Pt. Roberts (Point Bob) - life's a beach (#188-190)

Hey guys, I just in this very moment made a new year's resolution to keep this blog up to date...so just need to catch up, and then I'll live in the present :)
And on that note, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you a wonderful birding year in 2012.

Alright, let's jump in the time machine for one last ride to the West Coast trip, and then I'm done with it, I promise.

Cormorants on the pier almost right after getting off the ship. Different ones from home, but not 100% sure which! seems to be pelagic.

The cruise was over, but the vacation was not. After the cruise we spent a week at Matt's cabin in Point Roberts, WA. Another bizarre little place, because it is a (little) part of the United States just south of Vancouver (by little I mean 3 km wide and 5 km long), but not physically connected to it, even though it is not an island.

It's not a bad little spot, directly on the ocean, but you have to climb down exactly 100 steps to it, and 100 steps back up to leave...that's why we don't like to leave! (just kidding--I run up and down them for exercise).

heart

Not long after arriving we saw a hummingbird in the trees at the top of the stairs, so not long after we pulled the feeder out of the closet and made up some mix, knowing that there aren't any ruby-throats around there, but Anna's and rufous-winged instead. Well, the feeder hung out there all week, but nary a hummingbird did visit it (that we saw).

We didn't have the great sandbars that we normally do, but did have a decent one toward the end of our trip. We'd seen LOTS of shorebirds at the Riefel Bird Sanctuary, but we added one more shorebird to the list. Walking on the beach I saw these and noticed that their heads were dark, unlike all the other sandpipers we'd seen. They were pretty tolerant of us and let us get really close (unfortunately I felt a little pressure to get out of there because the tide was already coming in).

I snuck out for a run before dinner one night and about 2 km out I saw a large bird sitting on a low wire right beside the road. I got closer and realized it was a beautiful owl, and it didn't flicker when I got really close (not that I was trying to flush it, but it was right on the road I was running on!). I tried to memorize it as well as I could, but didn't look at the most important feature that would have helped me figure out what it was (either a barred or spotted owl). I ran back, got the camera and Matt drove us out there, but it was gone by the time we got there. Of course, I finally spot a random owl and I'm not ready for it! It was either a barred or a spotted...darn, wish I'd had my camera.

Matt's uncle, who we went to Riefel with, lent us his kayaks to take out and what else did we do, but chase  the birds around. I saw lots of great blues in this pose out west, something I have never seen at home. Something to do with the cold ocean water? Apparently they are drying their wings out.

Matt never tires of taking shots of GBHs...he's responsible for these ones!

landing gear out!

Got really great views from the kayak...this little bird seemed confused, or sick, or I'm not too sure what. We got so close, and something didn't seem right. you never know though.

pigeon guillemot?

Some sanderlings let us get so close they were almost too big for the frame even with our 70-300!
#188: Sanderling; Point Roberts, Washington; September 6, 2011

 More pics from the kayaks...

 #189: Pelagic Cormorant; Point Roberts, Washington; September 6, 2011

I feel like we have spent so many summer vacations at Point Roberts trying to chase around the little ducks that scoot along the shore. This was the first year we were better equipped to see them...with a longer lens we headed out. I always assumed they were black or white-winged scoters. I've realized looking at my pics that they were ALL harlequin ducks in nonbreeding plumage!

scoot scoot! once they get going, they start to run on water. it's hilarious!

beautiful birds!

On the last full day we got a decent sandbar and went out waslking. Thought for sure that we'd seen all the shorebirds we would by that point. Although, there's that constant, insatiable feeling that you can better shot you go after more...some of these next birds let us get really close on foot. then we get back to the cabin and clue in that we totally just scored another life bird. Don't you love that moment when you realize, "hey, something's a little different about this one...."!?

#190: Black Turnstone; Point Roberts, Washington; September 7, 2011

I'm almost all caught up now...just have a couple of posts of local birding to get on here.

North, to Alaska - Life Birds Galore! (152-156)

I just got back from a 2.5 week trip to the West Coast, and when I say I just got back, I mean I just got back. I haven't even finished unpacking but my bird blog is calling!!! This may be a little less interesting to local birders, but so exciting for me.

I didn't announce my trip to  many people, and certainly not on the net, since I've had my house broken into when I was on vacation so it always makes me a little paranoid. Anyways, I'm back, it was fabulous, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! I'm going to have to go over a series of posts: there is so much!

This was my first trip out there since becoming bird brain so....that means TONS of lifers! Over 20...unbelievable! The ONLY downside is that since we're entering fall, winter plumage identification is the name of the game (boo). Unfortunately I took the wrong bird book...My National Geographic does a way better job of including all plumages, including juvenile, winter, and illustrations of birds in flight. That's why when I got home I realized that we got even more lifers than I thought.

So this was not intended to be a birding trip by any means, but any time you are in a new place there are lots of new birds, and we dedicated ourselves to birding on a few occasions. We (me, Matt and my dad) headed to Anchorage, Alaska and had a few days to ourselves before meeting with a huge group to board a cruise to Vancouver, and then hang out for a week in Point Roberts, Washington.

STOP 1: Anchorage, Alaska
We flew into Anchorage super late but had the following day just to explore and so we headed south along the coast. Such an amazing drive, and Alaska is absolutely stunning. At one roadside stop (Bird Creek),we saw one of these beauties, but shortly after we realized that they are absolutely everywhere in Anchorage. I can't believe how astounded by these common birds, and the locals must have thought I was crazy going gaga over the equivalent of a robin or a blue jay here.

152: Black-billed magpie; Bird Creek parking lot, Alaska; August 23, 2011

153: Harlequin duck; Bird Creek, Alaska; August 23, 2011
Bird Creek was a really neat place and lots of locals were fishing at the mouth of the creek where it opens to the ocean, since the salmon were spawning (an amazing sight in itself).  At the time we assumed these were scoters and it wasn't until I got it up on the computer screen that I realized that it's actually a Harlequin!  This is exciting because it's a bird I really wanted to see, but I really still want to see the breeding male, which is EXQUISITE.

154: Varied Thrush; Potter's Marsh, Alaska; August 24, 2011
This beautiful bird is another common one in Alaska, but darn exciting for me who has never seen one.

#155: Greater Scaup; Potter's Marsh, Alaska; August 23, 2011
Now, I'm sure I've seen greater scaup before but I have never been confident enough to tell them apart (I think my life list would be a lot longer at this point if I was good enough to make some tough calls). Anyways, these ones helped a girl out since only the greater are in that part of Alaska, and also because the white ear patch is unmistakable. :) Those are some American wigeon between them.

#156: Greater Yellowlegs; Potter's Marsh, Alaska; August 24, 2011


It seems that I might have screwed up and called #101 a lesser yellowlegs when it was probably a greater, but I did see lessers on this trip as well, so I'm not going to mess up my counting system haha. Will include photos of the lessers in a later post. Anyways, they are still a little hard for me to distinguish but I think I am starting to get it; here are a few articles on distinguishing the two:

• SDNHM Focus On: Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs

• Identification Keys and Tips - Lesser vs. Greater Yellowlegs

Potter's Marsh was a great spot - lots of ducks, including gadwall, American wigeon, greater scaup and mallards. Also belted kingfisher, a merlin, sandhill cranes overhead, swans, sandpipers and yellowlegs. Here's part of it from the boardwalk (which was very nice btw). A really nice spot on the drive from Anchorage to Seward. 

Next installment will be Whittier and Seward, Alaska....and it included some of the birding highlights of the trip...coming soon!