Birder/Nature Guide Mark Smith and his son Falco and I birded here today,
mostly from the yard.
There was a Black Phoebe, which is still rare in Washington I think, in my yard
on Willapa Bay today. There was one here years ago as well. As far as I know,
these are two of only three records for the county, but I would not be
surprised if there have been more sightings.
A delightful sight was a family of two adult and five young Trumpeter Swans
that swam by on the calm water. They eventually took flight, which requires
some effort from these huge birds.
More surprising at this particular location were three Black Scoters, a new
species for this yard list.
Two Western Grebes surprisingly did their mating dance, bill touch, and
synchronized dive. (Some time in the late 1960s Harry Nehls, Mark Koninendyke
and I saw a Western Grebe with young on Black Lake on the peninsula.)
Mixed flocks of dabbling ducks, mainly Pintails and American Wigeons, numbering
into the low thousands of individuls, were on the bay, mostly near the town of
Oysterville.
A totally enjoyable sunny, calm, somewhat warm day for late November, with
Anna’s Hummingbirds fighting for the gravillea bushes. It won’t last long.
Jeff Gilligan
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