Clallam County Birding: 125th POST 4.05.17

A Long Post in Two Spurts and One Spat . . . .

1. A Clallam County Four Falcon Day!

[Let's go here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE7nv7BH19Q> cuz it's worth The Dance!]

This just doesn't happen in this county. Over in the Skagit: Yes. And back in the 90s there were several five falcon days there. . . but here in Clallam: A four falcon day? Searching through county records it's never happened; the last time that this was possibly possible was back in the late 90s. Finding x3 is common place; but not x4 . . .

[This was not planned!] Early this morning the first falcon came in the form of a pair of Kestrels who were aerially courting over on Schmuck road near the old hay shed. Aerial flights and all kinds of chatter. Then back in the E Palmer marshes while running Jackie OneTree a pair of Merlins came out of the sky doing a circus act of spirals and twists at 80mph down low over the ground and then spinning up past me they flew on to the south and out of sight. Later, watching Dunlin and BB plovers over off the mouth of the Dungeness, a Peale's was playing tag with single birds sorted out from the masses as they pirouetted in their chase-me dance-of-death which the falcon finally broke off; flying to the south back into the cottonwoods and out of sight. And then came this! A GYR! This falcon has been a topic of conversation amongst some of us for almost two weeks. Why? Well, Michael Barry photographed this falcon over in the DRA back on March 21.

Long distance photos. Had elements of a Gyr; but nothing to base size on - no measurement descriptors. Some kept making it into a Peregrine; some felt possibly a Gyr but . . .

Then Gary Bullock re-found this same bird this afternoon, drove all the way back to my place and showed me a photo. "That's a F'in GYRFALCON!" I grabbed my binocs, jacket and was out the door. And 15 minutes later there were three of us looking at a classic Gyrfalcon sitting in the middle of a gravel driveway. Then the calls went out and quickly a Birding Flash Mob of the CC Kind formed right there at the DRA! By the time we left the falcon was perched in a snag and a Birding Flash Mob of the CC Kind had scored the rarest of Clallam County falcons. For Dow Lambert and Ken Wiersema it was a Lifer!

And the falcon - what was it doing during this bit of it's and our reality?

Gyr: Standing in the middle of a gravel road, just standing, preened breast, looking around. Then turned to the east, took two steps and lifted off heading east. The size of the bird was 'huge.' RTH size. It flew east and went out of sight behind a copse of alder. We moved east with it. A dozen crows were mob-calling in a set of alders - give away: right there on the ground mantled over a hen Mallard it'd just killed. It continued to feed in a frenzied rush. Feathers flying. Then it flushed flying east to top of fir tree where crows continued to mob it. Then a male and female Harrier came at it - dive bombing it out of the tree and back across the field to the west. As it passed over the Mallard, it made a dip down but a Harrier was persistent in it's attacks. It kept on flying west where it perched again in the same snag. Sat. Crows calling all around it. Then it lifted off and came back towards the field where it's kill lay. Flew over, turned came back around and then went back to snag where it sat facing west. Crows continued hassling it. A Harrier came back and the chase across the field flying back west continued. The Harrier quit. The Gyr flew to it's snag. Then from the east came an adult Beagle towards the falcon's kill. It back-peddled wings, talon-dipped down, and plucked up the remains, turned and headed back east towards an active nest site in that direction.

We left some time later after a round of chatting, commiserating, telling old birding stories, and scoping the Gyr one last time. Simply put: Cool!

2. WHAT ELSE . . .

Lapland longspur - Sarah Peden found one at 3Cs on All Fool's Day. Then two were found on the 3rd during 3C's surveys with a possible 3rd bird seen further down the beach. Liam Hutcheson took some fine photos as one of the birds moved almost amongst our feet feeding on sand-bugs and seeds.

Mountain bluebird - Out along the Wa'atch a female was found on March 31. Then another female as seen at 3Cs on 4.03. Then last eve [4.04] down at 3Cs there were x5 working the area.

Sandhill crane - Adrianne Akmajian and Jon Scordino woke up to several hundred cranes that had plopped down in their backyard just across the Wa'atch River out in Neah Bay. These are the first movers coming up along the coast that we know of.

Townsend's solitaire - An influx! In the past three days we've had x3 at 3 Crabs, x2 in Dungeness, x2 in the DRA, and x1 over at Washington Harbor.

Chipping sparo - Bruce Paige found this bird early morning on the 3rd.

Swans - almost gone; maybe six or seven left.

Short eared owl - Eric Guzman watched one over the DRA on Sunday last.

Say's phoebe - to me the sweetest of the spring phoebes! Down on lower Schmuck road near the Maple View Farm on 4.02.

Swalos - Purple Martins will not be back on the OlyPen for at least three more weeks - done said! Otherwise, all five of the others are active: Violet green, Tree, Barney, Cliff, and Roughies. And the first two are queing in on nest boxes fast and furious.

Common yellowthroat - FOY! And Bruce Paige again! On the 5th in the 3Cs area back in marshes. And this morning there were at least x5 calling back in the E Palmer marshes.

Yellow billed loon - Neah Bay on the bay inside jetty. Liam Hutcheson found this one on the 2nd [. . . is it a YBLO?].

Grouse - both Sooty and Ruffed have begun their courtship rituals. Booming by Sootys; drumming by Ruffed. Deep woods for both. Stillness and listening will work. Where? Four quick places: upper Palo Alto road; Miller peninsula out in state park lands, trailhead at Elwha river; and trailhead to Hume's Ranch.

Green heron - this is what Bruce Paige noted in his eBird report from 3.30: "... two adults, flew right in front of me at about 50 Yards distance. Very well seen in frontal lighting before they flew into a wooded creek on private property. The orange/yellow feet particularly stood out trailing the green and buff bodies of these little herons." There've been anecdotal reports of Green's possibly nesting along Lake Pleasant for the past decade but with no confirmation. Yet we always seem to have juvy Greens showing up from Neah Bay to La Push come fall. Worth working the area again with a little more diligence, eh?

Vultures - they're moving. In big herds and In little groups. The largest movement seen so far was x40+ out at NB on the 2nd by Liam Hutcheson. The crush is coming tho. Soon the skies will be like mosquitoes on the tundra with these Red-headed gods-of-carrion moving north. Wait for it!

Raptor Migration Neah Bay from Bahokus Peak- Just starting. Vultures. And a smattering of reports re RTHs, Sharpies, Cooper's and Kestrels. It's time - the Wx has not been cooperative tho out there along the coast lately - NNW gales to 50mph plus! And more nastiness is coming . . .

Shorebirds - The Willet "Harmony" is still here - seen most often out near Cline's Islet off Dung Landing; the FOY Greater yellowlegs graced the flats on 3.31; possible Western sandys are showing up - but way out there; a Least sandy was seen at 3Cs on 3.28; Whimbrels were on the outer Dungeness Spit on the 29th; Snipe are hanging in two locations: PitShip Pocket near John Wayne Marina and the Palmer Marshes north of 3Cs; Black turnstones are hanging at 3Cs, Ediz Hook, Clallam Bay, Sekiu, and out at Neah Bay along shoreline; Ruddy turnstone x2 still on log-boom at Ediz Hook; Charadrius vociferus are territorialing - eggs coming soon; There's a few Dowitchers showing up - but which one is still the question. Probably Short billed ; Spotted sandy - on the 28th Bruce Paige found one over on Miller Peninsula down along the shoreline: Fine photo! Ruddy turnstone and the lone Least sandy are still working log boom on Ediz Hook - been there all winter!

3. PHOTOS RE THE GYR . . .

[thank you Dow Lambert & Michael Barry!]

This was taken only minutes after the Gyr took down a hen Mallard and was plucking and gorging . . .

Take a close look at primary, secondary and rectrice feathers; they're well used!

This photo is unique, as is the next one - those blurred blotches on the photos - one of those two birds muted and this is the effluent flying between them . . . . The Harrier came out and bombed the Gyr as it was perched in the fir tree [above].