The Ilwaco harbor has been home to the red-throated loon.

Have you toured our harbors lately? They hold delights which can be the light of our lives. What you see can make your day! “How so?” you ask. The waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds that frequent our harbors and their edges can be seen up close and personal if you are content to sit awhile and observe. Letting the birds come to you will make the experience even more delightful. I made a tour of the harbors a week or so ago and again today. Such visits offer a different and interesting experience every time.

The Chinook, Ilwaco and Port of Peninsula harbors are amazing. Waterfowl and waterbirds are not the only entertainers seen in these harbors. Songbirds, such as red-winged blackbirds and Brewer’s blackbirds forage along grassy edges and raptors sit on the posts looking for something to eat. Shorebirds, like the killdeer will sit on the docks sunning themselves as well as on the decks of the boats anchored there. You are likely to see this phenomenon every time you visit the Ilwaco harbor.

Kingfishers are primarily fish-eaters. They hunt over the water hovering like a helicopter if a perch is unavailable from which to hunt. Upon eyeing a small fish, a kingfisher will dive head-first into the water to snag its prey. Scientists indicate that kingfishers stun their prey by banging them against a perch so they then can turn the fish around so it can be eaten head-first. Kingfishers are very entertaining to watch. Female kingfishers are more brightly colored than males. Look for a kingfisher sporting a chestnut-colored band on its white breast. Belted kingfishers inhabit each of our harbors.

Grebes have been frequenting our harbors this winter too. Horned grebes decked out in their winter regalia, pied-billed grebes in their winter dress and the spectacular larger, and western grebes in their crisp black and white plumage are sure to be seen. The largest of the grebes and the one with the longest neck is the western grebe. The pied-billed grebe is the smallest and the horned grebe is somewhere in between. These species are generally more often seen in the Ilwaco harbour and at Port of Peninsula in Nahcotta.

Diving ducks and dabblers or puddle ducks eat plants and other edible matter like water insects and snails. Seeing these ducks upending themselves in the water gives us a chance to try to figure out whose butt we are looking at before they tip back up again. It’s great ID practice! Diving ducks, on the other hand, dive deeply underwater to secure their prey including crustaceans and perhaps some plant material. Chinook harbor has been the haunt for mallards, and bufflehead this winter. Ilwaco is and has been home to these species as well as the rare Barrow’s goldeneye. Other waterbirds observed, especially in the Ilwaco harbor include the common and red-throated loon.

Some shorebirds also visit the peninsula harbors. It is almost certain that our smallest peep, the least sandpiper will come in small flocks to feed along the mudflats and the rocky edges on the east side along the road going to the end of the Ilwaco harbor. Look for very small sandpipers with yellow legs. Watch as they forage and pick for prey. Do they feed differently than other shorebirds you have seen?

At least one great blue heron usually stands stock still in the harbors either on the rocks, mudflats, or the adjacent wetlands/field as it keeps an eye open for its lunch and dinner. If you watch for a while, you will see the great blue begin to walk slowly and deliberately as it continues its search for one of its favorites like a tasty frog or fish. Upon finding one, its long pointed, spear like bill strikes out to snag the prey.

These are but a few of the delights you will see when you visit our harbors. There are many more! I highly recommend such a trip.

The birds of the harbors will not only delight your senses and your heart, but they will also light up your life. Happy birding!