Hi Tweets

Seattle Audubon went to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park yesterday. Everyone knows that it is sunny and warm there in July - right? Wroooong! We started picking up rain right at the start, rained all the way across during the ferry crossing, maybe slowed down a bit around Gardner. But then it started again, and got steadily harder and more persistent as we climbed up the ridge.

Lots of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS and RHINOCEROS AUKLETs in Edmonds Harbor. We had a COMMON MURRE flyby during the crossing and a number of rhinos. As we came into Kingston we had several BONAPARTE'S GULLS as well as a CALIFORNIA GULL. The weather really affected the birds, as there were very few on the way over to Port Angeles.

Our first stop was at the Heart of the Hills Campground - Incredibly quiet there. A couple of CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES calling, a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER calling, a STELLER'S JAY calling, a distant VARIED THRUSH, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, a couple of AMERICAN ROBINS (the only one of these that we saw), and a distant WINTER WREN and BEWICK'S WREN. A few PINE SISKINS were overhead.

As I said, the rain got steadier the higher we climbed. One notable sightings was a doe with two very young fawns (with spots). One of the fawns walked out on the road and then looked confused, while the other quickly went up the hill into the vegetation - perhaps an indication of which one has the best survival chances? At the top it had settled in for the day, and the clouds were right down around the Visitors Center. Our only birds there were a DARK-EYED JUNCO and a COMMON RAVEN.

Back down the hill we went, being careful because of the dense clouds. One of our crew had an unidentified GROUSE beside the road (probably SOOTY, but the look was too short to be certain). We went out to Ediz Hook where things picked up. Lots of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS, a few HARLEQUIN DUCKS (no breeding males), a ton of GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS on one of the log rafts, about 40 HEERMANN'S GULLS, several CALIFORNIA GULLS, a couple of WESTERN GULLS, a couple of PELAGIC CORMORANTS (some flying by out in the Strait also). Many GREAT BLUE HERONS, groups of RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, a single SURF SCOTER, and then all the gulls lifted off. A minute later an adult BALD EAGLE came cruising in and settled on the log raft. Further down the Hook, we had a small flock of WESTERN SANDPIPERS, some of the resident HOUSE SPARROWS. The rain persisted lightly most of the time we were here.

We headed over to the Kitchen Dick ponds, where we found four LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, lots of MALLARDS, at least two GADWALL with young, a couple of NORTHERN PINTAIL, several breeding male RUDDY DUCKS, a PIED-BILLED GREBE, an AMERICAN COOT, a BELTED KINGFISHER, and BARN, CLIFF, VIOLET-GREEN and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. A single TREE SWALLOW was perched on a wire. A couple of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and an AMERICAN ROBIN flew in.

On the way over to Oyster House/Dungeness Landing park, we saw several BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, and some MOURNING DOVES. At Dungeness Landing it continued to sprinkle, but while the tide was out we got decent views of LONG-BILLED CURLEW, MARBLED GODWIT, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, and GREATER YELLOWLEGS. Lots of CANADA GEESE were in the distance. A NORTHERN HARRIER settled on a post at the southern end of the area.
A nice adult RING-BILLED GULL was present with a very light mantle. Also present was one of the rattiest GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS I have ever seen. It appeared to be a second year bird, and many of the flight feathers were almost nothing but shafts - it seemed impossible that it could still fly.

At John Wayne Marina we had incredible looks at PIGEON GUILLEMOTS just below us, making their high thin calls. At the south end of the marina there were several GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, and mixed in with them was a single BLACK OYSTERCATCHER. Again, all the gulls lifted off (as did the Oystercatcher) and a BALD EAGLE sailed in. Three HOODED MERGANSERS cruised by.


At Three Crabs, we started out with a very nice look at a pair of PURPLE MARTINS on the wires. Some CASPIAN TERNS flew around the area, and a single DUNLIN made a brief appearance. Only MALLARDS were at Helen's Pond, only one male still showed even a little green on the head.

Further east a RED-TAILED HAWK perched, trying to dry out - it had stopped raining by then. Other birds that we saw included TURKEY VULTURE, CALIFORNIA QUAIL (A small covey flushed from alongside the road with a female and 12 very young birds), ROCK DOVE, NORTHERN FLICKER, AMERICAN CROW, EUROPEAN STARLING, SPOTTED TOWHEE, SONG SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, HOUSE FINCH, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. We finished up with a MEW GULL on the ferry ride back across the Sound.

In spite of the rain, we felt we had done rather well, and enjoyed the day. Final tally, 68 species.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
bellasoc at isomedia dot com