Part II: Big Day Surprises

American Dipper (photo by Evan Barrientos | Audubon Photography Awards).

Birdathon is an annual Birds Connect Seattle tradition. Participants raise money from friends and family, and then join the friendly competition to count as many bird species as they can. You can enjoy the photos and stories from many of the 2023 Birdathon participants on the Birdathon page: https://charity.pledgeit.org/SeattleBirdathon2023 

By Robin Lutton and Helen Pratt

During our Big Day for Birdathon, we had a flashback at the Umtanem Creek Trail: We spotted the Dusky Flycatcher. I instantly recalled the first time we saw this species–tending to young on a nest somewhere in Suncadia. We’d never have known without hearing it, as in the absence of a call or song, it is a challenging one to ID by sight alone, even for very experienced birders. Eventually our path took us to some burned areas in search the Lewis’s Woodpecker. This species almost completely eluded us, as it would be hours later after we’d almost given up that it flew along the roadside to a tree. Almost dismissing it as a crow at first, we watched until we could see its bright pink belly.

Helen using the sound ID on a phone (photo by Robin Lutton).

All during our Big Day, we loved the very quiet roads that made it easy to drive very slowly, or pull over on a whim–like when we sighted something yellow and larger-than-a-warbler fly into a nest cavity. This ended up being a pair of Western Kingbirds with large insects in their mouths. I just love spring for this reason. Those bird parents are busy and diligent, almost continually supplying their babies with their favorite tasty insect morsels.

Another ‘whim’ stop ended in a rare moment for us. During the daylight hours, Helen spotted a very light colored, low flying owl with long slender wings over a field. Did Great-horned Owls experience different light and dark color morphs like other raptors? After researching this sighting more carefully; it was then we realized we were seeing a Short-eared Owl. Another new bird! The day continued much like this, save for the stretch of I-90 from the pass to Lake Sammamish. 

A Black-billed Magpie was a surprise sighting on Robin Lutton’s and Henlen Pratt’s Big Day (photo by Amanda Ubell | Audubon Photography Awards).

One of the more surprising species recorded on our Big Day was perhaps the Black-billed Magpie—only in the sense that neither one of ever thought about it (as these are a common bird species and in the same family as Jays and Crows)—until it literally flew across the road right in front of the van near the Kittitas Reclamation District irrigation canals. It was equally surprising that the Magpie freely presented itself with so many raptors lurking nearby.   

Even more baffling than that unexpected Magpie was to see a Ring-necked Duck and two Lesser Scaups still hanging out at Union Bay Natural Area. Our local winter ducks have mostly migrated to their summer breeding grounds. But these individuals apparently still wanted to be counted on our list. We also spotted a female Bufflehead that seemed to be quite comfortable swimming around with four Canada Geese at Həʔapus Village Park on the Duwamish, one of favorite local birding spots. During this quick stop we spotted an Orange-crowned Warbler patiently waiting on a bare tree branch as we walked in from the parking lot, as if to say, “Here I am!”. 

One of the last birds added to our Big Day 2023 was one we would not have been able to see without the aid of a scope. Through binoculars, we first recognized it as an Alcid (a kind of web-footed diving bird), off Constellation Park in West Seattle. On closer glance, however, the shaped clearly resembled that of a Marbled Murrelet! I was sure glad we lugged the scope around for at least one bird ID. I don’t think we used it otherwise.  

More birdy magic than I can recount unfolded that 24-hour period.  It’s going to be near impossible to top this Birdathon Big Day with its many serendipitous moments. Until next time…just keep birding!  

Birding Sites Visited

Durr Road, Umtanum Creek Trail, Thorpe Road, Robinson Canyon Natural Area, Teanaway River Bridge, Bullfrog Pond, Gold Creek Pond, East Lake Sammammish  Trail, Union Bay Natural Area, Həʔapus Village Park, Harbor Ave/Beach Drive, Schmitz Preserve Park, and Constellation Park. 

Species Count

1. Canada Goose
2. Gadwall
3. Mallard
4. Ring-necked Duck
5. Lesser Scaup
6. Bufflehead
7. Common Merganser
8. California Quail
9. Pied-billed Grebe
10. Rock Pigeon
11. Eurasian Collared -dove
12. Mourning Dove
13. Common Nighthawk
14. Common Poorwill
15. Anna’s Hummingbird
16. Black-chinned Hummingbird
17. Rufous Hummingbird
18. Killdeer
19. Spotted Sandpiper
20. Pigeon Guillemot
21. Marbled Murrelet
22. Glaucous-winged Gull
23. Caspian Tern
24. Pelagic Cormorant
25. Double-crested Cormorant
26. Great Blue Heron
27. Turkey Vulture
28. Osprey
29. Northern Harrier
30. Bald Eagle
31. Red-tailed Hawk
32. Western Screech-owl
33. Great-horned Owl
34. Lewis’s Woodpecker
35. Downy Woodpecker
36. Hairy Woodpecker
37. Northern Flicker
38. American Kestrel
39. Western Kingbird
40. Olive-sided Flycatcher
41. Wester Wood-pewee
42. Willow Flycatcher
43. Dusky Flycatcher
44. Pacific-sloped Flycatcher
45. Say’s Phoebe
46. Hutton’s Vireo
47. Warbling Vireo
48. Steller’s Jay
49. Black-billed Magpie
50. American Crow
51. Common Raven
52. Horned Lark
53. Tree Swallow
54. Violet-green Swallow
55. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
56. Purple Martin
57. Barn Swallow
58. Cliff Swallow
59. Black-capped Chickadee
60. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
61. Bushtit
62. Red-breasted Nuthatch
63. Pygmy Nuthatch
64. Brown Creeper
65. Canyon Wren
66. House Wren
67. Marsh Wren
68. Bewick’s Wren
69. American Dipper
70. Golden-crowned Kinglet
71. Western Bluebird
72. Mountain Bluebird
73. Swainson’s Thrush
74. American Robin
75. Sage Thrasher
76. European Starling
77. Cedar Waxwing
78. House Sparrow
79. House Finch
80. Purple Finch
81. Cassin’s Finch
82. American Goldfinch
83. Chipping Sparrow
84. Brewer’s Sparrow
85. Dark-eyed Junco
86. White-crowned Sparrow
87. Vesper Sparrow
88. Song Sparrow
89. Spotted Towhee
90. Yellow-breasted Chat
91. Western Meadowlark
92. Bullock’s Oriole
93. Red-winged Blackbird
94. Brown-headed Cowbird
95. Brewer’s Blackbird
96. Orange-crowned Warbler
97. Nashville Warbler
98. MacGillivray’s Warbler
99. Common Yellowthroat
100. Yellow Warbler
101. Yellow-rumped Warbler
102. Townsend’s Warbler
103. Wilson’s Warbler
104. Western Tanager
105. Black-headed Grosbeak
106. Lazuli Bunting
107. Short-eared Owl

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