Ruddy Turnstone - August 6 Birding

-

Last Friday I visited the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. My target birds were Semipalmated Plover and Cliff Swallow. It was a quiet start, aside from a flock of Barn Swallows in the parking lot. 

In the woods we saw Willow Flycatchers, Swainson's Thrush, Downy Woodpeckers, and Cedar Waxwings. Along the marsh we also saw Great Blue Herons, Common Yellowthroats, and a Yellow Warbler. As we got to the boardwalk the tide was already pretty low. There were lots of Bald Eagles, but few shorebirds. 


Along the boardwalk we saw Belted Kingfishers, Caspian Terns, and finally at the end we saw a group of four Least Sandpipers, our first shorebirds of the day. On the way back, as we paused to look at a group of eagles, we spotted a group of four Semipalmated Plovers!


Also, on our way back a Greater Yellowlegs flew by. We never found any Cliff Swallows, their nests were empty. A quiet day but still a somewhat successful one. 

That evening my parents had booked a sunset sail for our family, and I decided to bring my birding equipment just in case. We boarded the boat downtown where I spotted two Belted Kingfishers and a raptor I couldn't identify. The boat would take us to Bainbridge Island and back. Along the way I spotted numerous Caspian Terns, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Pigeon Guillemots. As we neared the opposite shore we passed a large rock in the water. Here I spotted hundreds of Black Turnstones, a Bald Eagle, Harlequin Ducks, and Surfbirds (a lifer). I took some photos for eBird. 



When I was looking over my photos I noticed something. In the flock of Black Turnstones there was a single Ruddy Turnstone! This was a state first for me and a rarity for the area. If you look close you can find it in the top photo, also see if you can spot the four Surfbirds in the bottom one.


I'm glad I bought my birding gear, overall this was a great day of birding on the water. I got two lifers (Semipalmated Plover, Surfbird) and one state first (Ruddy Turnstone).

Comments

Post a Comment