Weather: It was cool out, especially along the lake but it was a relatively clear and sunny day overall.
Map of Union Bay for Reference: CLICK HERE
Species count was 38: Robin, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, American Goldfinch, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Double-crested Cormorant, Bushtit, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Bufflehead, Pied-billed Grebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Northern Flicker, Song Sparrow, Anna's Hummingbird, Wood Duck, Canada Goose, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Gadwall, GBH, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hooded Merganser, Hairy Woodpecker, House Finch
Notes from the day:
I was very fortunate to have one of my good friends and birding mentors along with me for my walk today, Fil Tkaczyk. Fil is an amazing naturalist who has been observing wildlife here at Union Bay for ovar a decade. I truly feel that I learn exponentially more when he's along with me, and that held true again today.
Gadwalls were being rather aggressive with one another in the cove. Aside from a few teals, they were about the only ones there in the morning. Sometimes the male would not only chase another male, but another female as well. I believe this was an attempt at forced copulation. Unpaired males of dabbling ducks are known to force copulation with an already paired female. This explains why the aggressive behavior was being displayed towards both sexes.
Nesting was the theme of the day again. A pair of Canada geese were nesting on a small patch of land near the Mud Island. The female was sitting on the nest while the male stood, or should I say swam, guard nearby. We got a chance to see a crow get a little too close to the nest and the male lowered it's head and flew directly at the crow until it got to within a far enough distance. A pair of buffleheads swam a little too close as well but they didn't get the same kind of reaction. It makes sense since the crows are nest raiders and the buffleheads are fish eaters. The Canada geese know this too.
I also got to witness the Canada geese reacting to a dog approaching along the trail. They let us get pretty close to them, but once the dog came close they began alarming all in unison as a group with their necks in a stiff position. As soon as the dog passed, they became relaxed again and continued feeding. I used to always get upset at people who allow their dogs off leash along the main trail, but now I love it because I get to see all the different alarms from the bird species as the dog scampers amongst the different habitats.
There was a GBH sitting with the cormorants in the middle of the lagoon. I've never seen one here before but it must have been good hunting today. I saw his head go into striking position a few times while I was looking on. It's amazing how quickly they can move their heads.
The violet-green swallows were flying everywhere again today, except they weren't as high up. I only saw a few tree swallows and one of them was building a nest up on a tall snag near Shoveler's Pond. Last season I remember them nesting on a snag near the Southwest Pond but this tree is no longer there. I was wondering what new spot that they were going to pick this year and it looks as if my question has been answered.
Four red-tailed hawks were spotted by both Fil and I throughout the day. The most interesting encounter occurred on the walk back to the car at the end of the day. As we approached the greenhouse from Wedding Rock, we noticed a pair of red-tailed hawks attempting to perform a courtship ritual where the male lowers his talons while in flight and drops from below the female to touch her in the back. They happened to fly over an area which must have been home to a group of crows because they began to mob and dive bomb in large numbers. They escorted the pair a comfortable distance away before they ceased their pursuit. It was a pretty cool experience.
Shoveler's were out in full force on the Southwest Pond and they were being very aggressive towards one another. The males would swim close to one another and bob their head up and down slowly. I believe I even witnessed what looked to be a forced copulation similar to what I saw happen earlier in the day with the gadwalls. I wonder why this particular behavior is more common amongst the dabblers?
The ducks and coots were concentrated into one unusually large group in the middle of the lake today. Maybe they've noticed it's safer in large numbers given the juvenile eagle has been hunting them lately. I didn't get to witness any hunting attempts but I did see both a juvenile and an adult hovering far over the lake today.
For the first time this year, I heard the bushtits singing for extended periods of time. Usually they quickly pass through an area companion calling with one another along the way. Today, they sat high up in the trees along of the shore of Yesler Cove and sang away.
Fil had seen a Wilson's snipe in the meadow between the Main Pond and the Southwest Pond a few years back but after throuroughly searching for one the last few weeks in that same area, I had been unsuccessful in finding one. While I didn't see or hear one today, Fil pointed out a snipe track along the main trail running alongside the meadow. Snipes apparently like to hang out in tall grass mounds near puddles roughly 1” in depth looking for worms. We searched a few different similar habitats but wasn't able to find a snipe today. Now that I know one is currently in the area, I'll look a little harder within the coming weeks.
The recurring theme again today was courting, mating and nesting. It's that time of year and it's super exciting. You should get over to Union Bay if you can. Things are heating up.
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