This is the time of year to visit your local community garden. Flowers are now “going to seed” and vegetables are ready for harvest, which means FOOD FOR BIRDS! Earlier in the summer these gardens don’t have lots of birds as the food factory has not yet started up, but in early Fall … Uff Dah!

I love to visit the community garden at Marymoor Park. The number of birds at this Seattle area park is amazing, and the colors of late blossoming vegetables and flowers is beautiful. Fall migration can make for phenomenal numbers of birds at these green oases. Find your owl local community garden. I also find that the few garden plot owners out tending their plants always enjoy brief conversations, and have a love of birds. Photo Ops of even common birds become dramatic!

Marymoor Park Gardens

Coopers Hawk … amazed that the 50+ crows around left this raptor alone. The hawk was hunting songbirds and rodents.

American Crow and Sunflowers

Annas Hummingbird (the light was not good for flight shots … thus I slowed down the exposure which allows for neat exposures)

Black-Capped Chickadee

Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon Plumage)

House Finch (female)

Song Sparrow

Spotted Towhee (last image is a juvenile)

White-Crowned Sparrow

I just spent a great weekend on San Juan Island in the Puget Sound (State of Washington) with my youngest son and his family. Along with my 8th and youngest grandchild, we rented a VRBO (beautiful rental with amazing gardens and a private pond) and enjoyed the serenity of the San Juans. On the final afternoon before our ferry ride back to the mainland we stopped at Lime Kiln Lighthouse State Park.

While the park was not overly birdy, the actual lighthouse point provided a cool sighting of Black Oystercatchers … the second time ever in my life (and first time since 2017). These funky shorebirds hang out between the high and low tide marks devouring oysters, thus their name), off the rocks. Given I rarely hang out on rocky coasts of northern Pacific Islands, their preferred habitat, it’s not surprising this was a rare treat for me.

Black Oystercatchers at Lime Kiln Lighthouse (video link for email subscribers)

First … the lighthouse!

Now the funky birds … the color of their beaks is real!

The Movie!

It has been a long winter of muted colors in northern Minnesota, but during my trip to meet my latest granddaughter, I found color! Over the past 24 hours I have enjoyed birding hikes in two Seattle area parks, Marymoor and Yellow Lake Park. Better yet I have been able to wear shorts and a light sweater.

This morning’s sunrise expedition was in search of one very specific bird species (Red-Breasted Sapsucker), which is always dangerous as success has a low probability potential. However, Red came through for me. While the females have not returned north, the males were actively trying to pick and defend territories. I found four individual sapsuckers att Marymoor Park.

Given the cool morning and the lack of a bug hatch, I was surprised to find two male Tree Swallows. However, the best territory goes to the earliest returning guys who were having a stretch on a cool morning.

Over at Yellow Lake the local males were busy trying to impress the ladies.

Ring-Necked Ducks

Wood Duck (male)