The Coastal Challenge! (aka What Is It? Round 7)

     For those of you who tried last week's What Is It? challenge, go to the Lazuli Bunting page on Cornell University's All About Birds site and scroll down to the bottom so you can see the "similar species."
Yup. That was a Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea). Congrats to Julia for her correct ID.
     No one got the bird in the dark correct (it is not a verdin, great kiskadee, or black-capped chickadee), so I've decided to give everyone a second week to answer that one. Here are a few hints regarding that particular bird:
     1. It is comparable to a northern cardinal in size
     2. The area it is in has a few trees, but most of the habitat is scrub
Answers for the bird in the dark are due on November 19th.

     Now get out those field guides and raincoats, because we're heading out to dreary shores of Garibaldi, Oregon for a waterbird extravaganza! It's time for...

The Coastal Challenge

    That's right... 5 photos, 7 species, and only 3 weeks to identify them all!
    But first, some general info on birding by the sea.
    Coastal areas are perhaps the best places for birding, especially in lagoons, tidal marshes, bays, and jetties. You can find hundreds of species in the same place: ducks, geese, grebes, loons, herons, sandpipers, plover, cormorants, pelicans, rails, falcons, eagles, gulls, terns, skuas, murres, auks, puffins, pipits, sparrows, blackbirds--the list goes on and on. Best of all, they tend to be out in the open and fairly easy to see (there's not much to hide them on the open water or along the shore).
     One of the best things for beginners about birds along the coast is that their daily schedule is not governed by the sun. For warblers and other migratory forest birds, you pretty much have to go birding really early in the morning to see them. Seabirds and shorebirds, however, go by the tides. You can go to a tidal marsh or jetty at high tide and it will be filled with diving ducks and grebes; if you visit the same location at low tide, the ducks will be gone and replaced with sandpipers and plover. If you are on vacation to the coast, consider visiting a beach near a wildlife refuge. Pay attention to the birds that fly by--not everything is a gull! In southern California you can find lots of terns, cormorants, pelicans, and sometimes even skimmers at popular state beaches.

    There are two problems with birding near the ocean:
1. We don't have any around here.
2. Waterbirds can be tough because of how far away they are from shore.

On that note, you'll have to use all of your birding ability to get these ID's. When you post your answers, identify which picture they go with. Remember, in order to get full points you must identify the species, not just family or genus. Ready? Have fun!

#1: Perched on a shipwreck near a clam processing plant...

Photo by the author.

#2: A trio out on the bay...

Photo by the author.

#3: The leftmost bird in the previous photo is tough... here's another view of it.

Photo by the author.

#4: More swimmers!

Photo by the author.

#5: This one was so far away it could only be photographed through a spotting scope...

Photo by the author.

Answers for the Coastal Challenge are due by Monday, December 10th.
(Yeah, I extended it again. Again.)

Happy identification!