Marsha was working a table at the Seattle Greenfest last weekend, so I braved the traffic and found my way to Discovery Park. I walked out to the lighthouse and just sat on the shore of Puget Sound for a while. As a birder, I need to spend a lot more time sitting. Most of us are constantly moving, looking for the next good bird. But if you just sit in one place, good birds will often come to you. Out on the water were a big flock of Western Grebes, Horned Grebes, Ruddy Ducks, Harlequin Ducks, and a pair of Rhinoceros Auklets. These birds were out of camera range, but several species came in for closer scrutiny.
A flock of Black Brant were working the shoreline.
This Mountain Bluebird seemed a little out of place on the beach.
This crow found and ate a small crab. A little over a century ago, a crow on the coast of Puget Sound would have been assumed to be a Northwestern Crow. But when the forests were cleared, American Crows were able to colonize this area. So now, the crows around Seattle are presumed to be American or hybrids.
Mew Gull. Note the thin bill and large white mirrors on P1 and P2.
Red-necked Grebe
Ethical Birder 
How cool! I’ve tried to go birding with my aunt in Seattle (she lives there) but she’s always walking the dog and moves much faster than I. Ah well…..maybe next time.
How likely is it to see a Bluebird there? It does seem out of place…are there fields and farmland nearby?
Dear John, I am an educationalist, at present working on a module teaching students how to use academic words. As an illustration of the difference between gap and cavity I should like to use your photograph of ”a cavity” (in a tree)
on the website I am ”designing” right now.
Could I get your permission to use this beautiful picture?
Kind regards,
Anne Beeker