Overcast to mostly cloudy with occasional showers. Light winds.
I went to Whale Park this afternoon. DK had reported a Western Wood-pewee that didn’t stick around earlier in the day. I had hopes it might have returned. Walking along the paved path from the parking lot, I was approaching the intersection with the board walk and heard an unfamiliar call.
I suspected it might be the wood-pewee, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard one calling before. It took some time, but I did finally track the source to a gray flycatching bird repeatedly returning to perch at the top of a Sitka alder leaning over above the trail.
I did get a recording, Merlin didn’t recognize its calls. I was a little surprised, and it gave me reason to investigate a little further (which I’ve not done yet). I expect the calls will confirm it as Western Wood-pewee, but it seems worth checking just in case.
I stopped by Swan Lake next. Though I didn’t spot the coot that had been around, I did see a fledgling Song Sparrow, the first I’ve seen this year. I heard it begging and initially thought I might find it in a nest. Instead, it was in the salmonberry bushes begging between beaks full of food being delivered by harried parents.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
