19, 20 July

 19 July

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S91997618

weather:  6 am 12 C wind calm, 11 am 20 C wind N 8, clear

tide:  9 am 1.3m

20 July

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S92051228

weather:  6:30 am 11C wind calm, 11 am 21 C wind NNW 8, partly cloudy

tide:  9 am 0.8m


19 July

A contrast with the birding on Saturday, when there was so much to see.  Today was very slow and quiet, until, as I walked along the river, I heard a low-pitched, but loud "GWOK."  Sure enough, it was Momma Merganser and her little brood.  


Looking at their growth I'd guess that they are a maturing version of the little pile of fluff I photographed a couple of weeks back.  Alas, the numbers are down.  There were eight when I last saw them, and now there are only five.  This is the sort of thing that happens in an environment with eagles, owls and a peregrine falcon, all preying on youngsters.  

That said, the survivors seem to be doing well.

One is substantially bigger than the other four, and as I recall, there was one who appeared more active than the rest when they were chicks.  Hatching order is a factor in bird growth, it appears.  

This one is also a successful fisherbird.


It's the first photo I've shot of a merganser that shows the serrated beak, which isn't common among other duck species.  I think this is what inspired the development of fishing pliers.  

The family made its way upstream, 



One youngster is sampling the moss on the snag, or maybe found something nice to eat in it.  


It was kind of fun to see the little critters growing up.

And then, upstream a bit, there was a dipper!  Returned to its usual habitat.  I couldn't manage a photo;  it dove and looked to make its way into a tangle of brush on the bank.  Must continue to monitor.

20 July

Mostly a quiet morning, with a couple of highlights.

I don't think I've ever seen two kestrels together before.  They were quite distant, but when I took a photo and expanded it, sure enough--kestrels.




There was an abundance of newly fledged birds--juncos, robins, towhees, and assorted sparrows. 

The high point of the morning was a young great horned owl.  I'd taken a new  path.  I'd always wondered where it went, when I passed it but hadn't ever seen its other end until I went on my search for the pygmy owl the other morning.  This morning I decided to explore, and delay breakfast by a bit.

About half way along, there was a large tree down across the path, which required a bit of clambering, in the course of which I looked off to my left, and...


...oh, wow!  It sat there, patiently, possibly a bit sleepy (past its bedtime, I'd guess) as I took photos.  The low light was tricky, but finally I managed this:


I'm surmising that this is one of the three fledgling owls I saw at the end of April and the beginning May, next path over, in the forest.  I'd love to think it's successfully fledged.  

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