Subject: Puget Sound- trip report
Date: Jun 29 15:27:16 1995
From: Steve Hampton - hampton at gordy.ucdavis.edu



June 17-28, 1995
TOTAL SPECIES: 71
LIFERS: 2 (Marbled Murrelet and Arctic Tern)

I could tell I was in for a great birding adventure: 10 days
with very sedentary in-law relatives, packed with social obligations
ranging from weddings to birthdays, and surrounded by great birds about
a half-day's drive away. I especially knew I was in for something
special when, on the drive out of the airport, I got fantastic views of
ROCK DOVES. I'm only beginning to appreciate the plumage variation
of this species. Just after exiting the freeway, a STARLING flew right
over my side of the car-- stellar views! The others missed it, but then
again they weren't birders anyway. Upon arrival at my in-laws, a
handsome male HOUSE SPARROW perched on the old dock pilings next to the
house-- the guides just don't do these birds justice!

Seriously, my in-laws have a great spot in Tacoma, with the patio
deck hanging over south Puget Sound at high tide. Harbor seals and river
otters swim by often, and BALD EAGLES cruise overhead at telephone-pole height.

FROM THE DECK
From their deck, the birding is quite good. I was told that
MARBLED MURRELETS would be hard to find in the south Sound, but they had
no trouble finding me, often observing me drinking beer or playing with
my kid in the sand from just 20 yards off-shore. They got great looks
at me nearly every day. A young bird saw me as well.
I was surprized to see some California chapparal friends in their
neighborhood: BEWICK'S WRENS and BUSHTITS, which contrasted nicely with
the BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-SIDED CHICKADEES, numerous VIOLET-GREEN
SWALLOWS, and PINE SISKINS.
Most of the gulls appeared to be pure GLAUCOUS-WINGED, though there
were a few second-year birds with tail bands much darker than primaries,
and at least one bird with black primary tips above and below. I'm told
that after eight trips to a drive-through espresso bar, one can
conclusively identify the exact lineage and degree of hybridization
with these "Puget Mutants".

THE CLEARCUT
One morning I made it out to a clearcut near Olympia, where
a Clay-colored Sparrow was reported. I never saw him, but I did see a
PARTIAL ALBINO SONG SPARROW, with a mostly white face and a brown eye
stripe. This was a great spot, with lots of warblers (YELLOWTHROATS,
MACGILLAVRAYS, and ORANGE-CR.), two LAZULI BUNTINGS, three adjacent trees
with three different flycatchers in each one (PACIFIC-SLOPE, WILLOW, and
OLIVE-SIDED), plus MOURNING DOVE, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, CALIF QUAIL, and
RING-NECKED PHEASANT-- and great looks and lots of singing CHIPPING
SPARROWS.

Our family then took a trip to Seattle, visiting 3 sets of
friends, Pike Street market, the zoo, and the Space Needle all in one
day (with a 1 year old and a 4 year old). I don't recommend it. In
the midst of all this, I paid the obligatory price for jetting up to
Everett to see the nesting ARCTIC TERNS: two hours in traffic and
the wrath of my family (I know other birders with similar stories).
The terns were good to me, with one flying over my head twice, turning
left and right, and then perching nearby. Special thanks to Fred Bird
for directions! These are beautiful birds.

TREASURE ISLAND
A few days at a cabin on a small island in far southwest Puget
Sound was very relaxing and enjoyable. The echoing call of SWAINSON'S
THRUSHES filled the air. GREEN HERONS and COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were nice
additions to the trip list, and the spotting of the hanging nest of a
WARBLING VIREO was a first for me. Really cool nest.

UNEXPECTED BIRDS
Now satiated with two lifers, the final days of my stay were
committed to forsaking the birdwalks and regaining some social capital
with the in-laws. Nevertheless, some nice birds showed up: WESTERN
BLUEBIRDS visited a birthday party in Spanaway; a first summer
BONAPARTE'S GULL and an immature BRANDT'S CORMORANT stopped by the
pilings off my in-law's deck (surprized me for the time of year for
the former and the location for the latter (plus it was solo)); and
a second trip to the clearcut yielded a calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER
(basically at sea-level). I'm not sure how unusual these sightings
are, but they were unexpected to me.

special thanks to all how gave me tips!

I'm currently in negotiations with my in-laws for next year's
visit to be a cabin thang at Lake Chelan-- within striking
distance of Okanagan Valley! strategy, strategy...

|STEVE HAMPTON [hampton at gordy.ucdavis.edu]|
|Dept. of Agricultural Economics, UC Davis|
|Davis, CA 95616 USA |