Our latest bird outing took us to Kye Bay Rd where we located birds on and above the offshore water and along the roadside as we walked to the southern end of the road.
There were lots of birds in flight, providing practice in identifying at a distance either on site or via studying photos on the computer. Some photos are provided here for those interested in googling or looking in identification keys to see if they can determine the basis for the identification. Feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss any bird photo.
Twenty-eight bird species were identified:
Bufflehead, Brant, Mallard, Northern Pintail, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, gull spp, Red-breasted Merganser, American Wigeon, Common Goldeneye, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, American Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, House Finch, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Swallow sp., Pacific Wren, Anna’s Hummingbird, Dark-eyed Junco and Golden-crowned Kinglet (identified by sound).
Also, a few ducks flying by were tentatively identified as Scaup sp based on a comparison with on-line photos (two of our photos provided below)
Photos provided by Rob R., Val B., Kim DeL., Bill S and Dawn M.
1. signs of spring 13. Pileated Woodpecker
2. Northern Pintails 14. Northern Flicker
3. Mallard pair 15. group on beach path
4. Brant 16. House Finch female
5. Common Goldeneye 17. Spotted Towhee
6. mix of Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead 18. Fox Sparrow
7. White-winged Scoter 19. Song Sparrow
8. Surf Scoter 20. American Robin
9. Red-breasted Merganser 21. group photo
10. group checking for birds on Kye Bay Rd 22. Bald Eagle
11. American Crow 23. probable Scaup – wing underside
12. European Starlings 24. probable Scaup – wing upperside
