Kitsap Audubon Society

Photo by Don Willott

Wildlife Sightings
by Joan Carson (joanpcarson@comcast.net or P.O. Box 532, Poulsbo, 98370.)

Time to catch up on fall and winter Sightings in 2011 and now, 2012. Happy New Year and Happy Birding. I hope all those who wanted to see a snowy owl have been successful. This has been a great winter for snowies.

November: Nov. 20, Ian Paulsen while looking for snowy owls (on B.I.?) had 1 greater yellowlegs, 3 Eurasian wigeon and a flock of 22 common mergansers. Nov. 20, Lila & Gary Morris, Hansville, got a photo of a Western meadowlark in their yard. The first they’ve seen in Hansville. Nov. 17, Rosemary Courtright, near Seabeck enjoyed watching a sharp-shinned hawk just looking over the territory near Stavis Canyon and occasionally preening itself. Nov. 19, Gene & Linda Daniels, their bay in Keyport, had a mute swan, the first in ten years. Also have an immature bald eagle. Nov. 26, Ian Paulsen and Brad Waggoner, located a swamp sparrow off Lovgren Road on B.I., They also had a hairy woodpecker, flocks of robins and red-winged blackbirds and several sparrows, song, Lincoln’s, goldencrowned and white-throated plus numerous juncos. Nov. 19, Connie Bickerton, Fish Park in Poulsbo, a green-winged teal that she thought might be a Eurasian race. Nov. 27, Carolyn and Mike Barry reported a snowy owl in Driftwood Keys near Hansville. Many birders headed out to see it. Those I know of were Ian Paulsen (who also reported it); Lila & Gary Morris; the Carsons and Jamie Acker.

December: Dec. 1, John Tullis called Rosemary Courtright to tell her he had a Chinese golden pheasant at his place near Stottlemeyer and Gunderson, Poulsbo. Bird was there over a week. Dec. 8, Carson’s yard, Poulsbo, 5 fox sparrows, 3 Townsend’s warblers and a flock of 70-80 common bushtits. Dec. 8, Neil Johannsen, B.I., had a white-throated sparrow show up in his yard for the fourth year in a row. Dec. 8, Ian Paulsen had a report from someone at Point-No-Point in Hansville that a snowy owl was being pestered by crows. Dec. 13, Cheryl Hughes, Indianola, had a banner birding day in her yard. Between 8:15 am and 9:25 am, she enjoyed the following birds: Anna’s hummingbid, dark-eyed junco, black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadee, red-breasted nuthatches, robin, house finches, song sparrow, Townsend’s warbler, Steller’s jay, spotted towhee, and on the beach or water in front of her place, 5 common golden eyes, 2 buffleheads, 1 cormorant, 1 Western grebe, 3 surf scoters. The day before, she also had a male purple finch. Dec. 13, Douglas Marshall, B.I., Wing Point, had a spotted sandpiper and 2 ravens. Dec. 16, Nancy Ladenberger, Silverdale, reported a new “yard bird,” a mature golden eagle. Dec. 19, I received a report from William ? In E. Bremerton. What looked to be a McCaw parrot was sitting in the top of a tree near the north end of Sylvan Way. Sounds like an escapee? Dec. 22, Don Haldeman, Port Orchard, had a flock of evening grosbeaks in his yard. Dec. 25, Nigel Ball, B.I., reported that Tweeters had a report of a red-naped sapsucker at Fort Ward. Later on Dec. 29, Brad Waggoner re-found the bird at Fort Ward and determined it was a red-breasted x red-naped sapsucker hybrid. Ian Paulsen also found the bird and sent in this report.

January: Jan. 3, Ward Starring, Chico Way between Bremerton and Silverdale, reported that a leucistic fox sparrow that visited his yard in 2009 was back.. He’s doing some detailed comparing of photos of the two to make sure it is the same bird. Jan. 3, Douglas Marshall had a red-tailed hawk and Townsend’s warbler at Wing Point, B.I. Jan. 11, he had a spotted sandpiper at Wing Point. Jan. 8, Kathy Swartz, birding at Ocean Shores got a great photo of an albino nutria (yes, pink nose, ears and feet). Loved that photo Kathy. Jan. 8, Janine Schutt had a Cooper’s hawk and a male dark-eyed junco with pied leucism at Wildcat Lake. Jan. 14, Janine Schutt had a sharp-shinned hawk and her yard’s first ever male Anna’s hummingbird (female was already a regular).

Hope everyone is now back into some serious birding and who knows what this year will bring birdwise. We are enjoying some Hawaiian sunshine and some different birds as this is being written - and it is warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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