Hello birders,
On Thursday (4/24) I led a Seattle Audubon trip to the Nisqually
Delta National Wildlife Refuge. We ran into Patrick and Ruth Sullivan, and
the latter gave me a good lesson on what to look for to separate the Greater
and Lesser Yellowlegs. The close-up scope view showed the subtile up-curve
in the bill of the Greater, and the more pronounced black flank stripes
below the folded wing. However, I am still confused by the differences
between the "Greatest", "Greater", "Middle", "Slightly Lesser", "Lesser",
"Least", and "Very Least" Yellowlegs described in the Sills' "A Field Guide
to Little-known and Seldom-seen Birds".
I also had a great view of a flock of circling Dunlin which all
showed the unmistakable black belly patch when they banked away in flight.
One interesting finding in the small trees along the trail between
headquarters and McAllister Creek was a scattered group of about a dozen
male Yellow-rumped Warblers, all with the white throat of the "Myrtle"
variety - not an "Audubon's" among them. The next day I was birding from
Foster Island to the Museum of History and Industry and saw a couple of
males, both clearly "Audubon's". Do these two varieties often travel
separately, or are they generally mixed together in one diffuse flock?
Also, while at MOHAI, I put my scope on a pair of breeding adult
Double-crested Cormorants in the trees above the U of W canoe house across
the canal. One had mixed black and white feathers in his/her double crest,
while the other's crests were totally black, consistent with "eastern birds"
per the National Geographic guide. Sibley describes black crests in the
"southeastern" birds. Was this a northwestern stray?
And, finally, the new eagles' nest was said to be visable in a huge
Big-leaf Maple east of the Washington Park Arboretum Visitor Center. I had
beautiful views of the nest and the adult eagle on guard from the Visitor
Center front walk and parking area. Binoculars are fine, but scopes are
spectacular!
Good birding,
Fran Wood (male)
Seattle (Madrona)
<fbwood at u.washington.edu>