Black-capped chickadees were out and about when I was out and about!

Occasionally, I make a trip that I call out and about. It involves driving a circuit to all my favorite birding patches in one day, but if the sightings are interesting, entertaining, or many it may take two days. I was out and about during the last week of August. The sightings were interesting, so the trip did take longer than one day. The trip began at the north end of the peninsula and ended back at the Port of Peninsula in Nahcotta.

Oysterville is a special birding spot for me. On this birding outing barn swallows, both adults and fledglings were snatching snacks on the wing. Their swift flight over the bay and the adjacent shoreline provided a wonderful airshow. Gulls, including California and glaucous winged gulls, were loafing on the anchored oyster barges. The Oysterville meadow was devoid of birds so the stop there was short and sweet!

The next stop was Port of Peninsula in Nahcotta. Twenty brown pelicans were circling high in formation. Their brown plumage stood out in contrast to the very blue sky. A great blue heron was on the shore of the bay lying in wait for lunch. Periodically, it would take a step as it stalked for an amphibian, small fish in the water just a few inches away from shore, or maybe even a reptile. American crows gathering in the shoreline conifers were making a tremendous racket with their very loud caws which they constantly let go for several minutes at a time. I had hoped for the usual small flock of our smallest sandpipers, namely the least sandpipers, but they were not feeding or resting on the oyster shells at the port that day.

The next birding stop on my day for being out and about was the Ilwaco harbor. It gave me 30 minutes of entertainment at its best. The liquid warbles of the purple martins filled the air. A few nestlings were still enjoying apartment living while others had fledged but were still being fed by their parents. American crows were abundant. They seemed busy looking for crumbs left behind by fishermen or folks walking and enjoying the many boats anchored in the harbor. Brewer’s blackbirds were foraging in the grassy areas and a few barn swallows swooped in and around over the harbor, but not much else was going on.

It was high tide, so shorebirds, great blue herons, double-crested cormorants, and brown pelicans were elsewhere. Soon the fog came rolling in, so it was time to move on.

Cape D was also entertaining. Western gulls and a few hybrid gulls spent their time trying to be first in line for the bits of lovely pink silver salmon that were being tossed in the water by the gentleman fileting his catch. Whenever the larger pieces consisting of the head back and tail were thrown in, the gulls ignored this treasure. They couldn’t compete with the speedy harbor seal that zoomed in for the catch.

A small mudflat that lay up against the jetty was a resting place for a small flock of shorebirds. They were most likely least sandpipers, but it was hard to tell from a distance. Meanwhile, turkey vultures took advantage of the up and down drafts of the air and soared over the rocky outcrops and along the shoreline near Waikiki beach.

Off to the south bay

Dusk was beginning to descend on the peninsula. It was time to call it a day. Tomorrow was in the cards for the continuation of being out and about as I visited my favorite birding areas. The very next morning, I drove straight to Reikola on 67th street in Long Beach, then to Tarlatt, 85th and 95th streets.

Sixty-seventh was the most productive. A rather large flock of red-winged-blackbirds had gathered in a wetland. They were sitting in the marsh preening and resting. They have likely moved on southward by now. Further on down the road at Reikola itself, Canada geese were sleeping in the grassy field, black-capped chickadees were calling from the trees and shrubs along the roadside. A Wilson’s warbler was gleaning insects from the leafy shrubs along the roadside.

Barn swallows were the only species at Tarlatt along 85th, but a cedar waxwing appeared on 95th street along with a red-tailed hawk. Port of Peninsula rounded out the second day. This time there were a few killdeer, one great blue heron and forty least sandpipers. The latter were trying to sleep on the piles of oyster shells, but one lone glaucous-winged gull was having none of it. It walked through the group causing them to scatter.

During the day when the tide was on its way out the northern area of the ocean beach beckoned. The stop turned out be extremely worthwhile. There in front of our very eyes was a small flock of western and California gulls loafing on the beach when a flock of eight pelicans changed direction from their undulating formation flying over and between the waves to join them. The best was that there were seven brown pelicans and one whitish pelican. It reminded me of my sighting of the white pelican 12 years ago. It was a first for the peninsula and seemed to be a predictor of the range expansion of the American white pelican into Southwest Washington state. However, it was also a brown pelican, most likely a non-breeding bird.

And so ended two days of birding my favorite birding patches. It is always a joy to survey the peninsula for our feathered friends as well as for mammals and other wildlife. It is a reminder of how lucky and fortunate we are to have this beautiful, wonderful area. It deserves our attention and protection.

Happy birding!