Things had gone so well with my photo expedition the day before that on February 15, 2019, I decided to try to add to my success.  I again started on March Point Road and found that the couple of hundred Dunlin I had seen the previous day were now down to a much lower level… maybe 20-30.  However the remaining Dunlin were much more approachable on this day and I took more photos.

I found this Golden-crowned sparrow rustling through the leaves.

I found this Dark-eyed junco.  There are several ‘races’ of this species and this one doesn’t appear to be the usual Oregon race that is common in Skagit County.  It would appear to be closer to the Slate-colored species (if you follow this blog you may remember seeing photos of the one we have in our yard).  However it does have a patch of chestnut in the middle of its back and I would guess that it’s probably a hybrid of a Slate-colored junco and one of the other races.  (That’s just an uneducated guess!)

I had lost much of my light after leaving the house so I prematurely ended my excursion.  But not before finding a pair of Northern Shovelers dabbling in the slough at the F&W Headquarter Tract.

If you need dabbling lessons let me know!

Taking advantage of the post-snow period, I made yet another tour south, starting on March Point.  I’ve had a difficult time finding Dunlin this winter but encountered a couple of hundred on West March Point Road.  They weren’t at the water’s edge but standing in the snow beside the road.

Continuing south towards Fir Island I found this male Golden-crowned kinglet.  (You’ll have to take my word for the fact that this was a male, but I confirmed it with other photographs.)

Near the same location I found that American robins were still eating from the same tree from which I posted photos a couple of posts ago.

On Fir Island I found that the Black phoebe was still in the same location, fly-catching.  My patience paid off and I obtained what were probably my best photos of the bird.  I was at the F&W HQ Tract for over an hour and never saw another person or vehicle, which probably helped my photography!

While waiting for the phoebe to approach closer a male Gadwall approached, and probably provided me with some of my best Gadwall photos.  The feathers on this species are absolutely exquisite!

On the way back home across Fir Island I found this pair of Bald eagles which provided the opportunity for excellent photos.

It appears like we have about a 5-6″ accumulation of snow as of mid-afternoon February 12, 2019.  It continued lightly snowing until sometime after noon, but this finally degenerated into very light drizzle by mid-afternoon.  I tried my hand at a little yard birding around noon.  I was hoping for something unusual, but the yard birds were overwhelmingly Dark-eyed juncos (Oregon) although our Slate-colored junco was in attendance in the afternoon.

A few of our other visitors…

Our first noteworthy visitor was an Eurasian Collared dove, the first in several months after a Peregrine falcon cleaned out a group of about 5-6 visitors early last fall.

We probably have 5-6 Anna’s hummingbirds around the yard.  This female has apparently taken over the front yard from a very aggressive male who as recently as a month ago claimed the front yard and its feeder.

Here is a female member of a covey of California quail that have been visiting the yard this winter.  This is the first winter the quail have visited the yard in the eleven years we’ve lived at this location

Finally, we have a few Golden-crowned sparrows in the yard each winter.  This is one of this year’s males.

As I suggested in my last blogpost, there isn’t a much better time for birding than after a snow if you can safely get out.

We had several visits from Varied thrushes in our yard on February 10, 2019.  The thrushes were very shy and I would have sat outside and waited for a photographic opportunity, but I doubted that they would enter the yard with me outside.  I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that I took this photo of a female Varied thrush through the kitchen window.  (I was desperate to document one in our yard!)

I have full-time all-wheel drive on my RAV-4 and so I took to the streets mid-morning.   One of the best decisions I made all day was to tour the Cap Sante neighborhood first.  About two blocks up the hill from our house I was taking photos of a variety of birds in a deciduous tree when I realized that I was viewing a White-throated sparrow. I had logged one in our yard years before but as the years went by I became less confident of my previous identification.  But here, in the neighborhood, without a doubt, was a White-throated sparrow and I was documenting it with photographs!

I had decided to head south, but on my way I decided to tour March Point.  I found what I assume to be a female Common merganser very near shore. (I’m not positive of my identification… the bird could be a male or even a Red-breasted merganser.  If I get a different confident ID from a more accomplished birder I’ll modify my post.)

But I digress from my story.  As I watched the bird it more or less made landfall, and as it did I noticed a River otter 30-40 feet away heading directly for the merganser.  The otter dove and I got my camera ready for a wildlife moment… but time went by with nothing happening.  Just as I relaxed and lowered my camera the otter sprang from the water about 3-4 feet from the merganser, but the merganser reacted instantly and the otter was left with no meal.

I next headed for Fir Island and my second incredible find for the day… a male Red-breasted sapsucker.  I was able to observe and photograph (98 photos… these opportunities don’t just happen along every day!) the bird for well over an hour.

I was surprised at how readily the sap flowed from the small holes the sapsucker drilled in the tree,  A small hole immediately resulted in a trickle of sap flowing down the tree.

UPDATE:  In an astounding coincidence, on the afternoon of Feb 11, I was looking out our kitchen window and saw a relatively large bird land on the side of our largest fir tree.  Due to my sighting and research the day before, I was able to immediately identify it as another Red-breasted sapsucker!  It quickly disappeared up the tree but returned later in the afternoon.  

At the Hayton F&W Access area I found this Great Blue Heron hunkered down from the cold, one of several I encountered while out.

In a field on Fir Island, immediately south of the North Fork of the Skagit River, I found several thousand Snow geese grazing in a field with hunters along one side.  Here a Snow goose comes in to join the flock.

On the way back home I found this Red-tailed hawk perched on a post at the edge of a farm field.

While the number of species I photographed wasn’t significant, the two rarities I photographed were.  I took 341 images, but the majority consisted of the sapsucker and flying geese.

If you photograph birds, I can’t recommend a better time than after a snow!

I made an excursion on Feb 5, 2019, with substantial snow still on the ground.  I encountered this Song sparrow in the neighborhood.

My next stop, when I noticed a substantial amount of bird activity, was at a grove of trees at the north end of the paved parking lot of the Cap Sante Marina.  There I found American robins, Eurasian starlings and about two dozen Yellow-rumped warblers, all of which I saw were Audubon’s.

While photographing the warblers a male Ruby-crowned kinglet made a brief appearance… this may be the best photo I’ve ever taken of one!  It’s very unusual to see the red crown exposed, especially when the bird is not visibly upset.

I next encountered a tree full of berries, and obtained photos of American robins,

and male and female Varied thrushes, partaking of the feast.

This male Varied thrush was obtaining water from a puddle that wasn’t frozen.

This Bewick’s wren, which I never saw approaching, happened by while I was photographing other birds.

I find it somewhat unusual to find a Fox sparrow off the ground, but this one flew into a bush and posed for me!

With light and time fading, I decided to see if I could find Snow geese on Fir Island.  As I crossed the North Fork of the Skagit River the task seemed daunting… there was nothing but snow-covered fields stretching away from me with no sign of any birds in the air!  I drove to the location where I had seen geese a few days before (Maupin Road) and found a large flock on the side of the road.  I can never figure out how the geese realize that hunting season is over, but I was able to drive right up next to them.  Retracing my route after visiting the Jensen F&W Access, I found the geese crossing the road in front of me!

On this day I had seen and photographed five sparrow species (Spotted towhees, Dark-eyed juncos (Oregon), Song, Fox, White-crowned); both kinglet species; and two thrush species (American robin and Varied thrush).  277 photos