Category: Pt. Defiance Park

Not surprisingly when you only have an hour or so between showers you’re not likely to see anything particularly unusual nearby. If there were anything unusual, you would probably already have seen it.

Still, I never really tire of seeing local Horned Grebes

or female Red-Breasted Mergansers

while walking Ruston Way.

I’ve posted a shot of this less-than-common bird recently, but I did get a pretty good chance to study it on a recent walk.

It was hanging out with a pair of Barrow’s Goldeneye, though it’s plumage makes it clear it isn’t a Barrow’s Goldeneye.

Comparing it to this male Goldeneye it was hanging around with,

it’s pretty clear that this is a hybrid,

and the black stripe running down the white breast suggests it is probably a Hooded Merganser/Goldeneye hybrid.

Since it was hanging out with Goldeneyes, I wondered if it had the same diet they had, not that of a Hooded Merganser. Unfortunately, despite spending considerable time watching it, I never did see it come up with a catch. Guess that’s something to find out on a later visit. Given our weather forecast, I’ll probably be spending much time walking locally.

We’ve been having a much-welcomed break from the rain for nearly a week now. I’ve been out birding almost every day except for New Years. These shots were taken on the 29th down the street from my house on Ruston Way. I’m not unaware of the irony that all the birds pictured here are black and white, birds that really don’t benefit from sunshine as much as birds with more colorful plumages.

Still, this Surf Scoter’s colorful bill certainly appears more striking in the sunshine,

and you’re not going to get those beautiful reflections with overcast skies.

Although Barrow’s Goldeneye seem more photographic than the Common Goldeneye, I’ve been focusing on the Common lately since they seem to be getting rarer and rarer. It’s easy to forget that their head has a green tinge to it, especially when I seldom see it in sunshine.

Like most Goldeneye, they don’t seem to do much other than float around, and dive, so it’s a photographic treat when you can catch them doing something more than just floating.

The reflection was a nice bonus.

I caught this Goldeneye feeding on a small Crab.

Even this Male Bufflehead was more striking with a little sunshine on his head.

Finally, I’ve seen this odd little fellow several times, and still can’t figure out what it is.

The eye would certainly suggest Goldeneye, but the plumage and, especially, the bill suggest that it is a merganser. Apparently there are Goldeneye-Merganser hybrids, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before. IDing birds is anything but simple, which might be one reason it continues to appeal to me.

Though I’m sure we’ve had a little more than two hours of sunshine here in the Puget Sound area in the month of December, that’s all I’ve had to photograph in so far this month.

It’s hard to deny that even the black and white ducks, like this female Bufflehead, seems much more striking in sunlight,

not to mention this Horned Grebe with its distinctive red eye.

Certainly the female Red-Breasted Mergansers with their rufous heads and bright orange beaks stand out with a little sunshine,

though not as much as the brilliantly colored beak of this Surf Scoter.

Around here, sunshine gives an entirely different meaning to feeling â€?”blue.”

Between trying to get ready for Christmas and unrelenting rain, all the birding I’ve managed to get in so far in December is a couple quick trips to the nearby trail at Point Ruston because I can get there between showers.

It’s a popular place for Barrow’s Goldeneye,

an occasional Common Goldeneye

and Surf Scoters.

Best of all, it seems to be the new home of the female Belted Kingfisher I haven’t seen for a year or so at the Point Defiance Marina.

It made my day when she landed on the fence a mere 12 feet away from me and posed long enough to get several shots.