Tree Swallow

Except during the winter, Tree Swallows are abundant  at the Nisqually national wildlife refuge. Erika and I photographed this individual on 26 April 2021. If you see then well, separating Tree from Violet-green swallows is not too difficult. For one thing, the white on the throat does not curl up behind the Tree Swallow’s eye. The messed feathers on this bird gave me pause. This ruffle may be evidence of the bird’s brood patch. If so, this swallow is probably a female, as only they have brood patches (a single, unfeathered, vascularized area used to warm the eggs in the nest). Indeed, with few exceptions and during very cold weather, male Tree Swallows rarely incubate the eggs (Winkler et al. 2020).

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

At the Billy Frank Jr National Wildlife Refuge, 26 April 2021 proved to be a five-swallow day—Erika and I saw Barn, Cliff, Tree, Violet-green, and this Northern Rough-winged swallow. Of these species, the rough-winged swallow is the least frequently seen. For one thing, this species can be difficult to identify—it lacks a breast band and sports and indistinct dark crown. Audubon first described this species, and even he initially did not realize he had a new species. This swallow is named for the tiny barbs that protrude from its outer wing feathers—barbs whose function remain a mystery.

Swift Forktail

On 23 April 2021, Erika and I took this photo of a mating pair of Swift Forktails at the McLane Creek Nature Trail about five miles south of home. Their large size (for a forktail), blue thoracic stripes and relatively dark abdomens certify identification of this early-flying damselfly. It almost looks like two males are in the “wheel position,” wherein a male grasps his mate behind her head, while she reaches her abdomen up to fertilize her eggs. But these are not two males. Rather the one on the bottom is an andromorph female. One hypothesis for some females looking like males is that the andromorphs are less hassled by aggressive males. Also present on our path were a few gynomorph females, like the one in the second photo. The advantage to looking like a female is that the males find you. But this might not be so important if you only have to mate once to fertilize enough eggs to last the season.

Dennis Paulson (2009) writes that Swift Forktails are often found on water lilies. I was surprised to read this passage, since all the Swift Forktails I have seen have been on dry land, far from water. But I must be getting old—I completely forgot about a Swift Forktail I photographed, also at McLane Lake, on water vegetation on 27 May 2019.  I found my old record, which I fortunately submitted to Odonata Central. Dennis, who patiently helps me with most of my Washington dragonflies, further writes that Swift Forktails “also perch on ground, rocks, and logs much more than other forktails. Females often found far from water…”  

American Robin

Erika and I watched American Robins feeding on a Quinault Lake lodge lawn on 14 April 2021. As I photographed the robins, their drooped wings reminded me a bit of egrets and herons that raise their wings, hoping small fish will swim into the shade or perhaps enabling the predators to see the fish without a lot of sun reflection. Robins are most successful at feeding on the ground in short grass and sunny days. I wonder if wing shadows make robin prey fatally flinch. On the other hand, perhaps feeding on the hot lawn requires robin’s to cool off with wings held loose. 

Hudsonian Whiteface

After a week of no rain and temperatures over 70°, odonates are flying. On 23 April 2021, I found an Hudsonian Whiteface in our Olympia yard. These dragonflies have an odd range, breeding from central Canada into the northeastern United States and also from British Colombia south into California. In Washington, they are locally common in wooded lowlands and up to 6600 feet in mountains (Paulson, pers. comm.). Although they can be locally common, this young female is only the second one I have ever seen. 23 April is two days later than the species has ever been seen in the state. My other record is from near Olympia two years ago on 26 April. Keys to identification include the yellow top of the abdomen and the pale wing veins running through the dark basal wing spots.

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrows sang at Seabrook, Washington, when we visited on 13 April 2020. Erika and I enjoyed recording their calls with our cell phone and the BirdNet app. Each of the half-dozen or so North American subspecies of this bird sing slightly different songs. The song of the race that breeds along the coast form Vancouver Island to northwestern California, Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis, can be recognized by the two thick, buzzy trills evident in this sonogram. Click here to hear it.

Young White-crowned Sparrows learn their call from the birds that sing in their neighborhood—not directly from their parents. This learning process takes up to three months. Where two races meet, young sparrows can be “bilingual.” Females in these populations are attracted to both racial song types. Some sparrows learn the songs of the wrong species, but this phenomenon is rare (Chilton et al. 2020).

Lichen Agaric

I discovered about six of these tiny mushrooms growing on a rotten stump on 14 April 2020. They were along a trail near Lake Quinault, Washington. Without hesitation, iNaturalist identified them as Lichen Agaric, Lichenomphalia umbellifera. These mushrooms harbor symbiotic, single-celled green algae, Coccomyxa. Presumably the algae provide some nutrients to the mushrooms, which, in turn, give the algae somewhere to live. Oddly, the mushroom spores do not contain algae, so that the algae must be able to disperse on their own.

Bald Eagle

On 13 April 2021, Erika, our Seattle friends, and I marched back from the beach at Seabrook, Washington. We did not see too many birds, but were delighted as a Bald Eagle circled overhead. Eagles are majestic birds, even if their resurgence has hurt other bird populations. Eagle recovery is, nevertheless, an outstanding success for American conservation. Bald Eagles now breed across Canada and every US state except for Hawaii. Bald Eagles also nest in northern Mexico.

Bordered Plant Bug

We did not see any dragonflies at the Darlin Creek Preserve south of Olympia on 18 April 2020—but a pretty, little bug scurried through the leaf litter next to our trail. My best guess is that the bug is Largus cinctus, the Bordered Plant Bug. They are found on the ground or on plants in western North America from British Columbia to southern Mexico. They feed on juices of soft plant tissue.

Black-tailed Deer

After two weeks without rain, a strange creature appeared at our birdbath. Fortunately for this Black-tailed Deer, the birdbath stands outside of Erika’s garden fence. The deer are remarkably tame. It does not help that neighbors feed the deer.