5 wild birds captured by our young wildlife photographer

Liam Hutcheson and George Walter

Photos courtesy of George Walter

This week’s Thurston’s Birds column will be a little different and, at the same time, familiar. We have had the good fortune to publish photos from Liam Hutcheson. I like Liam’s work because it often illustrates the key identifying features of the subject, often in very sharp focus. I also like the fact that the photos are taken and processed by a local 17-year-old birder (only 14 when we started this column).

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

This bird is very common in the county and is the typical LBB (little brown bird) hiding nearby in the brush. They’re active birds, and getting a good look is often difficult. Liam’s photo shows you exactly what our local Song Sparrows look like.

Turkey Vultures with porcupine

Turkey Vulture

Ever wonder what happened to that dead porcupine you saw along the road last week? Well, here’s a possible answer. We usually notice Turkey Vultures out in the countryside when they’re circling overhead, but here’s evidence that they land when food is available. Also, it's pretty easy to see how they got their name.

Hutton's Vireo close up

Hutton’s Vireo

This bird lives in wooded locations in Thurston County and is fairly common. But it’s sometimes difficult to identify with, certainly, because it looks similar to the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Liam’s photo here illustrates key features about the head that separate the two species.

Mountain Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Sometimes in the winter we see this visitor from the mountains, but it’s more common East of the Cascades. It’s a noisy bird and its “chick-a-dee-dee” sounds raspy compared to our more common chickadee. That white eyebrow stripe is its more distinctive feature.

Tropical Kingbird pair in flight

Tropical Kingbird

Each fall a few of birds of this species migrate north along the coast from their breeding territory in Mexico and further south. Birders look for them on wires in open areas, for example the lower Chehalis River valley. This fall there are at least four Tropical Kingbirds hanging out in Neah Bay and environs. Isn’t this a stunning photograph? It looks like an Audubon painting.

There you have it – five recent photos from Liam. From time to time, in Thurston’s Birds, we will repeat this pattern of showing off the photos from our local birding prodigy.

George Walter is the environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural resources department; he also has a 45+ year interest in bird watching. He may be reached at george@theJOLTnews.com

Photos for this column are provided by Liam Hutcheson, a 17-year-old Olympia area birder and an avid Bird photographer.