(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Dawn Chorus: When Migrating Birds Hit the Flyways, I Hit the Highways [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-22
Shorebirds rise at Bowerman Basin, Grays Harbor NWR.
Spring bird migration is an annual pageant of the skies, shores and trees, a brief magical spectacle. Among North American breeding birds, 350 species are long-distance migrants. As winter ends, birds leave the warm south and hit the flyways going north, braving whatever weather may come. To enhance their breeding chances, they gamble that they’ll make it to sites with more hours of daylight, more food, more room and fewer predators. On this marathon, they’re guided by the angle of the sun, positions of the stars, visual landmarks and, probably, the Earth’s magnetic field. Many fly at night to avoid heat and predators, and drop down during daylight to gorge and rest. And where they go, I follow.
As shorebirds who take the Pacific Flyway cross into southwest Washington state, they find the invertebrate-rich mudflats of Bowerman Basin, at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a Hemispheric Site in The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, meaning it and each of its sister sites hosts a minimum of 500,000 shorebirds a year. www.fws.gov/… After refueling, these birds will make their next stop at the Copper River Delta, then fly on to their breeding grounds.
I’ve traveled to Bowerman Basin from my home in Seattle on and off for decades to witness the spectacle of their arrival. Seeing and hearing calls made by hundreds to thousands of hungry shorebirds is exhilarating; it’s an annual renewal of spirit. And knowing that they’re powering down enough invertebrates to give them strength for the next leg of their journey north is heartening.
This spring, Mr. WordsandBirds and I began our hunt for migrants with two visits to Bowerman Basin, both near low tide in late April. We went just before and after the Shorebird Festival, whose crowds we try to avoid. The birds didn’t show up in overwhelming numbers on either visit, as they have in previous years, and they mostly stayed far out, but it’s always good to know that some have arrived. The largest flocks were mostly Dunlin, many of whom live in Washington coastal areas year-round. Still, we saw a number of interesting shorebirds.
Black-bellied Plovers forage in the grass at Bowerman Airport. A few, on the left and right, still wore non-breeding plumage. See the difference. (The small airport is on the way from the parking area to the refuge.)
Black-bellied Plovers winter as far away as southern South America and breed in the northernmost parts of North America. Unfortunately, the tidal wetlands at their Arctic breeding grounds are rapidly warming, and they face rising sea levels as well. They’re classified as in Steep Decline. (All About Birds)
Whimbrels appeared during both of our visits to Grays Harbor NWR. Here they hunted for food in the grass next to the airport, as the Black-bellied Plovers had. Check out those elephantine bills.
Whimbrels who take the Pacific Flyway winter anywhere from Central America to the U.S. Pacific Coast and breed mostly in Alaska and the Northwest Territories. They were heavily hunted for food in the early 20th century and are still hunted in parts of South America and the Caribbean. They’re also facing coastal habitat loss and sea-level rise.
Western Sandpipers hunt for invertebrates on the mudflats at Bowerman Basin, Grays Harbor NWR. Closer
Western Sandpipers migrate after winter from as far as northern South America and will breed along the Alaskan coast. They’re classified as of Low Conservation Concern, yay.
Semipalmated Plovers, left, with Western Sandpipers and other shorebirds. Check out the mudflats more closely.
Semipalmated Plovers winter from South America and up the Pacific Coast. They breed in the Arctic and subarctic. They’re classified as of Low Conservation Concern, having recovered from unrestricted shooting in the 19th century, even though hunters in South America still kill hundreds to thousands of the birds each year (All About Birds).
Camera shy were long-distance migrants Red Knots, who winter as far south as Argentina; and Least Sandpipers, Sanderlings and Short-billed Dowitchers, who all winter in northern South America. The first three are listed as Near-Threatened, and Short-billed Dowitchers are on the Yellow Watch List. Sanderlings are listed as in Steep Decline. We also saw Caspian Terns, a medium- to long-distance migrant of Low Concern (finally!).
Here’s a festival shorebird survey from 2024. We remember the kind ranger we met that year who was clicking away on his counter as he made sure we could see Long-billed Dowitchers and Red Knots through his scope: www.shorebirdfestival.com/...
🐦⬛ 🐦⬛ 🐦⬛
Our trips to Grays Harbor were the first two of six while chasing spring migrants. In late May, we made another repeat pilgrimage on the trail of migrating passerines, crossing the Cascade Mountains into eastern Washington to Umtanum Ridge. The birds we saw and heard there were at the end of their migration journey, finding this insect-rich area south of the town of Ellensburg ideal for breeding. Some were already raising their families.
A Mountain Bluebird pauses before delivering worms to waiting young mouths. Mountain Bluebirds winter from Mexico through the U.S. Southwest.
Just one of the many homes for bluebird families.
Bluebirds are a major attraction on Umtanum Ridge. They breed here thanks to at least 130 houses, specially designed for their use, along a 16-mile portion of Umtanum Road and beyond. The project began in 1982, when 47 boxes were erected on fence posts and trees. To date, the Vredenburgh Bluebird Trail, named in honor of Harold and Virginia Vredenburgh, who led the effort, has been responsible for more than 18,000 bluebirds who’ve fledged into the world. Members of the Yakima Audubon Society Boxes pay for and maintain the boxes, and monitor the numbers of eggs and birds fledged. I love this stretch of road.
A Western Bluebird female perches in a field near a bluebird house. Check out her blue tail.
Western Bluebirds spend their winters from northern Mexico to central California. They’re considered of Low Conservation Concern, though House Sparrows and European Starlings take over their nests in places, and they face habitat loss as well.
As we have for many years, we walked the trail to Umtanum Creek Falls, which is rich with Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-fir and tall deciduous trees. We heard or saw California Quail, a talky Yellow-breasted Chat, Bullock’s Oriole, Northern House Wren, Nashville Warbler, McGillivray’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Lazuli Bunting. A Dusky Flycatcher flew as soon as we saw it, but the Western Wood-Pewee was more obliging:
This Western Wood-Pewee called out its presence on the trail to Umtanum Creek Falls. Closer.
Western Wood-Pewees winter in northern South America and breed throughout Mexico, the western U.S. and Western Canada. Unfortunately, they’re considered in Steep Decline; between 1966 and 2015, their population plummeted by 48 percent. They’ve been harmed by logging after forest fires in their breeding grounds as well as habitat loss in tropical forests on their wintering grounds. (All About Birds)
Basalt folds on Manastash Ridge. It’s striking country.
On our second day in the area, we tried nearby Manastash Ridge, an anticline mountain ridge formed by the Miocene Columbia River basalt flows. The spaces between the basalt folds attracted Violet-green and Tree swallows looking for or tending nest sites. All was peaceful, until suddenly a caravan of large pickups appeared, kicking up dust clouds as they hauled long trailers filled with ATVs and beer kegs. It was the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, and the locals were preparing for a long one. So, we bailed back to Umtanum Creek Falls.
On both of our two days in the area, we stopped to eat our lunches at the picturesque Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park, which fronts the Yakima River. There, Northern Rough-winged Swallows abounded, along with Magpies. We saw Brewer’s Blackbirds as well. At the far end of the parking lot is a trailhead, which we hope to explore on our next visit.
🐦⬛ 🐦⬛ 🐦⬛
A Swainson’s Thrush sings from the forested area. I heard the rising, flute-like songs of several Swainson’s Thrushes as soon as I turned onto the road leading to the refuge.
Rounding out the search for spring migrants, I made three trips to Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge — one in April, one in May and one in June. This is another bird magnet we’ve been visiting for decades. The refuge encompasses more than 4,500 acres and supports 300 species of birds, which is impressive given that the entire state only attracts 522 species.
The refuge lies on the Nisqually River Delta, at the southern end of Puget Sound, just 13 miles east of the state capital of Olympia. In 1904, a farmer bought the property and diked the estuary connecting the Nisqually River to Puget Sound. After WWI, he went bankrupt. Eventually a deepwater port was proposed there, but Billy Frank Jr., the Nisqually Indian Tribe and other parties fought to save the delta. They prevailed, and the refuge was dedicated in 1974. In 2009, the dikes were removed, reconnecting the estuary to Puget Sound. Salmon and birds rejoiced. (Info about the restoration is here: nisquallydeltarestoration.org/...)
The beautiful Nisqually River flows through the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge has five miles of trails through several parts. A boardwalk trail follows the Nisqually River, which is lined with massive old willows, Big Leaf Maple and Cottonwood trees, all of which attract warblers and other passerines. From there, a gravel path leads to the old Brown Farm barns. Beyond them is a trail along a freshwater area, full of ducks and geese, which leads to a long boardwalk over the mudflats.
Above the gravel Nisqually Estuary Trail, I heard the clear “FITZ-bew” of a Willow Flycatcher and saw this one. Cin-Ty Lee, in her field guide “North American Flycatchers,” describes the Western bird as having dull wing bars and an indistinct (as in absent) eye ring. Get closer.
I’d been hearing Common Yellowthroats for months in Seattle but had only seen one, and for a brief moment. This guy sang heartily from a small tree along the gravel Nisqually Estuary Trail.
A Cinnamon Teal hen takes a big bath after mating with this drake in a freshwater pond along the Nisqually Estuary Trail. I find the drake’s coloring gorgeous. Closer.
Cinnamon Teal are short- to medium-distance migrants, coming from Mexico or even South America. Unfortunately they’re on the Yellow Watch List for declining populations, largely because of loss or contamination of the wetlands they require.
Seen from the Nisqually Boardwalk Estuary Trail, Cliff Swallows gather mud for their nests under the roof of an open-sided viewing platform on the boardwalk.
Cliff Swallows spend the winter throughout South America and breed extensively across North America. They’re doing well, even though House Sparrows often take over their nests. I also saw many Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows, all lightning-quick, who were breeding near the visitor center.
The mudflats at Nisqually are a mecca for shorebirds, gulls and Caspian Terns, such as this one.
Learning about the plights of many of the birds we saw was disheartening. It made me grateful to have seen or heard them. It also encouraged me to look even harder for these beautiful creatures just trying to make a living and pass on their genes to the next generation.
Here’s a map showing the places we visited across Western and Eastern Washington.
Bonus: I found this remarkable story map called “Whimbrels on the Wing,” which follows individual Whimbrels. One, T6, flew nearly 20,000 miles in a year!
Sources: Birds of the World; All About Birds; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Birdweb.org; North American Flycatchers by Cin-Ty Lee; The Shorebird Guide by Michael O’Brien, Richard Crossley and Kevin Karlson; Eastside Audubon Society; HistoryLink.
🐦⬛ 🐦⬛ 🐦⬛
Thank you for reading. How was migration in your area? Please let us know, or add any bird-related comments below.
Note: I won’t be an early bird, and I’ll have to host intermittently, but I’ll do my best to answer any questions.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/22/2328905/-Dawn-Chorus-When-Migrating-Birds-Hit-the-Flyways-I-Hit-the-Highways?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
