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.
Winter sky, Magnuson Park, Seattle, March 2nd. That bright light at the end of the path is spring!
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.
Mr. WordsandBirds and I saw these Trumpeter Swans, part of a flock of 33 individuals, on Juanita Bay, Lake Washington. Small flocks of these magnificent birds trumpet around our area here and there in winter, sharing their bright beauty and graceful shapes in the dark season. Most will breed in Alaska.
Barrow’s Goldeneye pair, Puget Sound. These striking diving ducks live mostly in saltwater in winter. They’ll breed in Canada and Alaska, nesting in tree cavities, often high above ground. Some have nested in forests of northeastern Washington, the Cascades and Olympics.
The Common Goldeneye is, well, more common than Barrow’s, but its coloring and patterns make it every bit as eye-catching. This drake on Puget Sound was posturing to impress a hen (offstage). These diving ducks frequent fresh and saltwater in winter. They breed in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska, near lakes.
Thousands of Dunlin feasted at dusk in Snohomish County in February. Dunlin fly to the Arctic to breed.
Closer view of Dunlin, heavily cropped from distance above.
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.
Black Brant Geese were another big treat. We saw a flock of 55-plus geese again yesterday north of Brackett’s Landing in Edmonds, where we’d enjoyed them for half an hour in February. (I wrote a Bucket about that, here: www.dailykos.com/....) They’ll fly to the Arctic to breed.
Black Brant dressed for dinner, wearing its elegant white necklace while eating eelgrass, its favorite food.
This cute little Bufflehead hen is America’s smallest diving duck. Buffleheads in winter can be found on saltwater and freshwater, and favor sheltered bays, lakes and ponds. This hen is a cavity nester whose breeding success will depend upon finding an abandoned Northern Flicker nest hole. Buffleheads breed principally in the boreal forest of Canada and Alaska.
This male Varied Thrush enjoys Cotoneaster berries in our garden. These commanding thrushes with haunting whistles move to coniferous forests to nest. They like to stay hidden, and we saw them less often this winter than in years past. They’re vulnerable to habitat loss from logging in their range.
Fox Sparrows are secretive here, so finding one is special. This one was foraging in our garden. The coldest temperatures often bring them toward the house for food. They jump and scrape methodically in their search for buried treasure. They’ll also move to the mountains to breed.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are kinetic and difficult to catch in a photo, as many here have noted. They’ve begun to sing in our garden but won’t breed here. Instead, they’ll move to the mountains.
I see large rafts of Ring-necked Ducks each winter on freshwater lakes, especially around the first of the year. They typically breed east of the Cascade Mountains.
Most of the times I visit Puget Sound in winter, I see Horned Grebes. This diver breeds in Canada and Alaska.
Green-winged Teal drake, Lake Washington. These petite, handsomely colored ducks are ground-nesters who will breed in Canada.
Red-breasted Mergansers favor the salt water of Puget Sound more than Common Mergansers do. They breed in the boreal forest and Arctic.
I’ve seen more Red-necked Grebes this winter on Puget Sound than in the past. These connoisseurs of fish and crustaceans will depart for northeastern Washington, Canada and Alaska, and breed near shallow freshwater lakes.
I saw this Surfbird at the Edmonds Breakwater in January (and wrote a Bucket about it and the Black Turnstones with it, here: www.dailykos.com/...). It will take off for the mountains of Alaska to breed. The Black Turnstones will breed in the Alaskan Arctic.
Some days in winter feature brilliant blue skies. A ferry adds to the charm.
Other winter visitors include Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter and Ruddy Duck.
This female Black-and-White Warbler was at Green Lake in Seattle, far out of her winter range. Seeing her was one of my fondest memories of the season. I wrote a Bucket about her here: www.dailykos.com/… She hung out from before Thanksgiving through our subfreezing weather in mid-January but wasn’t seen after that. I hope she found a warmer place, because her kind winters in Mexico, Central America and northern South America.
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.
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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?
