Weather: It was mostly sunny throughout the day in the high 50s to mid 60s. It was a little windy over the lake but calm almost everywhere else.
Map of Union Bay for Reference: CLICK HERE
Species count was 40: 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, Cooper's 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, Canada goose, European starling, red-winged blackbird, gadwall, GBH, golden-crowned kinglet, Downy woodpecker, house finch, golden-crowned sparrow, killdeer, rock dove, Steller's jay.
Notes from the day:
I've learned over the course of the last few months that my best days here at Union Bay are usually the ones where I don't come into the day with any expectations at all. But today, I kind of expected to see some intense nesting behaviors and I wasn't let down at all.
I came across two Anna's hummingbird nests throughout the day, one being trailside in Yesler Cove and the other just off the main trail near the Turtle Logs. The nest by the Turtle logs actually already had a brood in it. It was the first brood that I've seen from any species this season and I wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for my friend Kristian, who joined me for part of my walk today.
I also presume that quite a few other species have already laid their first clutch due to the activity of the corvids - the Steller's jays specifically. They were all over the place today, especially near Wedding Rock. I witnessed one jay get a little too close to a robin nest and the robin began to attack by swooping down on it. A few moments later, another jay arrived on the scene and together they drove the robin away. I watched for awhile longer to see if they'd go for the nest but they never did. I presume they were waiting for me to go away.
I've noticed that both the crows and the starlings have been a little scarce the past couple of weeks. I believe they're both off nesting, or at least the crows are. A fairly large group of them are nesting somewhere near the cove and this morning, I saw them all take flight in pursuit of some sort of bird of prey, presumably either an eagle or a red-tailed hawk that had gotten too close to their nests. I couldn't actually see the bird of prey, but I know that there was one given how the crows reacted. It was a mobbing behavior that I've witnessed numerous times in the past. Plus, I know that there are both red-tailed hawks and eagles nesting nearby.
On the trail going into Yesler swamp, there's a pair of bewick's wrens that I see almost weekly in the same spot along the trail. This week, I only saw one of them though. He was collecting feathers from some of the nesting waterfowl near the swamp. Bewick's wrens typically nest in tree cavities and other natural structures, so all they essentially have to do is collect a soft bedding material. There are plenty of feathers all over the shoreline so it looks like this guy's nest is pretty comfortable.
The Canada geese were no longer congregating in large groups. While a couple of geese have already been nesting for close to 2 weeks, almost all of them have paired up and at least begun the nesting process. The geese were very aggressive today, chasing both one another and other various species out of their territories. For some reason they don't seem to mind the buffleheads getting too close though. It's almost as if there is some sort of symbiotic relationship between the two. This is the second week in a row that I've noticed the buffleheads hanging out with the geese.
A killdeer was feeding and/or drinking in the dime lot until a group of crows began to dive bomb it. The killdeer took flight and would circle around the lot trying to return to the same area. The crows would continue their dive bombing in the air until the killdeer finally gave up and flew to the other side of the lot. It turns out that all the crows wanted was the bathing spot along the edge of the parking lot. They hung out in the area for awhile and the killdeer soon returned. Here is a pic of the crows having a bath.
I came across 4 different bushtit nests today, all hanging from trees/vines/shrubs between 5-10 feet off of the ground. I noticed how one of the nests had more than 2 bushtits working on it, and this perplexed me at the time. After consulting the Sibley Behavior Guide I found out that unpaired males and paired mates who have lost their nest or brood will help other bushtits build nests and raise young. They apparently have very complex social structures. Anyway, the nests were all at different stages of construction, but this one in the picture below was the finest of all four.
It seemed as if the swallows were swooping around in practically every open area that Union Bay had to offer. While there were significantly more violet-greens than tree swallows, I did get to see the tree swallow nesting across from Shoveler's Pond on one of the tall snags perched above her nest. She'd swoop to catch an insect on the wing and then right back to her perch. I wonder if the population of tree swallows is going to be significantly less this year at Union Bay than it was the last? I know a couple of the dead trees that they nested in last year near southwest pond were removed, so I'll keep my eye out for a potential decrease in numbers.
The house finches seemed to be all along the main trail near Shoveler's Pond today. The males were chasing one another and establishing territories. They were also nesting in the vents of the football stadium and over near the Turtle Logs as well. This male was staring down another male in a territorial dispute. I was lucky to snap this one at all since this finch was almost constantly on the move.
Last week I ran into another birder who told me there was a mating pair of brewer's blackbirds near the helipad. I searched around in that general area but couldn't seem to locate them today. I typically never walk over in that general direction but I'm glad that I did for even though I didn't find the blackbirds, I did get to see quite a few different species of waterfowl all along the slough. I believe it was such a popular hang out spot today because of the high water everywhere else.
For the second week in a row, the wood ducks were nowhere to be found. I'm pretty sure that they've begun nesting. Unlike the other dabbling ducks, the wood ducks don't nest along the shore. They'll nest sometimes as high as 70 feet up in the cavity of a tree or snag. Maybe the next time I see them they'll be swimming around with some ducklings?
The water all throughout Union Bay was at it's highest level all year today. Almost everywhere seemed to be flooded. The ducks and coots have taken to standing pools of water inland due to the islands being submerged in water. Many of the areas with standing water also have some pretty great cover to offer and I saw numerous mallard pairs taking advantage of it by building their nests in the brush cover. I spooked one pair out of it's nest but it's ok, I gave them some bread as a peace offering. It's all good.
No comments:
Post a Comment