When you visit a new area do you ever have a target bird? Two weeks ago I did not even know that Lazuli Buntings existed. However when I signed up for a birding walk at Seattle’s Marymoor Park, I read some eBird reports for that location which mentioned said buntings. While I did not know about “Laz”, the locals nickname for the bird, I did know buntings are normally pretty birds.

I had fun this morning back at Marymoor Park. The Lazulis were definitely present. What have been some of your target birds? (and the area / habitat).

It has been fun to bird in the Seattle area, but has also made me more appreciative for what I have right out the front door at home in northern Minnesota. At home, an hour before sunrise at 4:10 am the dawn song starts with a passion. It’s actually quite noisy in a very pleasant way. Here in Seattle I have to work hard at finding birds … answering these questions:

• Where is a good park with decent habitat?
• What traffic concerns might there be?

However using eBird, Google Maps, and park PDF maps the problems may be solved. My first stop was an old Navy base which is now a park and low income housing unit. Not only was it fun to find this Barn Owl, but I had a conversation which was good for me, and an eye opener. At 6 am I talked for over 20 minutes with a local resident, who now was off the streets but had been homeless for five years. I learned she was a nice person who had been down her luck (my assessment). She never complained of poor circumstances during our conversation. As I said, an eye opener for me.

My next park I found a Killdeer Convention in progress!

Finally a day later we are out of the big city in the Cascades. It’s nice to be back in rural America. Right at our motel I found these beautiful Violet-Green Swallows. It was dry and sunny on the East side of the mountains … wet and foggy on the West (the waterfall photograph).

Prior to my trip out west, I noted a few birds I really wanted to see including a Lazuli Bunting and a Red-Breasted Sapsucker. I scored both yesterday morning due to taking the Audubon Birding Walk at Marymoor Park. The locals wanted to help me, and I quickly learned my desired bunting was known as “Laz”.

The weather swung back and forth between clouds, minor rain, and bright sun … apparently quite normal for the Seattle area. Next on the agenda are mountain birds at Leavenworth.

Lazuli ‘Laz” Bunting

Red-Breasted Sapsucker