Blobbybirdman's Peregrinations: Seattle: Day 3

Keen to make the most of my visit to Seattle, I uncharacteristically dragged myself from my bed before the sun had risen to allow myself some time to look for birds along the ferry wharfs immediately SW of downtown Seattle.

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I was still hoping that I might get a chance to see some new birds, in particular, Common Murre and Marbled Murrelet. While the slowly rising light combined with typical overcast weather did not make for ideal conditions for photography, spending some time observing birds in the relative calm and tranquility of the early morning felt like a near perfect way to start the day. I even waited until later for my first coffee of the day, that is commitment, right there!

One of the first birds I spotted was the Barrow's Goldeneye, one of the birds I had most coveted when anticipating this trip. I'd already gotten some great views with the Seattle Audubon trip a few days previous, but they were in evidence again, and in numbers. I took the time to look a little closer at their stunning plumage and distinctive head and bill shape. I was able to compare the differences between the males, females and immature birds of both species, a really valuable experience. The males stand out a mile away: the white marking in front of the eye is bold and crescent shaped (more circular in shape in the Common Goldeneye); the forehead juts up vertically to a flattish top and then slopes back smoothly; The back is predominantly black with bold white rectangles showing when the bird is sitting on water.

Barrow's Goldeneye (male)

Barrow's Goldeneye

The female is more subtle and it is necessary to rely more on the shape of the head to confidently identify these birds. The bill tends to be predominantly orange with a variable amount of dark coloration at the base, female Common Goldeneye have predominantly dark bills with a limited but variable amount of yellow/orange coloration at the tip. First winter males show hints of the adult male plumage: a thin white crescent on the face, some patchy white coloration on an otherwise chocolate brown back. Their bills are, like the adult males, completely dark. The following photo shows all three: adult male, adult female and immature first winter Barrow's Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye (female, male, female, 1st winter male)

Barrow's Goldeneye (male and three females)

The following photos shows an immature first winter male preceding two female Barrow's Goldeneye. You can see the dark bill, and the hint of a white crescent at the front of the head, as well as the fact he is notably larger than the two females.

Barrow's Goldeneye

Another bird I was enjoying getting to know better were the Mew Gulls, a number of which were flying around the docks or floating on the water. One of the joys of gulls, if you are into it, is learning to appreciate the variations in plumage as birds progress through their stages of moults. Mew Gulls, like the Ring-billed Gulls are three-cycle gulls, meaning there are three moults, each producing a different plumage, before reaching full adult plumage. In spite of all the complexity in plumage across individuals as they mature the general shape of the bird, especially the head and bill, are very distinctive and along with the small size of these gulls should be sufficient to identify the bird in most cases.

The following bird is a 1st cycle Mew Gull, fresh new grey feathers have started to replace some of the scaly looking juvenile feathers on the back and in patches across the wing coverts. The primary feathers are a dark brown coloration with a characteristic faint white edging to them. The bill looks like it has been dipped in dark ink on the tip, and this will persist until the bird reaches its third moult cycle.

Mew Gull

The following bird is an adult in non-breeding plumage, indicated by the dusky smudges on the neck and breast. The yellow bill, grey secondaries and coverts, and white tips to the outer primaries are components of the adult plumage.

Mew Gull

Stepping back for a moment and forgetting field marks and identification issues. They cut a dashing form as they float about in the Puget Sound. I can't help thinking that if I had to pick one word to describe them it would be "perky", it's just something about the way they hold themselves.

Mew Gulls.

One bird I was not expecting to see in the salt water environment of the Puget sound was the Belted Kingfisher that announced its presence with its rattling, machine gun call. A welcome sight after a the kingfisher-less months when all the available water is frozen in Michigan.

Belted Kingfisher

Many of the birds were quite some distance out, and in the dim light really forced me to look at their form and shape to figure out who or what they were. The following bird shows the distinctive head shape of the Surf Scoter. That bill is also unmistakable, even at this distance, although the lack of white markings on the back of the head or forehead point to this being a first winter immature bird.

Surf Scoter

Silhouette watching is a great way to compare two of the local Cormorant species too. The differences between the Pelagic Cormorant and the Double-crested Cormorant are immediately obvious even which these kinds of limited views. The Pelagic Cormorant is long-necked, slender and its bill is quite delicate. The Double-crested is much more stocky and powerful looking.

Pelagic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

I did get some closer views of some of the Cormorants. It was fascinating to watch this blue-eyed Double-crested Cormorant eating a shrimp it had just caught. I sometimes forget how difficult it must be to have to manipulate your food without the aid of fingers.

Double-crested Cormorant

The bare skin behind the bill, known as the gular patch, varies from a yellow colour, very similar to the bill colour, to a much deeper orange colour, as in the following bird. The white throat patch on this bird is typical of a juvenile bird.

Double-crested Cormorant

Although my early morning venture did not yield any of my remaining target birds, Common Murre and Marbled Murrelet, it did yield some much closer views of the Pigeon Guillemot. It was worth the early start just for that reason, without doubt. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the cool things about this bird is that it essentially flies underwater, propelling itself with it's wings rather than it's feet as many diving birds do. I didn't manage to photograph, or even view, a bird actually flying underwater, but in the following photograph you can see that the wings are open as the bird initiates a dive.

Pigeon Guillemot

Gotta love those bright red feet, they contrast so nicely with the jet black of a breeding plumage adult. Those large white ovals on the wing feathers make this bird immediately identifiable from a surprising distance away.

Pigeon Guillemot

Although many birds were already in their breeding plumage, not all birds had moulted out of their winter plumage. The following bird shows the mottled grey of a winter plumage bird.

Pigeon Guillemot

As I prepared to bid the birds adieu and head to find a coffee shop I noticed that I was being observed. I was not the only mammal out here so early, a Harbour Seal was keeping a keen, if furtive, eye on me.