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Anne Elk
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Anne Elk
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PostThu Jan 12, 2023 1:29 am 
Hesman wrote:
Over the last two months I have been seeing quite a few Varied Thrushes in my yard.
I've never seen a Varied Thrush in the city, but I love hearing them "tuning up" in the early spring in the lowlands of the Mountain Loop.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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Downhill
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PostSun Jan 15, 2023 4:22 pm 
I did a little looking around the site and this thread was the closest I found to be a "birding" source. I am not a birder but always very curious to identify and then learn about the birds I see. I seem to lack almost even meager skills at identifying unknown (to me) species, so I am looking for help from the experts here. Would this be the appropriate thread to post "what bird is this?" inquiries? I've gotten pretty good with the hawks, eagles, falcons, turkeys, partridges, vultures, jays, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and about half-dozen songbirds that reside or migrate through my home in the mountains outside of Leavenworth. But this winter I am doing some boat-sitting a few days a week in Kirkland and I see some very interesting waterfowl and shorebirds that I can't identify. I'm currently lacking a decent camera with a telephoto lens, but I will try to get a decent pic or 2. Is this the right place to post questions, or is there a more appropriate thread?

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Kascadia
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PostSun Apr 30, 2023 11:35 am 
The Black Headed Grosbeaks have shown up for the summer - such beautiful birds with their orange/black/white markings and oh the improv! Amazing vocalists.

It is as though I had read a divine text, written into the world itself, not with letters but rather with essential objects, saying: Man, stretch thy reason hither, so thou mayest comprehend these things. Johannes Kepler

Now I Fly
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Now I Fly
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PostSun Apr 30, 2023 9:56 pm 
Anne Elk wrote:
I first saw two of these in my yard about 15 years ago. I had no idea what it was. The bird book I had at the time ID'd it as a scrub jay
I've spotted them three times in the last two years, here in Kirkland. :-)

Anne Elk
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grannyhiker
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PostMon May 01, 2023 7:39 pm 
Does anyone here track migration on BirdCast? We had an extraordinary 4.5 million birds fly across Multnomah and Washington Counties, Oregon (northern end of the Willamette Valley) in one night, last Friday/Saturday. That must have been the peak, because as of last night, migrating birds are down to 141,000.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostTue May 09, 2023 7:25 pm 
They've probably been around, but I've never identified them previously. Last 2 days I've had Bewick's wrens hopping around the back yard. First time I've been aware of seeing them. Cute little things.

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Malachai Constant
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PostThu Jun 01, 2023 12:51 pm 
We saw a pair of Great Gray Owls off I-84 by LaGrand OR my understanding is they are seldom seen this far south. Very large dark Owls.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn

Anne Elk, Kascadia, Hesman, Sculpin
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostThu Jun 01, 2023 10:02 pm 
Haven't been out much this year. Finally heard my first Swainson's thrushes, at Boeing Creek Park yesterday. There were several. I actually saw one of them, that's a rarity for me. Also watched a group of crows splish splashing in the creek. In the many dozens of times I've been there, never seen the crows bathing before. This was where the lake used to be, now restored to creek bed.

Anne Elk
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Anne Elk
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PostThu Jun 01, 2023 11:23 pm 
^^^ I love the Swainson's, but I've only ever heard them at higher elevations in June. I also have difficulty telling their call from that of the Hermit Thrush. Great comparison article here: Learn the sounds of three brown thrushes

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood

olderthanIusedtobe
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PostFri Jun 02, 2023 12:16 am 
Thanks Anne! I actually heard the wink sound as well as the full song from the thrush. I hadn't noticed the wink before. I thought it was a bit like dripping water. We definitely get some Swainson's in the Puget Sound lowlands in the spring. I'm not aware of hermits being down this low. When I'm hiking I often get confused about which one is which, but if I hear both for comparison it helps me figure it out. I'm always happy when I hear the trifecta of thrushes--Swainson's, hermit and varied. Maybe I've even experienced a quad before with a robin. Those seem to show up at just about any elevation.

Anne Elk
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cdestroyer
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PostFri Aug 18, 2023 1:48 pm 
it is mid to late august and the cedar wax wings(Bombycilla cedrorum) are gathering and mating whilst devouring my choke cherries(Prunus virginiana) that have ripened..

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camut
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PostWed Oct 11, 2023 1:36 pm 
They're back! Thousands of snow geese today in the fields on the north side of Fir Island road.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSat Nov 04, 2023 11:23 am 
My cousin shared an article with me. The ornithology society is at it again. They are suggesting a massive number of name changes of birds. Anything with a person's name, gone. Say goodbye to Anna's hummingbird, Stellers jays, Wilsons Warbler, Bewicks wrens and others.

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grannyhiker
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PostSat Nov 04, 2023 2:56 pm 
Somebody is going to make some money. Everyone's bird books will be out of date and have to be replaced! The black-and-blue jays (formerly Stellar's) that frequent my neighborhood won't care! No, I have no idea if that will be their new name; I just dreamed it up.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey

olderthanIusedtobe
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSat Nov 04, 2023 4:09 pm 
Ah, that's it! I thought this was PC gone completely overboard, but it's actually just good old fashioned capitalism. Genius! They will be selling a ton of new field guides, once the names are settled on. Be prepared for that to take a long time though.

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