October 2019. The smallest Cackling Geese are only a quarter of the size of the largest Canada Geese, but small Canada Geese and large Cackling Geese are sometimes hard to separate. Generally, Cackling Geese have small, rounder heads an much smaller, stubbier bills.

White-winged Scoter

Puget Sound is only a mile and a half from our home—closer as the crow flies. I often duck out to check the water out for birds. On 28 October 2019, I stopped at an undeveloped park along Budd Inlet and spied the usual suspects. I noticed two distant, dark ducks. I immediately recognized them as White-winged Scoters by the striking plumage of the adult male. Note the oddly shaped, white, upward pointing tear drop that runs from the bottom of its eye. Also note the odd hump on the top of their bill. Usually you can see this species’ white wing patches but, obviously, not always. I have never seen an adult White-winged Scoter until now. White-winged Scoters breed in northern Alaska and the interior of northwestern Canada. The winter along the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In the winter, the species is fond of crustaceans and mollusks—especially mussels. 

American Pipit

We saw several American Pipits in a wet, plowed field at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on 24 October 2019. They used to be named Water Pipits, which, as you can see in these photos, seems like a good name. At the time, Water Pipits ranged from North America across much of the Old World. Recent studies, however, indicate that the North American birds, along with the most eastern Asian subspecies, are actually a distinct species, Anthus rubescens. Perhaps the bird might be better named Reddish Pipit, a translation of its Latin species name. In any event, in North America, American Pipits breed across the Arctic south through alpine regions to El Salvador.

Pacific Golden-Plover vs. Black-bellied Plover

During this season's godwit hunt at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Erika and I also searched for Black-bellied Plovers. Becasue the birds fed on distant mudflats, this species also proved to be elusive. I finally took several photographs on 22 October 2019. I was startled when I came upon the second photo, which to appears to be a Pacific Golden-Plover, a rare bird in Puget Sound. 

In winter plumage, the two species are difficult to tell apart. Looking at these pictures, the most obvious difference is the color of the belly—white in the Black-bellied Plover, dark in the golden-plover. The golden-plover sports a yellowish wash on its face and breast. The golden-plover also has brown spots on its nape, lacking in the Black-bellied. The golden-plover is a slightly smaller bird and its head is more roundly shaped. The Black-bllied Plover’s bill is slightly larger and differently shaped, Black-bellied Plovers show black “arm-pits” in flight, but I did not have the luxury of noting  that field-mark on these perched birds.

After reviewing all these marks, I reviewed one of my previous Pacific Golden-Plover records. I have argued with friends about this identification. I guess my previous record is wrong, and that the bird is actually a Black-bellied Plover. This reminds me of a quote attribued to Pete Dunne: “The difference between a beginning birder and an experienced one is that beginning birders have misidentified a few birds. Experienced birders have misidentified thousands.”

Marbled Godwit

For the last week or so, Erika and I looked for a small flock of Marbled Godwits reported on eBird at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. We did not list it until 25 October, and we almost missed it then, too. The bird slept at high tide on a distant island behind a flock of gulls. Not the best of looks and, in fact, we would have never seen the bird had not it been pointed out by other birders. I was surprised by the difficultly of adding this species to my Thurston County bird list. I have seen this godwit along Washington’s Pacific Coast in August 2002. There the bird is common. To my surprise, Marbled Godwits are rare in Puget Sound. Thus the Marbled Godwit was added to my county list, but hardly with a satisfying observation. The bird’s long, upturned bill was tucked under its wing coverts. As you can see in the photo below, taken near La Jolla, California, in 2012, Marbled Godwits are spectacular shorebirds.

Short-stemmed Russula

 

Suddenly Short-stemmed Russula are exploding from under the ground cover, taking a lot of the cover up with them. I have relied on iNaturalist, which did not hesitate giving me a name for this fungus. The ID seems likely to be correct, since this mushroom is widespread in North America. wbere it grows in a mycorrhizal association with the fir, spruce, and hemlock that surround our house. Curiously, the species is also found in the Pakistani Himalayas. The mushrooms, which emerge in late autumn, are said by Wikipedia to be edible. Their bitter flavor, however, would suggest extreme caution. Rodents and deer consume them—or, at least, ominously, the mammals only take single bites.

Double-crested Cormorant

Actually the target of my 21 October 2019 jaunt to Puget Sound off Olympia was not for auklets, but cormorants. Three species are found here and, of course, the best photo I took was of the common and widespread Double-crested Cormorant. This one is an immature. Note the yellow above and behind the bill. The other two I lacked on my county list—Brandt’s and Pelagic cormorants. I got a photo of the Brandt’s Cormorant perched on a very distant harbor marker tower, stretching every millimeter of my telephoto lens. I won’t subject you to the grainy, shaky result. The head was dark with a small, pale patch behind the bill. I will recognize Pelagic Cormorants when I see them by their dark heads and small white patches along their backsides. I am confident I will get more acceptable photos on a sunny day’s search.

Rhinoceros Auklet

On 21 October 2019, I got fairly close to a few Rhinoceros Auklets. Despite the foggy, rainy weather, I was able to note the yellowish color of the bill. The bird in the second photo flashed its white belly, another of this species’ field marks. I am a bit puzzled by the white line on the first bird’s shoulder—my field guide does not illustrate this mark.

The closeup shot give a good look at the auklets strange bill. The bill is unlike a duck, more reminiscent of a gull. Both gulls and auklets share an evolutionary heritage with shorebirds—gulls, shorebirds, and auks are now placed in the same order. You can almost see a hint of the structure of the rhinoceros-like “horn” (vertical extensions of mandibular plates) that gives this auklet its name. Hopefully the auklets will stick around Olympia long enough for me to capture one in its stunning, full-breeding plumage.

Song Sparrow

A Song Sparrow from last summer, 5 July 2019, near Olympia. Judging by the beak-full of insect larvae, the sparrow must have a nest of hungry young. Song Sparrows appear to be monogamous, yet 15% of young in nests are step-siblings. Thus males and perhaps females occasionally “step-out” on mates (Arcese et al. 2002). In any event, like many birds that consume seeds in the winter, these sparrows feed on invertebrates in the breeding season, which they also feed to their young.

Varied Thrush

One more Varied Thrush image, a male banded on 12 October 2019! This capture brings Varied Thrush bandings past a dozen in October. Varied Thrushes are basically birds of the west coast of North America, breeding in the north and wintering in the south. They do wander during migration. They are recorded in every Canadian province except Newfoundland and all the Unted States except Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina. Especially outside of their normal range, Varied Thrush population numbers vary greatly, with peaks every two to five years. Numbers appear to be increasing in the Midwest, but George (2000) warns that this trend is “likely due to more complete coverage and reporting rather than increase in numbers.” Until this year, one of my best Varied Thrush sighting was in Minnesota several winters ago.