American Goldfinch

It seems that I never run out of birds to chase. 28 January 2021 found me searching an Olympia neighborhood for Lesser Goldfinches. For the past two years, these goldfinches have been reported in eBird from Olympia. They are residents of the American southwest, north to Oregon and south through South America. The species has been spreading north. The most recent report was from just a few days ago—a flock of over a dozen at a local feeder. I parked and a nearby tree filled with Pine Siskins and goldfinches. (Birding with binoculars and camera can be somewhat dicey in some neighborhoods.) The bad news is that the goldfinches were clearly American Goldfinches. Lessers have dark caps and show more yellow below in the winter. The bird in the first photo is clearly a male in winter plumage—note the black wings. (Above and to the right is one of the Pine Siskins.) The bird in the other photo is a winter female, with her tan wing bar. So I did not see Lesser Goldfinches, although photos in eBird assure me the Lessers are in the area. The good news? These photos of American Goldfinches are my first from Washington.

Long-tailed Duck

On 27 January 2021, I finally added a Long-tailed Duck to my year bird list. This individual is a female, which swam quite a distance from me in the Olympia harbor. Long-tailed Ducks breed across the world’s arctic regions. They breed in freshwater and most winter in seawater. They eat a wide variety of prey, depending on the habitat in which they find themselves. Here in Olympia, they dive for bottom-dwelling crustaceans, bivalves, gastropods and fish.

Black Phoebe

I usually allow way too much time before chasing after rare sightings, giving the birds such a head start that I do not catch up with them. This Black Phoebe is an exception. This bird, presumably the same individual, has been reported in eBird since mid-November. Erika and I made two unsuccessful attempts to see the phoebe—the first time way too many people were on the Chehalis Bike Trail for us to be Covid safe. The second time, we could not find the bird. On 27 January 2021, I found it. The bird flushed from a nearby lake shore, flew across the lake, and perched on a cattail. This photo is amazing, considering the distance the phoebe was from me. 

In 2005, Wahl et al. wrote that Washington only had six records of Black Phoebes, but these authors wrote “additional records are expected, as this species is expanding it's range northward in Oregon”—this bird breeds from Oregon south through much of South America. These ornithologists were correct. Black Phoebes are now found north to southern British Columbia. This season a couple of dozen Black Phoebes are reported in eBird from Washington and even on Vancouver Island in BC.

House Finch

Erika and I found House Finches among the House Sparrows in a bramble-filled hedge row near Olympia on 22 January 2021. House Finches were originally were found in southwestern deserts. Thanks to releases of birds in New York in 1939 and subsequent spread across eastern North America, House Finches are among the most common birds across most of North America. At same time as the birds were spreading from New York, western birds spread north and became much more common in areas where they were previously found, if at all, in small, isolated populations. The species now inhabits nearly all types of habitats. Wahl et al. (2005) suggest that the species’ expansion in Washington (and elsewhere) is partially due to a great increase in bird-feeders.

House Sparrow

House Sparrows, like this male and female near Olympia on 22 January 2021, are not all that common in our area. These images are my first for the species in Washington. These sparrows are introduced to North America, first released in New York in 1851, as well as elsewhere in subsequent years. By 1943, House Sparrow populations reached upwards of 150 million birds (with, perhaps, 500 million world-wide). Numbers have fallen since 1966, both in North America and western Europe (where House Sparrows are native). Some populations declined by 70%. Suspected reasons for this decline include increased use of herbicides and pesticides in farm-fields, resulting in fewer insects and weed seeds, and more efficient farming, resulting in less grain spillage (Lowther and Cink 2020). Note that sparrow populations have also declined in urban areas.

Pigeon Guillemot

23 January 2021 found me searching for a Long-tailed Duck in West Bay in the Olympia harbor. You may recall, I saw that duck a few weeks ago, but I needed it for this year’s list. Erika claims this obsession is pathological. I searched for a relatively white duck among the many dark scoters in the bay. Success? No, this is a winter-plumaged Pigeon Guillemot, quite a bit different looking than the black and white breeding summer birds. (The second image is of an adult from 4 May 2020 taken at the same location.)  Guillemots are not closely related to ducks, but, rather, are auks, a family descended from gulls or shorebirds.

Olympic Gull

Hybrids between Western and Glaucous-winged gulls, known as Olympic Gulls, are abundant in Puget Sound. I am finding gull identification to be a challenge, but this bird’s back seems to be darker than a Herring Gull, but not dark enough for a Glaucous-winged. Herring Gulls would sport bright yellow eyes, unlike the relatively dark eye on this bird. I took this image because the bird sat close by at the Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge on 19 January 2021. Most interesting on this bird is the bill is crossed. The bill tips clearly do not meet. Occasionally birds with crossed bills are encountered. This deformation must surely interfere with efficient food capture and feeding, although this individual has successfully reached adulthood.

Red-tailed Hawk

On 19 January 2021, this Red-tailed Hawk flushed from a shrub and flew up into a nearby tree in the Nisqually national wildlife refuge. Judging by the barred tail, this is a relatively immature bird. Recently I’ve written about how confusing Red-tailed Hawk identification can be—plumage variations exist even within many of the 16 recognized races. Two notes about this bird—note the dark band between the belly and the throat. Although individuals vary in just how dark and extensive this band appears, it is nevertheless a good field mark for Red-tailed Hawk identification. Note also that, although the bird is facing us, you can clearly see both eyes. No doubt binocular vision gives hawks the ability to clearly assess the exact location of their prey.

Red Alder

Near our house on 20 January 2021, another first sign of spring?—Red Alder male catkins emerging in front of last year’s cones. Red Alders are among the most common of Pacific Northwest hardwoods. Look for them in lowlands, usually within 100 miles of the coast. They are a pioneer species that grows in disturbed habitat from Alaska to central California. Red Alder roots fix atmospheric nitrogen via symbiosis with fungus. This winter Erika and I have seen hundreds of siskins feeding of alder fruits.

Bald Eagle Nest

A first sign of spring?—a Bald Eagle pair on their nest at the Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge on 19 January 2021. Perhaps not a sign. Eagles begin nest building one to three months prior to egg laying. Adults often maintain nests all year. In Washington, the breeding season begins in January (Wahl et al. 2005).