Last weekend, we spent three days bicycling to and from, and staying
two nights at Fort Flagler State Park. The weather varied between lots of
wind, cloudy-mild, and wind with rain. But the birding was great at the
Fort. On Saturday, we walked all around the shoreline and saw the
following birds, starting from the road down to the Marrowstone Point
Lighthouse: Robins and White- crowned Sparrows were singing their hearts
out, while a pair of Bewick's Wrens scurried in the bushes, chattering as
they went. Dark-eyed Juncos flew along the road and landed beside two
Golden-crowned Sparrows, still in their subdued winter plumage. In
contrast, the fresh, brilliant yellow-and-green colors of the
Orange-crowned Warbler gleamed in the light as we caught a glimpse of him
in the bushes and continued down the hill. We had been hearing the White
Crowns all along our bicycle ride to Fort Flagler, but had not stopped to
look for them. A male Rufous Hummingbird flashed his brilliant gorget atop
a small branch. The sewage pond near the lighthouse held several pairs of
Gadwalls and Mallards, plus a Canada Goose on her nest as her mate swam
nearby. Killdeers proved their shorebird identity by flying along the
shoreline in front of us, uttering their complaining scold as we invaded
their territory, but Song Sparrows sang their joyful song as we clambered
over the big rocks near the lighthouse. As we rounded the point, one lone
Sanderling raced the waves back and forth along the sandy beach. Seeing
just ONE sanderling, still in winter plumage, was a strange sight; hope
the little guy makes it to the arctic breeding grounds. Red-breasted
Mergansers were the most common duck that we observed as we walked along
the north beach toward the campground area directly across from Port
Townsend. Pigeon Guillemots were also quite plentiful--the most we had
ever seen at one time. We saw numerous Red-necked and Horned Grebes, all
decked out in their colorful breeding plumage. Several Common Loons,
always by themselves, were in varying degrees of winter- to breeding
plumage, contrasting with the Pacific Loons we had seen from the east
beach. Lines of Surf Scoters, in cooperation with the Horned Grebes and
Bufflehead Ducks, performed their synchronized diving routine, diving and
then popping up one after the other in a different pattern. We saw very
few White-winged Scoters. Both Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants
showed their flying formations in frequent flybys. One very nice surprise
was a single Townsend's Solitaire sitting atop an odd-shaped root wad
along the beach below the cliffs, where years of pounding waves are
gradually eating away at the base, with assorted trees in the landslides
cascading down. (Note: We saw another Townsend's Solitaire when we took
our walk through the forest and meadow atop the cliff.) Buffleheads were
common as we neared the campground. Suddenly several flights of Harlequin
Ducks zipped by. They never settled down on the water where we could see
them, but still it was great to know they were there. The most exciting
for us, though, was a scope sighting over near the Port Townsend side of
the bay of at least three Long-tailed Ducks, all males, still in their
winter plumage. It was the closest view we had of them. Three male
Goldeneyes were still in their winter or juvenile plumage, and we could
not identify whether Common or Barrows. Glaucous-winged Gulls were seen
everywhere, and at least 100 Brant swam near Indian Island, apparently a
separate flock from the 200 Brant we had seen with the Pintails and
Buffleheads by Oak Bay the day before.
Our walk through the forest and along the trails gave us
several nice sightings. At Fort Flagler's southwest sewage ponds,
the duck families were well represented: Mallards, Shovellers,
Buffleheads, American Wigeons, Green-winged Teal, Gadwalls, and
Pintails. A noisy Belted Kingfisher and one domestic goose
surveyed the scene, while a yellow-rumped Warbler and several
House Finches added their individual soundtracks, producing an
unusual ambience. Near the Environmental Learning Center, one
mature Bald Eagle and three immatures soared on the dynamic wave
over the cliffs; a magnificent sight. The eagles were sighted in
several places in the park, confirming their "top gun" status on
Marrowstone Island. We saw no other raptors there. Violet-green
Swallows inspected all the ELC buildings, chattering and
chattering as if they were in a big hurry to get started at their
nest construction. Starlings and crows patrolled the parade
grounds of the Fort, looking for tasty morsels.
Our walk through another heavily forested part of the park
was actually almost birdless--no woodpeckers nor chickadees were
seen or heard. When the trail sidled up to a large open meadow,
we heard a few Red-breasted Nuthatches, Winter Wrens, and finally
the beautiful harmonica-like sound of the Varied Thrush, plus
the full-throated plaintive note of a Band-tailed Pigeon. Birding
by ear was required in that area.
One last mention of sightings occurred at Nordland, where a
lone Killdeer and a lone Greater Yellowlegs occupied a spot along
the shoreline; a most interesting comparison of sizes. Great Blue
Herons walked the shoreline across the inlet from the Nordland
Store.
All in all, it was a very good birding and bicycling three
days, despite the inclement weather for our return trip.

Bill and Erin Woods Woods Tree Farm Redmond, WA U.S.A.
<wwwbike at halcyon.com>