A marbled godwit made an appearance on the beach recently. It is one of the big boys.

December has been full of delights bird-wise. First came the Christmas Bird Count followed by the Pacific Coastal Shorebird Survey a day later and then the wait for the right tide to begin the Winter Raptor Survey. A survey of almost the entire Long Beach Peninsula was the order of the day. It happened on the 21st day of December. It was foggy but there were a few sunny periods and times when the fog lifted. It was the best day as far as the tide was concerned. We were able to be on the beach for as long as we needed to be to count and observe raptors.

There were 16 adult bald eagles and two sub-adult birds along the ocean beaches. The largest number of eagles (12) was observed between Sid Snyder Drive and the Oysterville Road. Three American kestrels on the hunt were perched on tree-tops or utility wires along Sandridge Road and the South Bay unit of the refuge. Red-tailed hawks were down to two compared to six seen in December 2021 and five in 2022. Overall red-tailed hawks declined in 2022 over the 500 survey areas compared to other years of the winter raptor survey. Two northern harriers were on the hunt. Their number is up from one in December 2022.

One of the most notable findings was the absence of peregrine falcons that day. Are they late arriving due to the warmer weather or is there something else going on? Time will tell. I hope we will see them in January 2024. Other very notable sightings occurred during the week of the raptor count. A friend reported hearing a great horned owl on two different days, seeing a Cooper’s hawk, and witnessing the flight of an osprey over Willapa Bay. The Cooper’s was not alive, but photos of the bird confirmed its ID. These are important sightings. They serve to alert us to be on the lookout for these species on the January and February winter counts.

Shorebirds and songbirds seem to be stable these days, at least on the Peninsula. Many species are late arrivals this year and a few other species haven’t left. I am seeing large numbers of song sparrows, four are coming to our feeders along with at least ten dark-eyed juncos. The juncos are among the late arrivals in our yard. Steller’s jays are hogging the feeders preventing the three red-breasted nuthatches, 4-6 black-capped chickadees and the two chestnut-backed chickadees from being the feeder hogs! Three Anna’s hummingbirds are taking advantage of the hummingbird nectar feeder as well as the fuchsias that are still going strong.

A pair of spotted towhees have taken to enjoying the suet cakes along with the dark-eyed juncos. The northern flicker has been eyeing the suet from afar but hasn’t ventured to it just yet. Our wetland has been visited by Wilson’s snipe, mallards, and northern shovellers and two or three greater yellowlegs. It appears that the number of ducks is down. Perhaps many of them are among those who have yet to arrive. Canada geese, on the other hand, seem to be flourishing. Most fields on the Peninsula are home to very large flocks of Canadas and cackling geese. Two families of trumpeter swans have taken up residence in one of the wetlands on 127th. It is where they have wintered in the past few years. Be sure to look for them. One family has a youngster!

Shorebirds such as sanderlings and dunlin are foraging on the beach relatively large numbers, especially the dunlin. It also seems as though it might be another banner year for the black-bellied plover. Last year’s sightings were the best I have had in quite a few years. This year looks to be another one of the best. Look for least and western sandpipers. These tiny peeps are often seen foraging with dunlin and other shorebirds.

Birding has been excellent on the Peninsula this holiday season. Winter raptors continue to find food and habitat here and the songbirds and shorebirds abound. Best wishes for health, happiness and peace in 2024! Happy birding.