BIRD WATCH: ‘Walking the edge’ produces prime pickings in late summer

Late August to September are the best times to get up and get out.

LATE AUGUST INTO September is one of the best times of the year to take a bird walk.

You never know what you might find, and the way to see the most birds is to “take a walk on the edge.”

No, I don’t mean a scary walk along a cliff’s edge — not with my fear of heights.

Forests and brushy areas bordering fields and wetlands produce the best birdwatching.

Right now, those habitat types are supermarkets for birds.

They’re overflowing with Nature’s food.

Combine this with a burgeoning population of young birds, and the combination is in our favor when it comes to seeing lots of birds.

Walking the edge, where two or more habitat types come together, makes it possible for us to see species found in a variety of habitats instead of just one.

Most birds are habitat-specific.

An easy illustration is that you won’t see meadowlarks in a rainforest.

Chickadees find nothing attractive about tidal mudflats.

Robins and starlings may visit multiple habitat-types, but they have favorite places — like a well-groomed and well-watered yard that makes for easy worm digging.

If mountain ash trees loaded with ripe berries are part of the landscaping, that’s even better.

Boardwalks that traverse wetlands on the edge of heavy brush or through a stand of mature forest make perfect birding walks.

I have a favorite walk that starts out on a boardwalk through a boggy forest where skunk cabbage and ferns grow under the trees. Winter wrens and woodpeckers feed in these cool, shady and bug-ridden spots.

The boardwalk eventually breaks into the open where you face a large grassy estuary and manmade ponds.

Red-winged blackbirds, ducks, grebes and even a rail or two feed and shelter in the ponds and its cattails. This is a good spot for finding marsh wrens.

You hear them before you see one. These crafty little birds hide in the cattails and fire a scolding chatter at you.

The estuary grasslands are viewed from the walk that now follows along a dike separating the area from open fields on the other side.

Swallows fly overhead while Savannah sparrows flit about in the tall grass.

Great blue herons hunt here and ducks shelter in the wet areas hidden in this spot.

The pastures attract large numbers of geese and ducks. Small trees mixed with wild rose bushes line the edge of the dike and are often full of feeding birds.

Cedar waxwings, chickadees, finches, towhees, song sparrows, goldfinches, flycatchers, kinglets, bushtits and jays are attracted to the food found in these thickets.

One more “edge” borders this brushy spot. The Union River flows along here as it winds its way through the marsh and out to the end of Hood Canal near Belfair.

This favorite spot of mine is the Theler Wetlands preserve.

I’ve hiked it many times, but this is the best time because the weather is pleasant and the birds are plentiful.

Winter can also produce good birding here, but the weather is a big question mark.

I’m sure there are many favorite birding walks, and if I had to pick a second one, I would be considering Sequim’s Railroad Bridge Park trail.

It’s rich in birdlife and the walk is a pleasant one.

There are more wonderful walks in this part of the Olympic Peninsula.

They don’t need to be long hikes, but it is important to get out while conditions are perfect.

This is the best time of the year to “walk the edge.”

________

Joan Carson’s column appears every Sunday. Contact her at P.O. Box 532, Poulsbo, WA 98370, with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply. Email: joanpcarson@comcast.net.

More in Life

Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News
A fire dancer from Port Townsend's Fire Dance Collective, performs in front of spectators during the 2nd Annual Solstice Bonfire hosted by Jefferson County 4-H at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on Saturday.
Solstice Bonfire

A fire dancer from Port Townsend’s Fire Dance Collective, performs in front… Continue reading

Sunday program set for OUUF

Joseph Bednarik will present “The Ancient Genius of Firelight… Continue reading

Christmas Eve service planned

There will be a Christmas Eve service at 3 p.m.… Continue reading

The Rev. Larry Schellink will present “Days of More Light” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Schellink is the guest speaker at Unity in the Olympics, 2917 E. Myrtle Ave.
Weekend program scheduled for Unity in the Olympics

The Rev. Larry Schellink will present “Days of More… Continue reading

ISSUES OF FAITH: Hear the voices of angels at Christmas

DO YOU BELIEVE in angels? There are many accounts of angels in… Continue reading

A kite-boarder takes his board into the storm-tossed waters of Port Townsend Bay at Fort Worden State Park during a sunbreak on Saturday, while a rainbow forms over the Point Wilson Lighthouse. Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Wave rider in Port Townsend Bay

A kiteboarder takes his board into the storm-tossed waters of Port Townsend… Continue reading

In 2017, BCHW certified sawyer Larry Baysinger, left, spent a day teaching, and getting chainsaw-certified, members of the new Mt. Olympus Chapter, enabling them to use a  chainsaw to clear West End trails of fallen trees and branches. Sadly, due to diminished membership, the chapter is closing. A final potluck dinner will be held Dec 17, 6:30 p.m.,. at Black  Diamond Community Center, 1942 Black Diamond Rd, Port Angeles. RSVP rainforestrider@gmail.com. (Photo by Sherry Baysinger)
HORSEPLAY: Happy trails to Back Country chapter

THE CHAPTER STARTED off like gangbusters. Or should I say trailbusters, as… Continue reading

Pruning evergreens in December is not only ideal, but the trimmings can make gorgeous arrangements around your house that in our climate will naturally last until March. (Andrew May/For Peninsula Daily News)
A GROWING CONCERN: Good pruning practices are evergreen

I HAVE BEEN pruning evergreens now for the last two weeks at… Continue reading

ISSUES OF FAITH: To protect religious freedom, keep it out of government

JEWS BEGIN THE holy day of Yom Kippur with the haunting chant… Continue reading

Christmas concert planned for Port Townsend

There will be a Christmas concert at 7 p.m.… Continue reading

Clallam Children’s Choir scheduled during Sunday service

The Clallam Children’s Choir will perform during 10 a.m. services… Continue reading