Photo: Sora by Margaret Gompper
Hello everyone,
We had several celebrity bird sightings this week. We started out with a Cackling Goose amongst the Canada Geese in the Columbia Basin. Kudos to Mark, Eric and Gary who took the time to sift through all those geese to discover the special one. We see Cackling Geese regularly in the winter but we don’t often have them in the fall.
Another celebrity bird in residence was a gorgeous male Black-throated Blue Warbler spotted on the center path. He was nice enough to perch out in the open and give us some good looks. Leslie was lucky enough to spot a male Baltimore Oriole who must like here since his buddies have already left. He is welcome to stay as long as he wants!
An extra-special celebrity bird was a Golden-winged Warbler in the former rose garden. Cheryl did some research on our visitor and discovered that Golden-winged Warblers are in severe decline. Here’s an article from Cornell with more information:
Other sightings of note were a Belted Kingfisher, a large number of Wood Ducks, and a nice variety of warblers. An adorable raccoon was in its tree cavity nest. It looked peeved that we disturbed its nap.
BIRDERS: Jen, Mike, Jennie, Nathan, Cheryl, Eric, Mark W., Kristin, Gary, Leslie, Roger, Mark C., Paul, Dennis, Tracy, Marisa, Jane, Bruce and Mark and Sandra N. visiting from New York City.
TIME: 8:00am to Noon
WEATHER: Sunny, 60s
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Marisa, Eric, Gary
Cackling Goose Number observed: 1
Canada Goose Number observed: 115
Wood Duck Number observed: 11
Mallard Number observed: 17
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Number observed: 1
Chimney Swift Number observed: 7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 3
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 5
Herring Gull Number observed: 2
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 2
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 5
Great Egret Number observed: 2
Green Heron Number observed: 4
Red-tailed Hawk Number observed: 1
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 1
Hairy Woodpecker Number observed: 2
Northern Flicker Number observed: 2
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Number observed: 1
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 3
Red-eyed Vireo Number observed: 1
American Crow Number observed: 2
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 2
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 1
Gray Catbird Number observed: 3
Swainson's Thrush Number observed: 1
American Robin Number observed: 1
House Finch Number observed: 1
American Goldfinch Number observed: 11
Chipping Sparrow Number observed: 1
White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 7
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 1
Observed by one member of the group who is experienced. Solid bright orange breast without any markings ruling out AMRE but smaller than AMRO. Documented latest fall sighting for Jackson Park is 09/28/84.
Golden-winged Warbler Number observed: 1
Black-and-white Warbler Number observed: 1
Tennessee Warbler Number observed: 4
Orange-crowned Warbler Number observed: 2
Nashville Warbler Number observed: 3
Common Yellowthroat Number observed: 2
American Redstart Number observed: 4
Cape May Warbler Number observed: 2
Magnolia Warbler Number observed: 4
Bay-breasted Warbler Number observed: 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler Number observed: 2
Blackpoll Warbler Number observed: 6
Black-throated Blue Warbler Number observed: 1
Palm Warbler Number observed: 5
Pine Warbler Number observed: 1
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 5
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie