[Tweeters] Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) Eagles Pride Golf Course (GC) monthly bird walk - 8-19-2021

[Denis DeSilvis]

Tweeters,



Doldrums? What doldrums?! On Thursday, August 19, 14 of us enjoyed a nice day of birding at the JBLM Eagles Pride GC, with pleasant temperatures (57-70degF start to finish), slight overcast skies, and virtually no wind. Major highlight was our first recorded SPOTTED SANDPIPER, seen by all flying back-and-forth across the 12th hole pond. Second to that was seeing a PIED-BILLED GREBE (PBGR) on nest smack-dab in the middle of Hodge Lake. Two other adult PBGR were seen there, as well as a single older juvenile PBGR , which is likely one of the juvenile grebes we saw last month: the size and coloration would fit this supposition.  Other highlights include the following:



1. BELTED KINGFISHER - flying over the maintenance pond area and our starting point at the driving range.

2. WOOD DUCKS - 11 at the 9th-hole pond and three more at Hodge Lake. (We have no idea why the 9th-hole pond attracts this many Wood Ducks - we had 27 once here earlier in the year.

3. BROWN CREEPER bathing in a pool of water in the cart path at the 13th tee-box.

4. CASSIN'S VIREO, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, VAUX'S SWIFT, and HUTTON'S VIREO were also all found on or around the 13th tee-box.

5. COOPER'S HAWK also on the 13th hole, but about 125 yards away from the 13th tee-box.

6. 10 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS at the 9th hole and the maintenance ponds.

7. A definitive ID of a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, seen by most of us. Pale white eye-ring, feeding pattern (tips of branches of Douglas-firs), wing bar, with what appeared to be grayish coloration overall. No eye-stripe (ruled out Golden-crowned Kinglet.)



Mammals included 5 black-tailed deer, one Douglas squirrel, and one Townsend's chipmunk. (Same species and numbers as last month!)



One disconcerting occurrence: While we were on the dirt road that runs between the Dupont housing area and above Hodge Lake, an SUV towing a small trailer passed us by and all of us smelled skunk. Further down the road, we found the vehicle parked and it was pretty obvious that the two folks there had released a skunk from the live trap they had there onto the JBLM Eagles Pride property. I alerted one of the course workers, who told me that it was likely (name withheld here) had released a skunk he had trapped in a housing area where he lives. I just hope the skunk smell stays with these folks' vehicles for as long as they continue to own them!



The JBLM Eagles Pride GC birders meet the third Thursday of each month at 8:00AM. Starting point is Bldg # 1514, Driving Range Tee, Eagles Pride Golf Course, I-5 Exit 116, Mounts Road Exit. Upcoming walks include the following:

* September 16

* October 21

* November 18

Anyone is welcome to join us!




>From the eBirdPNW posting:




42 species



Canada Goose  5     In addition, we had a flyby of possibly 10 or more (from calling sounds) CAGO that were below the tree line that we couldn't actually count.

Wood Duck  14     11 at the 9th hole pond and 3 at Hodge Lake

Mallard  1

Pied-billed Grebe  4     One adult on nest (see photo) in center of Hodge Lake; two other adults and one juvenile also on lake.

Band-tailed Pigeon  10

Vaux's Swift  1

Anna's Hummingbird  5

Spotted Sandpiper  1     A first for this birdwalk. Seen by all flying back-and-forth across the 12th hole pond. Definitive flight (rapid wing beat, shallow, seeming to be horizontal and below), white wing stripe, white underside, upperside gray or brown-gray. All the usual identification features matched this species.

Cooper's Hawk  1

Red-tailed Hawk  1

Belted Kingfisher  1

Red-breasted Sapsucker  1

Downy Woodpecker  1

Northern Flicker  9

Olive-sided Flycatcher  2     One was "pip-pipping" one one side of the road, and another was responding (?) with a "quick-three-beers" on the other side of the road.

Western Wood-Pewee  10

Willow Flycatcher  2

Pacific-slope Flycatcher  1

Hutton's Vireo  1

Cassin's Vireo  1

Steller's Jay  11

California Scrub-Jay  1

American Crow  1

Black-capped Chickadee  28

Chestnut-backed Chickadee  37

Barn Swallow  35

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1     A definitive ID of a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, seen by most of us. Pale white eye-ring, feeding pattern (fluttering at tips of branches of Douglas-firs), wing bar, with what appeared to be grayish coloration overall. No eye-stripe (ruled out Golden-crowned Kinglet.)

Red-breasted Nuthatch  19

Brown Creeper  3     Two were at the 13th hole tee-box and at least one of those bathed in a pool of water on the cart-path next to the tee.

Bewick's Wren  1

European Starling  27

American Robin  82

House Finch  24

American Goldfinch  6

Dark-eyed Junco  22

White-crowned Sparrow  4

Song Sparrow  13

Spotted Towhee  5

Common Yellowthroat  11

Yellow Warbler  1

Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

Black-headed Grosbeak  1



View this checklist online at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS93546661&data=04%7C01%7C%7C18b504897ce44d92d77608d964dee1e0%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637651730698064083%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=N5xTaAky0x6HCdGc5%2BxqqnH3j58z69DkmAdLxmJkgXw%3D&reserved=0

May all your birds be identified,
Denis DeSilvis
Avnacrs 4 birds at outlook dot com
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