September 9th - New and Improved Shorebird Trip (Day Two)

One of the few shorebirds I saw during the day. :D 
Greater Yellowlegs

Up early, and I realized I couldn't leave. My camera battery had been low by the end of the previous day, and I'd forgotten to get it charged overnight. I got it plugged in and made a quick run to MacDonald's. . . not open until 7. So, I just got back to the hotel, waited for a little more charge and dashed for my first stop. 

Lower Big Quilcene Road

Uncas Road - Try number four?

It's been four tries, give or take. There's a Barn Owl at Uncas Road, and I've been out a few times to try to catch it. I missed it again. I think I got there a little too late - civil twilight, rather than astronomical. If you can see well enough to walk around, it's usually too bright for a Barn Owl to be out and about. But most of my efforts have been done in the late late evenings, and I have to say I preferred this. No bugs, and not a worry about it getting too dark to be out. 

Grouse hunt

I mean. . . this subtitle could have had a question mark too. I'm not sure that repeated runs up here in the morning would bear any fruit. Grouse are more common on the other side of the Olympics, and there hasn't been a ton of habitat that has seemed perfect to me. But while I was here, I thought I'd also make a run up to the Lower Big Quilcene Trailhead, where I hope to begin a backpacking trip before September leaves. 

It was a beautiful morning! As I got to the trailhead, I listened to Red Crossbills for a bit, then turned back, finding a nice clear-cut to explore. Swainson's Thrush and MacGillivray's Warbler were the nice finds here. But I did want to try to get to the water, so I could look for gulls and other water birds. 

Fireweed

Bees Mill Road

Back to 101, and I started towards Dosewallips, where a Herring Gull had been seen recently. I honestly ended up getting a little sidetracked, but happily so. South of Quilcene, 101 swings around Mount Walker before Hood Canal comes back into view. On the south end of that swing, you have the Yelvik General Store (with a tidal cove behind it that I seem to have missed on this stop!), and a peekaboo view of Hood Canal. North of the store is Bees Mill Road. 

I followed the road all the way to its terminus at Point Whitney Tidelands. No new birds. A shellfish season that was closed, and me without a license anyway. But. . . what a gorgeous stop! I was able to get a peek at the lagoon, which was still speckled with oysters. Gulls (the messy hybrids, generally speaking) were out on the shore and on the waters of Dabob Bay. I loved watching the sun try to break through the morning fogs. 

Gardiner Beach

After a rare stop at a roadside coffee stand (PNW Press - they have donut holes. :) ), I took 101 up to Gardiner Beach. The fog persisted here, so there was no real opportunity to study the water in hopes of Red-necked Phalaropes or the like. Dozens of crows sat on the beach, playing in the surf. At one point, the crows took flight suddenly, and I saw a falcon diving in the middle of their roost. Merlin! (185) 

Lingering Barn Swallows

Not an uncommon bird at all, really, but I've just kept missing them throughout the year. This one made a few passes and settled on a log by the little lagoon off of the beach. After more harassment by some crows, it decided it'd had enough and took off for the woods above the beach. 

I drove some of the back roads. I'd had a lot of Brewer's Blackbirds in this area, and thought why not look for a funny blackbird - Yellow-headed or Rusty? I didn't even find the Brewer's! From here, I headed back towards Port Townsend for a focused look at some saltwater. 

Port Townsend

First, to the water. I beelined it to Point Hudson to see how the little sand spit was looking. A couple dozen gulls were roosting on it, with another one or two lazily joining in every five minutes or so. Nothing big was going on out on open water either, so I gave up on the spot for the time being - heading off to Point Wilson. 

Red-footed Booby and Belted Kingfisher

The Red-footed Booby was still hanging around. Over a month into its extended stay, there were still people coming in to take a peek and snap some photos of the celebrity bird. Today's light crowd included a birder from Skagit County, a birder who had started a big year earlier in the year (cutting it off in the wake of a broken foot), and a couple from my hometown of Renton. 

It was fun this time around to get some especially good looks at the bird as it sat on a post very close to the dock at the Marine Science Center. A Belted Kingfisher swung in to keep it company for a short while during my visit. 

Further out on the water, there was not much going on. I sated myself on pictures and decided to make a run to Kah Tai Lagoon. There have been such good shorebird sightings in the mud over the last few weeks, I just figured I'd at least have some good birds to pick through. Outside of a single Greater Yellowlegs, and some Killdeer, it was just really quiet. 

A Virginia Rail and a Downy Woodpecker - both species that took me a few months to find earlier in the year - called during my brief stop here. The far shore was lined with puddle ducks, but I'm just down to a small number of them that I still need to find (Canvasback, Redhead, and maybe a Tufted Duck - all rare). 

Kah Tai Lagoon

I returned to Point Hudson, very thankful for how closely all of these spots are clustered together around town. On this return trip, I finally caught another new bird. A Herring Gull! I was able to see the pink legs, the black primaries, light mantle, and pale iris. The pictures I've got seem to have captured all but the black primaries. This was a very welcome find. A code 3 bird that had been seen here and there in recent weeks. They often seem to elude me at the end of the year during these county deep-dives.

Herring Gull (center) - Point Hudson

Great Egret - Another try

Great Egret

I felt like I should give the Great Egret at Keyport another try. It very well may have been gone for good, but who's to know? I drove back into Kitsap, taking the shortest route back to Keyport. As I crossed the bridge leading to Keyport Saltwater Park, I actually saw the bird flying to the near shore!

This was a nice find. Even rarer (for now) as a code 4 bird - not seen annually. Perfect bird to come across on a day like this. Just 8 more birds to the finish line in Kitsap, or 19 more if we're talking about getting my life list to 175 (an eventual goal for all counties).

I watched the egret for a bit longer, and it finally took flight to the far side of the water. I headed right for Southworth and took the ferry home.