This is a different kind of sequence, images of winter memories. For even though it doesn’t feel like it, winter is winding down. Temperatures in Seattle have been 10 to 15 degrees below average, and we just had a couple of freezing nights. But as days grow longer, more resident birds — Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, even Black-capped Chickadees — have been singing, heralding spring. So now is the perfect time to say farewell to birds I’ve seen during their time here in winter, birds who soon will fly off to distant climes, compete for mates and do the hard work of breeding. Here I salute them, and give thanks for the memories they’ve given me. And I share them with all of you.
I have to confess that winter is my least favorite season. Short days with low light levels, often punctuated by rain and wind, limit time to get out in nature. Snow added its brightness only once this year. But the birds are out there every day in all kinds of weather, working for food on water and land, and I’ve been out as often as possible to watch them do it.
OceanDiver has often said that ducks make winter worth it. That prompted me to make a record of the beauty and diversity of birds who visit this region in winter. Some are seen in other parts of the country, though perhaps in different seasons. And some are unique to this area. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing these winter birds, as I have.
Winter-visiting shorebirds were far away but plentiful. This spectacle at dusk was a fine consolation prize after I whiffed during a second trip up to the Skagit to see Snow Geese.
Other winter visitors include Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter and Ruddy Duck.
Sources: Birding in Seattle and King County, Site Guide and Annotated List, by Eugene S. Hunn; BirdWeb; Birds of Washington by Dennis Paulson, revised 2021; All About Birds.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns spinning around us.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations — and photographs! — in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on follow.
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Today we’re finally expecting average temperatures in the low 50s, but rain and cooler temperatures will follow and persist through midweek. Deciduous plants are beginning to leaf out in our garden. What have you observed this winter?