Who’s In Town: Migration Edition

Snow Goose | Steve Russell | Audubon Photography Awards 

by Molly Hetherwick, NextGen Councilmember

Fall kicks off hundreds of North American bird species’ long migration to wintering grounds in the southern U.S., Central and South America. While the birds travel, they aren’t concerned about breeding, so all that showy plumage they worked so hard to grow in spring and summer has been shed in favor of, for many, a sensible beige. Unfortunately for us, that means when dozens of cool birds and rare species pass through the Puget Sound area this fall, we’ll have to work a little harder to figure out who they are. But not to worry! Here’s one cool bird for every month this fall that you can identify without an honorary doctorate in ornithology.

Northern Harrier | Warren Hatch | Audubon Photography Awards

October: Northern Harrier

Harriers are a fun species to keep an eye out for because they have distinct field marks and their behavior is unique among raptors for several reasons.

To see a Northern Harrier, try visiting a field with lots of tall grass and interspersed shrubs. Keep an eye out for a medium-sized raptor with a long, banded tail and a very obvious white patch on its rump (the lower back-upper tail area, or tramp stamp real estate). For many raptors, both sexes have the same plumage, but can be distinguished by size; however, harriers are unique in that regard. The males are a ghostly silver, the females are a tawny brown with a streaky chest, and the juveniles (pictured) are a charming pumpkin color.

Behavior is another strong indicator for Harriers. For one, they nest on the ground in big fields, which means they’re often seen standing or running around in the dirt. For another, when flying, they hold their wings in a distinctive “V” shape, similar to Turkey Vultures. They also like to fly low and stare at the ground while moving, which I thought we all learned not to do when we took our driver’s test, but I guess it helps them use their facial disc to hear mice and other prey or something. Whatever you say, Harriers… just don’t let me catch you scrolling behind the wheel.

For more help with raptor identification, check out this video from Badgerland Birding: Hawk Identification Made Easy!

Sandhill Crane | Patrick Dennen | Audubon Photography Awards

November: Sandhill Crane

I hope this one needs no introduction. You know her, you love her, she’s a diva and a track star, she’s teaming up with Sabrina Carpenter for an album called Tall n’ Salty, just kidding but can you imagine, it’s the Sandhill Crane. [applause]

These iconic birds stand four feet tall and travel in the thousands through the wetlands of Washington and much of the central U.S. Hearing their trumpeting calls as a flock approaches is an insane experience that I cannot recommend enough. They’re pretty hard to miss, but if you really need some help, just check to see if it’s huge, grey and has a red forehead. If you see something huge and grey and it does NOT have a red forehead, you’re looking at a Great Blue Heron. Or perhaps an electrical box. Go get ‘em tiger, I believe in you.

There’s a very convenient tool called Sandhill Crane Finder that collates eBird sightings of the species and marks important bird areas that they’re known to be at. In short: Skagit Bay.

Surf Scoter | Matthew Reitinger | Audubon Photography Awards

December: Surf Scoter

Winter is weird duck season, and surf scoters don’t mess around. They also stand out because of their unconventional breeding strategy: Surf Scoters are “molt migrants,” meaning they nest in the tundra and then travel to slightly warmer climes to molt all their flight feathers before officially heading south to their timeshares in San Diego and Baja. For a weird couple weeks when they stop in the Puget Sound, they’re flightless—but the Sound provides protection from predators.

To see this bird, you’ll have to find some saltwater viewing spots, such as the Discovery Point Lighthouse or the Seattle Waterfront. They like to hang out in small groups, bobbing around and diving for fish. Males of this duck species have a very strange-looking orange bill that is thought to help them filter out salt from all the water that gets up their nose; females are brownish and have the same model bill, but in all black.

 This is another one I trust you can find just fine on your own, but if you’re curious about Scoters and other species of waterfowl, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has an interesting map tool with data from aerial seabird surveys from all over Western WA.