Vacation's over bird notes

School buses are back on the roads, and summer vacations and local bird breeding seasons are over. Still, there’s lots of avian action to marvel at. 

Bigelow Park merlins

In late July, local birder Aaron Barna sent me a note of his observations of the merlins that nested for the second year in the Bigelow Park area of northeast Olympia. This year, on July 25, Aaron saw three fledglings perched together on a madrona tree near the park.  

Aaron has been observing these east Olympia merlins for the past two years, and both years they fledged three young. Last year, they (presumably the same pair) nested in an abandoned crow nest near the top of a large Douglas fir.  

Our nesting merlins are the black subspecies, and they may look very different than the images you find in your favorite bird book. Here is Aaron’s photo that shows some of the identification details of our local merlins. (During winter, merlins of other subspecies may visit Western Washington; they will look much lighter and, if adults, likely will have a lighter gray back). 

A pair of merlins at Bigelow Park in Olympia.

Courtesy of Aaron Barna

Bigelow Park’s raptor breeding this summer was not limited to merlins. Although he did not locate the nest, Aaron also observed mature Cooper’s hawks feeding at least three fledglings in and around the park.  

Both these species make their living preying on other birds and it’s remarkable that they could nest so close to one another and still have enough to eat. Perhaps they target different prey or, at a minimum, avoid targeting each other’s young.  

A female Cooper's hawk at Bigelow Park in Olympia.

Courtesy of Aaron Barna

White wagtail

This summer, through earlier this week, a single white wagtail has been seen repeatedly at various locations in Neah Bay, at the northwest corner of Washington. This species is widespread across Eurasia. A few white wagtails are known to breed in extreme Western Alaska and this individual might be an Alaskan bird, who flew too far and is wondering where all the others are. 

A white wagtail feeding at the beach.

Liam Hutcheson | For The JOLT

There are three reasons I decided to include this species in my Thurston’s Birds column. First, Liam’s photographs are wonderful and I wanted to share them. Second, if this species can show up at Neah Bay it might be seen anywhere along the Washington coast. As you are out-and-about, add it to your mental list of possible rare sightings. 

The third reason is more personal and vacation related. On our summer adventures in Spain and Southwest France, my adult son and I encountered this bird species several times. It’s an insect-eating bird and, apparently, has a habit of patrolling roadsides looking for insects stunned by passing vehicles.  

A white wagtail at Neah Bay.

Liam Hutcheson | For The JOLT

It doesn’t hide but rather walks about, bobbing its head and wagging its tail. That habit, plus those white outer tail feathers, make for an easy identification. I suspect that it’s a much-appreciated birds by the human residents of its native range. Who wouldn’t like an attractive bird that wags it tail as you are watching?  

Port of Olympia

This time of year, it’s a good idea to visit North Point, the northern end of the Port of Olympia peninsula. Migrating shorebirds are showing up now and, at higher tide stages, they are brought very close to the walk along the shore.  

Least sandpiper.

Liam Hutcheson | For The JOLT

There are purple martin nest boxes on posts and pilings throughout the port area. Their nesting season is drawing to a close, but they and their fledglings are still flying about taking advantage of these good insect feeding areas. Also, there are sometimes a few brown pelicans in the area. They are more often seen near Capitol Lake, although they might be anywhere over or near water in the Olympia area.  

Last week we were at the Point in the late evening and saw something interesting — hundreds of starlings perched on the guywires supporting the KGY Radio broadcast tower, coming and going and chatting with each other. Then, as it got darker, they all vanished. I’m not sure how common this sight might be, but it sure was odd to see all those birds perching on wires at such a steep angle. 

George Walter is 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 19-year-old Olympia area birder and avid photographer.