Birding in Neighborhoods - South: January and February

By Cathi Bower

Now that we’ve had that spring tease for a few days there, we’ll recollect these past winter weeks, which began with hot cider and goodies at Freeland Park back on Christmas Day! A surprising turnout of birders and birds—up in the park and along the shore that morning we saw and/or heard over 30 species.

Since then, from the East and West dikes at Deer Lagoon we’ve observed the season and tides turn. Though few shore peeps come along during the winter higher morning tides, we watch waterfowl too numerous to name them all, including Northern Pintails, Mallards, Green-winged Teal, wigeons, scoters, loons, goldeneyes, Buffleheads, scaup, Rind-necked Ducks, mergansers, grebes, shovelers, and Canada and Brant Geese. During several visits we’ve watched the Redhead ducks who are still hanging around on the west side, and also now and then a Eurasian Wigeon. The ducks are bothered by plenty of raptors, especially the Bald Eagles, plus sometimes a Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk or Merlin. (And how about them SeaHawks on Superb Owl Sunday?)

Even if some of us are out for the ducks and raptors, the bonus shrub birds along the paths make up half our sightings—wrens, chickadees, Bushtits, Brown Creepers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, sparrows, thrushes, blackbirds, finches and sometimes a surprise California Quail, Yellow-rumped Warbler, or Virginia Rail (who are actually pretty dependable at both sides of the lagoon). Early in February we even got really good looks at a close by Wilson’s Snipe, just chillin’ with some Killdeer friends. Hopefully we haven’t used up all of our excellent weather luck on Thursdays. 

March dates for Birding in Neighborhoods - South will be the 5th and the 19th.